Power Cuts?

[scottsbt1690]

there is storeis that there may be massive power cuts in scotland due to severe weather conditions, does anyone know the best way to keep my tank heated if there is a major power cut?

thanks in advance

scott

 

[CFC]

The best thing to do would be to buy a generator, you can pick them up for a couple of hundred quid now days. Not only does it mean your tank can remain warm and oxygenated it also means you can still makes cups of tea to keep yourself warm

The only other alternative really is to wrap the tank in a thermal blanket and hope for the best.

 

[Ptarmigan]

.

 

[grumpymole]

i was at the lfs yesterday and i saw a heater and filter with a battery back up they were quite expensive though at £80- but then again this is less than a external filter.
and blankets of course

 

[CluelessScot]

Wee living in scotland is fun theres about 2~3inches of snow and i need to drive 40miles to college now... Hope my fish are ok.

My mother bought these heat packs... they are for first aid or something, got heaps in the first aid box, they get rather warm so if you could stick them to the tank would that make a diff?

 

[Ptarmigan]

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[@ombomb]

I wonder if they would work in reverse ?
Heat them up in a pan of hot water ( camping gaz again) then put in tank ??

I think that would be pretty disastourous. The stuff they're filled with would expand and probably pop.

I think the heating pads CFC mentioned are one use only.

I had a 24 power a couple of years ago in the middle of winter, so I filled several heat proof containers with warm water and added them slowly to the tank.

 

[Ptarmigan]

.

 

[kris-b-]

The ones I have are not full, they have an expansion space (bubble) inside them.

As the water inside is heated the water will turn into a gas which will then expand, the bubble inside them is already a gas and there will be no release for the gases other than bursting the pack open.

 

[Ptarmigan]

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[annka5]

I agree with the camping gas to heat water and blanket.
Keep an eye on the fish and use a bicycle pump to aerate perhaps? I imagine keeping the bacteria alive in the filter will be the worst situation.
I'm sat in the office praying I can get home this evening - I work about 45 miles from where I live... being snowed in sounds good, but not when you're in the office..... and it's a Friday....hope for an early start to the ski season though.

 

[ncjharris]

There was a fairly comprehensive debate on this a fortnight or so ago, along with all the options available to people who don't have the 'luxury' of a generator!

Have a search!

 

[gayno]

It is possible to use a UPS [Uninteruptable Power Supply] They are designed for computers, for when there is a power cut, they provide the computer with power for long enough to shut down properly and not lose/corrupt any data. Simply rewire you multiple socket strip with an old style monitor plug and it will work. For a normal size tank, the power consumtion isn't as high as people think, and a decent UPS should be able to keep a filter and heater running for 3-4 days. You can pick half decent ones up now from as little as £30

HTH

Adam

 

[Barry P]

Buy a 6 way adapter with surge protector and built in batteries, this should keep a filter & light going until power is restored. They can be purchased in most electronics shops, or an IT Office equipment shop.

 

[CluelessScot]

Edit :
Ah, I wrote the above before I saw CS's post about the firstaid things
are they reusable or are they one-off chemical reaction things ?

you can only use them once but they last about 20hours costs £1 for four squar patches that are about 6"x6" Thou the back up adapter sounds like an exellent idea tho they cost a bit worth it