Wondering if anyone has any suggestions or can send me in the right direction to find a power back up suppy for my tank. I was thinking some sort of small generator... I live in the country and the power goes out quiet a bit. I don't want to deal with an overflowing sump at midnight ever again-had to go through that last night. I also remember reading something on the forum a while back (can't find it) about putting holes in the tubes coming from the hang on box?? My return will cut the siphon, but am confused on doing that for the other going into my sump. I have a 75 gallon with a 30 gallon sump. Any suggestion or thoughts??? I have some trips planned starting the beginning of July and want to get this straight incase the power goes out while I am gone. Thanks for your help.
Choosing a power back up
- Thread starter benni
- Start date
Your sump should have enough capacity to handle any power outage without flooding.
Your overflow box cutoff should be at a shallow enough depth as to not drain more water than your extra sump space can handle. You shouldn't have to worry about siphoning from your overflow as the overflow height will 'break' when the level matches the overflow height threshold.
As far as your returns, yeah, a tiny hole should be drilled near the top of the tank's normal water level so that it will break the siphon at the higher desirable level.
All that being said, if your power goes out frequently, a generator would still not be a bad idea. You shouldn't have to worry about your sump overflowing regardless, but for water movement, oxygenation and heat... those are the critical lifeline factors that need to be continued.
Your overflow box cutoff should be at a shallow enough depth as to not drain more water than your extra sump space can handle. You shouldn't have to worry about siphoning from your overflow as the overflow height will 'break' when the level matches the overflow height threshold.
As far as your returns, yeah, a tiny hole should be drilled near the top of the tank's normal water level so that it will break the siphon at the higher desirable level.
All that being said, if your power goes out frequently, a generator would still not be a bad idea. You shouldn't have to worry about your sump overflowing regardless, but for water movement, oxygenation and heat... those are the critical lifeline factors that need to be continued.
We just had our power go out due to a fire, close to 24 hours. We don't have a tank to run, but we do have two refrigerators, a freezer, and most importantly the well (no power = no water). My husband had purchased a 6500W generator from an ad he found in Craigslist for $500, peaks at something like 8,000W. Instead of going to the trouble (and expense) of installing one of those.. what are they? Transfer box or something... anyway, we turned off the feed at the street and plugged into the 220 outlet. Since all the household 110 parallel off the 220 line, and electricity doesn't care which way it flows we made a cable that plugged into the generator on one end, plugged into the 220 (dryer) on the other end, et voila, the house has power.
On this generator we can run those appliances, plus a couple of computers and a couple of tv's. When the well pump kicked on you could hear it work the generator, but the lights stayed on.
However, it's not set up all sweet so that when the power goes out the generator automatically starts, and when it comes back on it automatically shuts off.
On this generator we can run those appliances, plus a couple of computers and a couple of tv's. When the well pump kicked on you could hear it work the generator, but the lights stayed on.
However, it's not set up all sweet so that when the power goes out the generator automatically starts, and when it comes back on it automatically shuts off.
A smaller generator to handle the essentials shouldn't be too hard, pumps and heaters is all really. Nice features to look for are "instant on" i.e. when power cuts your generator goes on, and quiet is good too 
However realized a generator needs to be outside you can't have it inside in your tank.
But I agree, your sump shouldn't be overflowing period.
However realized a generator needs to be outside you can't have it inside in your tank. But I agree, your sump shouldn't be overflowing period.
How long does the power typically go off for in your area, and what kind of climate do you have in the summer?
Many tanks could get by on just water movement from water or air pumps for 2-3 days. Skimming and lights would be nice but are unnecessary, and the fish will be fine if they are not fed for this long. I think the biggest issue might be if you live in a very hot place and you lose chilling capacity.
Many tanks could get by on just water movement from water or air pumps for 2-3 days. Skimming and lights would be nice but are unnecessary, and the fish will be fine if they are not fed for this long. I think the biggest issue might be if you live in a very hot place and you lose chilling capacity.
Thank you for your suggestions. I live in the south, so summer temperatures will boil the tank. The thing is, my sump did overflow. I could raise the skimmer box, but need the water levels I have in the sump to stay where they are at. So maybe I could raise the box and install a higher volume return pump? The one I have is crap anyways. It is a Catalina CAP 2200. Any suggestions for an upgrade? On a different note, I know I have seen in the past small generators (I believe they are charged electrically and not gas) for sale specifically for aquariums-maybe I will search a bit harder on the internet.
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