I know I can't afford a generator. Should I sell my tank? Hmm...this could have something to do with my other hobbies though....

Yes a $200 generator is worth having. No it wont run your lights but it will run your heaters and pumps and keep your tank alive for days. Im not elitist at all, if you saw my tank you would understand. But what i have a hard time believing is someone who would spend $200 on a single fish or 4 corals or just 1 Tunze pump but not a generator or some other form of a backup.

If you would spend 200 on a single fish why not spend 4 or 500 on a generator that will last. I am saving up for a generator, but not primarly for the fish tank, it will be for my RV and then a power black out device also. the problem with 200 buck generators is you get what you payfor.. they are cheaply made and generaly when they break you throw them away. another problem with the ultra cheepies is that if there not used frequently the carb gaskets dry out or gum up.. then when you do need it guess what. Idealy one should get a honda/yammaha/kippor, not only are they 4 stroke and quiet but they are built to be serviced and repaired.

If you have a cheep one only keep a little fuel in it and run it up for about 15 min once a week, make sure you have to add new fuel at least once a month to keep fresh stuff in the carb. (this goes for the good ones also.)

Steve

i ordered that princessauto generator. i figure for 130$ it can at least keep my single nano tank going in an emergency.

Thats exactly what i did as my main use for the generator was to run my RV. I was merely stating in my origional post that there are some very inexpensive generators out there for people dont wish to risk a power outage.

not elitist at all...more along the lines of smart is what it is. who needs to have their lights on during a power outtage anyhow? that's most definitely not needed, if you can run your pumps, you're laughing, heaters? bonus! lights...not needed at all.

as far as cheapies, well you do get what you pay for but this is an emergency contingency. you don't need a $1000 unit for emergencies, if you're using it for camping or other work applications spend the extra money. for tank backup...cheap is fine.

I just found out our power will be out for 6 hours on Sunday. What kind of battery pack were you using?

I am looking into UPS for computers, i have seen a few that could run 450W for 8 hours and usually when the power goes out it doesnt last that long, but 450W would keep my pumps and heater going for a long time.

I have a UPS on my tank, and its a crap shoot on whether it will fire the pump or not. Alot of UPS' make square wave AC. This doesnt harm computer power supplies, but sometimes makes a Submersable pumo just occilate and not turn in one direction. Ive tried it with both my Quiet One 3000, and Mag 350. Hopefully, when power does go out, it'll acctually start the pump

Well I will have to test my power supply this evening. It is an older unit that I have not used in ~5 years. I am sort of glad this planned power outage is happening, it forces me to figure out an emergency system.