How to setup a Emergency Plan help!

[fishtk75]

All of you have a plan for a Emergency that been in the hobby for a long time?
As if the Power goes out or main pump goes out and so on is there a list of what you should have something on hand and to do so I can setup something too for not if but when it will happen.
If you all please help not only me but all that are new to the hobby that will read this post thanks.

[Matthewdmueller]

Oxygen in your water is important as well as some sort of flow. I keep my cordless drill with a paint mixer handy for sort term solutions, and I keep a bike pump with some air stones and tubing around for long term emergencies. For the most part that is all you can do if the power goes put and you loose your pumps. There are battery operated airpumps as well, and those are good for emergencies but I don't know a lot about those, maybe someone else here does.

[brody98]

I keep an extra main pump after learning my lesson and I have a generator. Before I had one I have used bags of ice cubes floating in the tank to help keep the summer heat down and I have used the battery powered air pumps, I had junk ones that didn’t work very well but got me through a two day power outage after a f2 tornado went through our town.

[fishtk75]

OK I have down a APC backup power,Generator for power.
Battery air pumps for air.
I so also saw a hookup to a deepcycle marine battery to the APC and have Solarpanel charger for the battery.

I am getting the same size mag pump and heater use it for mixing saltwater then if they go out in the main tank I have backups.

Thank you for your help is there anything esle that needs to keep the tank alive as to the lights?

[Matthewdmueller]

APC wont last to long, at least not long enough to where the tank will be in danger with nothing running. I'm not sure how long a APC will run a computer but last I checked it was only like an hour at the max for the supper dupper one. That would be about as long as it would last on the tank as well with all the lights and pumps running. Its all about the watts and amp draw from all of your equipment. Generator is the best way to go if you can afford it, Brody what kind and what size is yours and how much did it cost? I would like to look into one myself but I live in an apartment omplex right now and knowing the ppl around here if I left it outside it would be gone within an hour.

[brody98]

Mine is 5000 watts and it cost just under $2300 (Honda) but it can run All the tank equipment and the fridge, TV and the furnace at the same time in the winter months, obviously you can get a small one that can just run a tank way cheaper like $250 and up that will do 1000 watts.

[fishtk75]

thank you all for your help,
I will buy a generator for long hall but for short halls I will buy a used APC and hook up a large deep cycle battery but only run a powerhead.
I saw this here http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/emergencypowersources/ht/ht_aqups.htm
I am also going to buy a mag pump the same size to equal the main tank also a heater use them both as for mixing saltwater then if one goes out I have a backup.

[brody98]

Sounds good, that is what I did with my stuff in the beginning.