[LadyKeiva]

Being on Long Island, and after dealing with 11 days of blackout during/after Sandy a few months ago, and with the storm that's hitting us now, I've been putting a lot of thought of ways to protect my tank from any loses/stress/problems/chaos due to the lack of power.

For starters, we already have a gas powered generator to set up (bought when Sandy hit since our power was screwed for so long). Even though we can use that to power for a decent while to keep essentials going, we don't leave it on 24/7 (usually off when we all go to sleep) in order to conserve.

I've been considering ways to keep it powered, AT LEAST on and off to keep the heat up and keep the filter running a bit. I looked into those UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) things, but they don't seem meant to last very long at all. I know I can insulate the tank with an insulated blanket and such to help, and use a battery powered air stone and things of the like. But I was looking for something more.

Losing fish due to something that was in my power to prevent/change/avoid would feel like a complete failure on my part, their little lives are my responsibility.

I was looking into things such as:

Schumacher XP2260 Instant Portable Power Source : Amazon.com : Automotive

Or something like this. Something I could recharge with the generator while the tank is using that power as well. Then when the generator is off I can put it on the power supply while its off.

I'm not sure if something like this would work, nor am I too familiar with its capabilities, the power it puts out, for how long, and all of that.

Its a bit beyond my knowledge of batteries, and volts, etc.

So, I was wondering if someone with better knowledge could give me some input or advice on the subject. It would be very much appreciated =)

Thanks so much,

Jessica

 

[twocents]

if all your tanks are in one room, the only thing I can suggest is a space heater, either propane or kerosene. I looked at the description on amazon briefly: not sure how long a charge would last for a heater. If you have just one tank, that would help.
when sandy hit, our power was out for 6 days, so we were better off than a lot of people, many of whom are still w/o power, heat, simple ammenities.
all I had back then was a kerosene heater which stunk, not to the point of lethal, but enough to make its presence known. It kept the ambient heat @ 70 degrees so the tanks never went below 65 degrees and all the fish came through fine. They also survived without the filter/air running as well.
I now have (and I think I'd recommend) a big buddy 'Mr Heater". since you are on The Island, Agway in Port Jefferson carries them. Of course, they may well run out of stock now.
Big Budd has a couple of models, I have the one which can have 1 or 2 small bottles (the type you use for propane torches) or you can get a kit and a 12 foot hose to use with a 20 gallon refillable conainer. The tank MUST be outside.
This would probably be the simplest and cheapest solution.
Oh, and don't forget to buy carbon monoxide detectors just in case..