Hurricane Season

[Kauffmanc]

I live in Naples Florida and we currently have a hurricane headed our way. This one will not be like the one we had last year (Irma) but it got me thinking: I do not know how to properly prepare my tank for a hurricane. I have heard numerous horror stories about the aftermath from Irma.

My 32 gallon biocube is located in my office. I have a serge protector/ back up battery pack for my computer that i will commandeer. If the power goes out, this will power my tank for a few hours.

I am going to store 10 gallons of saltwater and buy a couple of air stones in case I loose all power.

Is there anything else I should do? Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

 

[mcgyvr]

Often times the run time of a UPS backup will not be sufficient.. You may be lucky to get more than 15 minutes.. They are intended to provide enough time to shut a computer down in the event of a power loss and not keep it running during that loss..

A battery powered airstone can be purchased to provide some oxygenation and may be sufficient on a tank of that size..

A generator should be a staple of any Floridian as power outages are so very common there. You can pick one up for as little as $79 (tailgator) to keep your tank running for hours/days..

Beyond ensuring that you keep the water moving/oxygenated there is nothing you need to do..

 

[zheka757]

I'm in a same boat as you. I live in north port florida. After Irma's (btw it was 2 years ago) i was out of power for 5 days unprepared. Luckily I had no corals at that time and I only had 4 yellow tangs died on me. ...anyway I'm considering putting the whole house backup generator. Runs about $8-12k installed setup for my house.

 

[zheka757]

I'm in a same boat as you. I live in north port florida. After Irma's (btw it was 2 years ago) i was out of power for 5 days unprepared. Luckily I had no corals at that time and I only had 4 yellow tangs died on me. ...anyway I'm considering putting the whole house backup generator. Runs about $8-12k installed setup for my house.

I wouldn't worry about this hurricane much. 70 mph is won't do much damage to power lines.

 

[mcgyvr]

I wouldn't worry about this hurricane much. 70 mph is won't do much damage to power lines.

Famous last words there

 

[zheka757]

Famous last words there

I know. I know, You can expect anything to happen with hurricanes.. but as 20 years Floridian. Kind of start feeling what they can and cant do at certain category's

 

[Anemone]

A battery powered airstone can be purchased to provide some oxygenation and may be sufficient on a tank of that size..

This. Look for PennPlax B-11 battery airpumps. They plug into an outlet and come on automatically if the power goes out. That way, you don't even have to be there and your tank will continue to have circulation.

FWIW,
Kevin

 

[Kauffmanc]

Wow it has been almost 2 years.I looked into the battery pack i have and its supposed to power a computer for 6 hours but i will keep your words in mind.
And I agree, I am not overly concerned about this one but hurricane season is long and can be quite eventful!

Thank you for your input!

 

[Kauffmanc]

That is exactly what I need. I live about 40 min away from where my tank is set up. Thank you!

 

[hkgar]

I lived in the Cape Coral area in 2004 when Charlie hit. I lost power for three or four days, had no back up plan or generator and the tank was toast in about 24 hours. Once the first thing dies from lack of O2 it just cascades from there.

 

[Reef noob_]

That's about the best you can do in most situations. I'd like to have more water on hand, definitely some rodi for top offs or mixing more SW.

As long as the temperature stays somewhat stable and you are able to oxygenate the water (battery air stones), a tank will be able to go a number of days without anything else.

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