I live in an area that has a lot of power outages in the winter.. Sometimes power is out for a day or 2..
2006-09-12 09:52:14 · 7 answers · asked by mememe 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
Aquarium ups systems, try doing a search for them.
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2006-09-16 06:08:36 · answer #1 · answered by iceni 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have yet to see one. The issue is that converting electricity to heat, especially one for a large tank of moving water, takes a lot of power.
I have a similar problem. I have a 120 gallon planted tank and power outages. A few years ago we had a bad ice storm and I lost everything because I didn't pre-think.
Once I got my tank back up and running I got some single ply ply wood, some rock wool insulation, small thin piano hinges and clear plastic. I cut the ply wood so it was 1 in wider and 1/2 an inch taller then my setup tank (lights, filter, and cover on), I then cut a section big enough to cover the whole thing. I then lined all 5 pieces with rock wool (top I gave two layers to) a then the clear plastic. Then using the piano hinges on the four corners of the sides I made an easily stored collapsible box.
When ever the power goes out on a cold night I immediately put the box on and trap in the heat. if my tank drops to much (which it hasn't) I've got 2 good size rocks I could heat near a fire and place in my tank to warm it back up.
2006-09-12 12:02:43 · answer #2 · answered by boter_99 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because the heaters pull so much power, there really aren't battery back-ups available. You could purchase an uninterupptable power supply, such as those they use to back-up computers, but to find one that would provide power for this length of time could be quite costly.
Just be certain that you have an aerator that will work without a power supply (most pet-supply stores carry both battery-operated models and natural "air stones"). Water is fairly resistant to changes in temperature, especially for larger tanks.
Not knowing the details of your tank or the investment you have in it, the best solution may be to periodically add small amounts of water that you've heated over a fire or on a gas stove, etc.
2006-09-12 10:19:55 · answer #3 · answered by JenV 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Heaters would simply put too much of a drain on standard batteries. I've heard of people using mylar blankets (or fleece would work as well) to insulate their tanks. Keep them wrapped until the power comes on (do not feed them - they'll be fine up to a week without food, and excess food/poop without the help of a filter will quickly muck up your water).
I notice someone suggested a UPS (uninterruptable power supply). We have one for our computers, and it cost us around $150 for it. This would definitely not last you two days without power to power the heaters.
Just make sure you have battery-powered aerators (http://www.drsfostersmith.com carries a nice selection of them) to aerate the water, as that's going to be your major concern.
2006-09-12 10:29:57 · answer #4 · answered by birdistasty 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've seen battery operated air stones, but not heaters. They draw far too many watts to be effectively run off of your regular Alkaline batteries.
2006-09-12 13:10:38 · answer #5 · answered by sly2kusa 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't look like it will be easy to come across a battery operated heater for your tank, but you could try a small generator!
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/archive/o_t__t_72338__battery-operated-heaters.html
2006-09-12 10:01:03 · answer #6 · answered by danielle_thomas 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't believe they do, however you can purchase a surge protector with a backup battery.
2006-09-12 09:54:11 · answer #7 · answered by Sarah H 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋