Preparing your Reef Tank for The Big Storm

For those of you located in the MidAtlantic area of the country (US), we are preparing for yet another major blizzard.  This has been a crazy winter for us int he Philly area.  Average snowfall in Philadelphia is 22 inches.  So far, we are just about 70″ and this next storm looks to be a major event as well.

One of the concerns with this storm is massive power outages because of the expected 50+ mph winds and the fact that this snow will be wetter and heavier and stick to power lines and trees causing them to buckle under the weight.

So, its not enough that I have to be concerned about heat for my family, but I have a fish tank too.  And, everybody knows about the significant investment that goes into a reef tank.  I would estimate I have over $10,000 in this tank in actual dollars and time and the size of my corals.

There are two main concerns when it comes to keeping a reef tank alive during an extended outage:

1. Water movement.  Stagnant water reduces oxygenation and will kill a tank quickly.
2. Temperature.  When the water gets below 72, bad things start to happen.

I have had a tank survive a power outage that dropped the temperature to 70 degrees.  But that was int he spring when the outside temperature was warmer and the power outage was limited to the tank itself (so the house remained warm) and the temperature swing was gradual.

What do you do when the power goes out?  I don’t have a generator.  And there is no way I can justify purchasing one for the tank and NOT for the family.  So any generator purchase would be in the $3000 range and there is no time to get that installed.  Besides, my neighbor has one and we will go over there if the need arises.  Plus, we have lots of family nearby.

So, back to the tank.  I placed an emergency order last night with Champion Lighting.  If you don’t know Champion, you should.  They are an excellent equipment provider and they are located in the Philly area.  (But, they provide equipment all over the country to many public aquariums and hobbyists as well).  Its one of my “Go To” places for equipment.  Garry over at Champion is a great guy and he is shipping me two battery backups for my Vortechs today so they arrive first thing tomorrow.  Hopefully, before the snow gets really bad.

So, flow is taken care of.  That means the water will stay oxygenated and the water will remain healthy for a lengthy period.  But, the temperature of the tank is a potential problem and I don’t have a good solution yet.  I looked into UPS systems last night (used for computer systems), but they can be expensive and heaters draw a lot of wattage.  A $200 UPS will last about an hour, maybe 2 with a 350w heater on it.

My backup plan is to run an extension cord form my neighbor’s house to the tank and plug in a single heater.

So, fingers crossed that we don’t lose power, and if we do, I hope its short lived.

Drs. Foster and Smith has a good article on power outages and your fish tank.  It talks about the implications after the power comes back on as well.  I problem I will deal with when and if I need to.

Have any suggestions on dealing with a power outage or horror stories form what you have experienced?  Let me know!

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