whetu Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 The power was off for a few hours yesterday in East Auckland and apparently the sub-station is pretty vulnerable so it might happen again. I was just wondering a) If people have advice for fish-keepers in the affected areas (especially in case of a longer outage) and b) If those of us in the north and west can make offers of help in case of emergency. For example, I have two filters on my tank so in an emergency I would be prepared to offer some media to help re-seed someone's 'dead' filter (for example if the power had been off for a few days and the filter had to be completely cleaned out). Also if someone wanted to bring their fish to me in buckets or other containers, I would be happy to plug it all into my power and/or run one of my filters on their container. What else can we do to help if needed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Tanks should be fine if its only for a few hours. My biggest concern was with the tank in the living room getting hot and the oxygen content in the water getting low. Lucky its the loach tank so they can handle the high temp, but only if its well aerated. I was at work when it happened, and everything looked fine when I got home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 I didn't have the slightest problem. (funny that) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 I would recomend that people look at buying a petrol powered generator Not only can you use it for your fish but can still make a coffee and in winter plug your electric blanket on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted February 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Tanks should be fine if its only for a few hours. My biggest concern was with the tank in the living room getting hot and the oxygen content in the water getting low. Lucky its the loach tank so they can handle the high temp, but only if its well aerated. I was at work when it happened, and everything looked fine when I got home. Yeah at this time of the year keeping the tanks warm shouldn't be a problem. But yesterday's blip made me think about what I would do if the power went out long term (like it did in Auckland in the late '90s... I think it was off for a couple of weeks in some places). Aeration would definitely be the big issue. I would probably sit by the tank stirring it with a paddle in the hottest part of the day! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted February 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 I didn't have the slightest problem. (funny that) Don't get too smug now Mr alanmin! You know pride goes before a fall! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zabman Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 I would recomend that people look at buying a petrol powered generator Not only can you use it for your fish but can still make a coffee and in winter plug your electric blanket on What's the pricing & availability like for one of these? Are they easy enough to use? Whetu's raised an interesting point and I have an awful lot of livestock that I would HATE to lose and also costly to replace, and I know compared to alot of other posters here, I'm at the lower end of the spectrum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 What's the pricing & availability like for one of these? Are they easy enough to use? Whetu's raised an interesting point and I have an awful lot of livestock that I would HATE to lose and also costly to replace, and I know compared to alot of other posters here, I'm at the lower end of the spectrum! Ive seem them for as low as $200 but it would depend on the out put Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlid7 Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 how much noise do they make? bunnings do a (i think) gmc for $100 approx i think it has an out put of 1400w (im not 100% sure as i just glanced at htem as i walked past a few weeks ago) :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 you would not one in your bedroom for sure but in an emergency, they would help out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zabman Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 how would one determine the output necessary to maintain their tanks? I'm assuming you wouldnt need the lights, only the filter and heater running? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 I would guess so but if your going to one, I would advise getting the largest that you can realisticly. Think of your freeze full of crayfish and fridge full of beer that could get warm OK it probably wouldnt be able to do everything but to say warm the tanks for an hour and the freezer for the next hour could be worth it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oeminx Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 in your case Barrie you would have to choose between you tanks or you cray, but for those of us how have less tanks here is an idea of what you could run a typical Fridge / Freezer uses around 600w my 200L tank uses around 300w my two 40L tanks use around 110w that comes to 1010w so a 1.4 Kw generator will run these comfortable for you tanks just add the power of the heater + pump + lights, when determining the output always assume that every thing is running at once. this will give you your maximum power usage then you can buy a generator to match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 Ryan would suggest larger or just work out what you need and buy that... I would assume that the larger the output the greater the price? Is there say any real advantage of a generator or say twice the out put? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 how much noise do they make? bunnings do a (i think) gmc for $100 approx i think it has an out put of 1400w (im not 100% sure as i just glanced at htem as i walked past a few weeks ago) :lol: :lol: If you're looking at getting one, GMC is going out of business and all the GMC stuff at bunnings is ridiculously cheap. I got a $200 nail gun today for $50 for s**ts and giggles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlid7 Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 wow i will got to bunnings tomorrow then and probably get a whole lot of crap i dont need just because its cheap :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 Get a nail gun. It's lots of fun. I think I'm going to build a rabbit hutch just to use it. I guess then I could get a rabbit, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlid7 Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 already have one lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oeminx Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 would suggest larger or just work out what you need and buy that... I would assume that the larger the output the greater the price? Yes the larger the output the greater the price but you still have to look at other factors like the duty cycle. This is the amount of time you can constantly run the generator before you have to stop it for a period of time. Is there say any real advantage of a generator or say twice the out put? Yes there is, after talking to someone who knows more about generators I found that the voltage of the generator drops when you start getting close to it rated power. Also if you are planing to use a Fridge/Freezer with a generator you must take into account that it draws are on average 3-5 time the current on start-up so there-for 3-5 time the power. So if it was going to be a generator just for fish tanks I would recommended finding one with a long duty cycle and aim to be using around 70% of its maximum output. For a fridge or freezer first you will want to find its serial plate to see what its power demand is, triple that and buy a generator that size. And like anything you get the quality that you pay for. Buyers guide to generators Hondas guide to generators Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 thanks Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted February 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 [...all sorts of stuff about generators...] Buyers guide to generators Hondas guide to generators Wow. Lots of great info there! As for noise, you wouldn't want to run one of these things for long periods or at night while you (and your neighbours!) are trying to sleep. But if you can imagine a power cut that goes on for a couple of weeks, it could be a life-saver to have a generator that you could run for even a couple of hours at a time to cool your fridge/freezer, or to run the filters on your tanks (and heaters in winter). We're pretty lucky where we live at the moment because we have gas for cooking and hot water, and a fire for heating the house. But none of that is going to keep the fish alive during a summer power cut! I will definitely be considering a small generator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oeminx Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 As for noise, you wouldn't want to run one of these things for long periods or at night while you (and your neighbours!) are trying to sleep. That depends on how much you are going to spend. This for example is only 60 dB that is the noise level of normal conversation but is is RRP of $4000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 If the power is out the gas (infinity) systems normally need power to get them going We thought the same and I have to say its the only dissapointment with gas (I have the large bottles outside) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k1w1y2k Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 For small outages, I'm not sure, but a computer UPS unit might work, at least for a few hours. You also know it will come on as soon as the power goes off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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