# Fish first aid kit?



## Grete_J (Oct 5, 2010)

This is equipment related.... Due to a bloody motor vehicle accident yesterday, I was without power for over 12 hours. I took the submersible filter out so the fish wouldn't be hanging out in filth, covered the tank with a heavy blanket, but woke up to a few of my new discus with ammonia burns.

I'm wondering if anyone has an "in case of emergencies" kit for their aquatic friends? I don't mean meds, but rather battery operated air pumps and equipment to filter water. Are there battery operated filters and heaters out there?


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

We keep battery air pumps and bubblers for the tanks.

J&L has a backup system for this kind of thing, but it's marine specific. You might ask them if there's something similar out there for freshwater.

Ecotech Vortech Pump Battery Back-up


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## oakley1984 (Oct 10, 2010)

personally, i keep a couple deep cycle batterys tucked away in one of my stands with an electronic trickle charger keeping them topped up, along side a 1000w inverter.... if the power goes out i just plug my entire tank into inverter, light, heat, filtration... the works!


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

that's a cool idea. Must try that! How big are your tanks?


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

hope you didnt get injured in the accident.

you can get something similiar at crappy tire, big battery w/ inverter but based on this review its total junk
probably a good idea to have what oakley1984 has
charles also has battery operated air pumps i think

http://reviews.canadiantire.ca/9045/0111818P/no-noma-back-up-power-system-1-800w-reviews/reviews.htm


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Would this UPS be any good for keeping an air pump or heater going for a few hours? I get discounts and bestbuy and futureshop.

Rocketfish UPS Surge Protector (RF-1000VA) - White / Gray : UPS/Backup - Best Buy Canada


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## Grete_J (Oct 5, 2010)

Thankfully, I was nowhere near this accident! I've had my fair share in the last 2 years. 

I did have the battery operated pump going, but for a 65g, it didn't do a heck of alot. I'll definitely have to look into the batteries/trickle charger/inverter idea as this is the second outage in a month. Any other options or info I'd love to hear


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## Clownloachlover (Apr 21, 2010)

Three components...1500 Watt gas fired generator, 100 foot heavy duty extension cord and power bar. If you already have all of your aquarium components plugged in to a power bar then ignore that part...if a power outage happens just plug your power bar into the extension cord. Run the cord outside to an outside deck or patio and plug it into a generator and then fire up the generator, it will provide enough power to run your basic equipment, heaters and filters for the duration of the power outage. Lighting is not essential during a power outage so that does not need to be running however it could if it was plugged into the power bar...if your gen set runs out of gas, fill it up and restart it...for the right sized gen set Princess Auto, Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire usually have very good deals...NOTE a stupid point...make sure the generator is outside...gas fired gen sets produce Carbon Monoxide...a very bad headache or death occurs if you continually use them indoors!

The only issue with this idea is that you have to be home when it happens...a UPS will kick on once the power goes out but in order to run heaters and filters for any length of time you will need a fairly large UPS. Here is a website for more information on UPS`s. You could use a computer style UPS however the run time is based on the number of watts of power required to maintain the tank and the higher the watts required the shorter lifespan of the UPS...I think a gen set is far better!

Back-UPS Pro - Product Information


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## Jonney_boy (Apr 28, 2010)

Each of the larger tanks at home has a secondary smaller heater set a few degrees below what I usually keep the tank at.

When the power goes out, I have a 1200w inverter + a couple car batteries I can switch the tanks to. Initially I only power the filters, if the temp drops too much, I will then start powering the small heaters. Further heat can be added to the tank through water changes (my hot water tank @ home is gas fired).

With two fully charged car batteries, + 4 other cars at home (most of which have deep cycle batteries installed in them), I figure in a pinch I can keep the batteries charged just by running the cars. I don't see being out of power for more than 5-7 hours.. more than that... generator time.


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