UPS - UNINTERRUPTED POWER SUPPLY

[Ray.M]

RECENTLY I LOST ALL MY DISCUS DUE TO A POWER SUPPLY FAILURE 2.5 HOURS+.

HAS ANYONE INSTALLED UPS TO RUN THE FILTERS + AIR PUMP.
HEATER MAY BE TOO MUCH OF A LOAD 200W

FILTERS ABOUT 2 x 20W + AIR PUMP 5 WATTS.

IDEALLY I WOULD LIKE THE UPS TO RUN THE FILTERS FOR SAY 3-4 HOURS.

ANY RECOMMENDATION; BRAND + MODEL NUMBER (CAPACITY)

THANKS,
RAY

[Mr Wild]

I have had power outages for longer than that. The most important thing I have found is air. The tank loses heat very slowly and the filters will stay viable for a few hours. Anyway with air running you can put your bioballs ontop of the airstone in the tank to keep the bacteria alive.

So I would think just something large enough to run your air, I have battery operated pumps but then I am home most of the time. HTH

[Greggy]

I run an APC Backups PRO 650Va UPS device, which supplies power to my three canister filters (1x Eheim 2250 Classic & 2x Eheim 2228 Professional) during a power failure. The single UPS runs them all for about 30 minutes which is enough for most short term power outtages but not for 3 or 4 hours.

If you wanted to run your filters & air pump for that long I suggest getting a fairly big UPS device of approx 2000Va or larger.


Cheers

Greggy

[goodoo]

I used to live with a guy who was a computer freak ie good. And when we had power outs. He could run stereo and computer for a few ours. Stereo really loud so neighbors new.

[jayc]

All my large (75 - 125 gallon) tanks have multiple Eheim canister filter setups for various reasons (allows seperate filter cleanings, run different filtration media and maximizes water circulation).

On each of these tanks ONE filter, heater, and rechargable battery air pump is hooked to a large UPS (1000 - 1425VA) and all the other electrical tank equipment (filters, heaters, UV sterilizer, and lights) run straight off the wall outlets. I consider these secondary items non essential to my tank occupants in an emergency.

In a power outage situation this one covered filter/heater/air combination is enough to easily handle the tank occupants bioload and air needs for many hours (3-5+ hours depending on how much the heater is being used).

I use AZoo rechargable battery powered backup pumps (that have dual outputs running to an airstone on each third of the tank) that will go on for quite some time even if the UPS runs out of power. Supposedly these air pumps last for 10 hours of continuous battery power but that claim is stretching the truth. The problem is that unless you run them down off their battery every month to cycle the battery they lose run time as they age. Most of mine are lucky to run an hour or two but thats still extra time after the UPS is expired. I use two airstones on these pumps (which act like regular airpumps and run off regular power normally) to try to maximize tank water circulation and aeration.

The only bad things about these pumps are that you cannot get replacement pump parts and the batteries are not user replacable. I have been able to repair them sometimes with other vendors parts.

My heaters are Hydor ETH 200/300W 5/8" inline models on the canister return hoses. This works out well because it keeps the heaters out of the tank (where they cannot be viewed or busted) and maximizes heat circulation when the water is pumped back into the tank. They also auto shutoff if they start to overheat because water circulation is shut down on the filter which is a nice feature, and you can adjust the tank temperature without putting your hand in the tank, really good heaters.

So I know if the power is lost they will be at least one filter circulating large quantities of proper temperature water for many hours. The sprays bars on these filters and the dual airstones both agitate the water surface to always maximize oxygen transfer in the tanks as well.

When the power returns everthing should come back on automatically (the digital power strips have their own batteries to correctly keep my light timings). The canisters are primed and should start flowing by themselves so I do not even know most times when the power dropped and I am not there until I get on my computer (where my UPS there tells me about the outage).

I have learned from experience that my canister filters can be off for some time (many many hours) and not seem to have any (or minimal) effect on the contained bio bacteria. So unless the power was off for along time they should be fine when the power returns.

There are a number of good bio bacteria supplements on the market now (Tetra SafeStart, Dr Tim's One and Only, Nitromax, etc...) to name just a few. I always keep some on hand just in case I run into a real long power outage and some (or all) of my filters have been off for quite awhile to help jumpstart their filter bacteria growth.

For my single Discus tank I have gone step further. I have covered the rear/bottom/both sides with one inch reflective Dow Super Tuff-R hard foam insulation. The way I have it applied it gives me an R factor of over 7 on fours sides of the tank at all times. I also have an extra piece cut that can cover the front of the tank (if I am around or at night) so this stops the vast majority of heat loss, minimizing heater use, and prolonging UPS run times.

I think I have everything covered except for a major prolonged power outage where the power would be out for 10+ hours. I really should have a gasoline or natural gas powered external generator but I have not made that jump yet.

The large UPS models I have are all older models from BestPower but they do not exist anymore as they were bought out by another company. It makes no difference to me as all their batteries are user replaceable and I have replaced them ($50-$100) multiple times over the last decade.

APC makes good many good UPS models as well and I have a number of them on computers. Many of them have extended run time options where extra batteries can be combined together.

One issue that I have not figured out yet is that sometimes the dedicated GFCI outlets (one for each tank) that the tank UPS plugs into sometimes seem to trigger when the power drops momentarily. This causes the UPS to come on (ironic) and drain the batteries even though there is actually power to the house. I have only encounterd this problem with larger type UPS models and I suppose it has to do with the power they draw. I never had a problem with these same models on regular type outlets.

Let me know if you have any questions...............

Azoo battery powered airpumps (roughly $60): http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=8120

Digital powerstrip with battery powered timer (roughly $30):
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=11379

Super Tuff-R Insulation (4'x8' 1" sheet roughly $15):
http://building.dow.com/na/en/products/insulation/supertuffr.htm