"Plan" for a tank crash

[Charley]

I see on the thread " why people leave the hobby" a lot is attributed to tank crashes. Other than the obvious "get a back up generator" I think can be other ways to "protect" or lessen the losses.

For example: I have a 29 gal biocube ( just upgraded to a 90 gal ) and 2 tank crashes due to circuit breaker going off, family not noticing while I was away on business. Both times, huge ammonia spikes, all livestock gone but some corals survived. Mostly mushrooms, ricordias and zoas. Leathers gone, sps gone just had 2 anyways.

Point is that it was interesting to see what survived. Now I know how I can better stock my new tank with corals to mitigate a crash.....why go so heavy on SPS to see them all go in a crash one day? Makes no sense to me. A few sure, but to overweight a tank with SPS...well..

Plus, are there any other ideas to protect against a tank crash other than a back up generator. Crashes are a part of the hobby, we can do our best to make them less painful experiences.

 

[prattreef]

There is no excuse for not owning several of these cheap and effective air pumps. They kick on when the power goes out and 2 D batteries last close to 48hrs. They can easily save your entire tank from disaster. If you don't want an airstone hanging your display full-time, you can at least set them up when you are traveling. These should be sold to every aquarist as required equipment when you first setup a tank.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004PBIKHU/?tag=reefs04-20

 

[bonomo53]

Charley i would say an Apex is a must along with some sort of battery backup for at least one powerhead. But then again I'm also one the heavy sps people you are talking about lol.

 

[KathyC]

There is no excuse for not owning several of these cheap and effective air pumps. They kick on when the power goes out and 2 D batteries last close to 48hrs. They can easily save your entire tank from disaster. If you don't want an airstone hanging your display full-time, you can at least set them up when you are traveling. These should be sold to every aquarist as required equipment when you first setup a tank.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004PBIKHU/?tag=reefs04-20

+1
The BEST $15 you will ever spend on your tank. Go nuts, buy one for your display tank and 1 for your sump. You need to know that these only come on when the power goes off - automatically, and work as long as Randy mentioned 24 to 48hours.
That's a lot of peace of mind for the price.

Of course it's awesome to have a generator, but if you aren't there and haven't purchased the automatic on type, your tan will still be in major trouble.

 

[Charley]

Hi Randy....thanks soooo much for bringing these battery operated pumps to my attention. It is interesting that for all the threads I read here and elsewhere, many times a day, I never ran across this info. Even when in LFS's and mentioned my tanked crashed, not one person brought this to my attention.........I agree, these types of battery operated pumps should be sold with every new tank.

Thank You Kathy for for the add'l info, very much appreciated!

and Bonomo I will look into the APEX, thanks!.....as far as you having alot of SPS, I know the amazing reefkeeper that you are, so totally not worried in your case

In having read so many threads and spoken to so many reefers, a tank crash is almost inevitable for everyone. I do not think there is a fellow reefer who has not suffered thru a crash at one time or another for various reasons to whom I have the great pleasure to speak with. I have to assume, that with all the great advice I will experience another crash.....hopefully for not alot of years. I just think it makes sense to stock a tank weighted towards " crash proof" type corals especially if your a beginner so if a crash does happen, that person would feel less compelled to leave the hobby. Other than observing the very few corals that survived my 2 crashes, I have no clue what other corals stand a chance of being crash proof.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

 

[Charley]

I ordered the pumps right away!

 

[Kworker]

Truly the best way to avoid issues due to loss of power is if you have solar. Battery backup systems connected to the solar are wonderful.

 

[reefiness]

Truly the best way to avoid issues due to loss of power is if you have solar. Battery backup systems connected to the solar are wonderful.

I have a solar system but its apparently unable to produce power during city blackouts because it is tied to grid. They say it would make it unsafe for utility workers to operate if PV systems were feeding the grid during other outages.

As far as battery back ups, a jebao rw8 connected to a coral box battery lasts 18+ hours. Plenty of time to get the generator up and running

 

[ourcoralreef]

I have a solar system but its apparently unable to produce power during city blackouts because it is tied to grid. They say it would make it unsafe for utility workers to operate if PV systems were feeding the grid during other outages.



As far as battery back ups, a jebao rw8 connected to a coral box battery lasts 18+ hours. Plenty of time to get the generator up and running

Its doesn't feed your house then the grid
That sucks i always thought it just feeds the grid when you generate more electricity than your home uses

 

[Kworker]

I have a solar system but its apparently unable to produce power during city blackouts because it is tied to grid. They say it would make it unsafe for utility workers to operate if PV systems were feeding the grid during other outages.

As far as battery back ups, a jebao rw8 connected to a coral box battery lasts 18+ hours. Plenty of time to get the generator up and running

They have battery back ups that are charged by the panels and don't back feed. I'm not 100% on how its all wired. However we got ours through the company that installed the solar panels.

It's a bunch of RV batteries nicely mounted in a unit in the basement that controls it all.