What are your guys' emergency items?

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ThatNewFishGuy

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May 4, 2010
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I probably should have thought about this kind of thing a long time ago but now that I have some corals and fish in my 90 gal, whh has been up and running for about 7 months, its emphasized itself more. If the tank crashed at this point it would just really be disheartening.

But what are the most important items to have in an emergency situation-anything from a power outage to return pump failure.

Im thinking I need to have some RO water on hand(not sure if I should keep it mixed with salt or not). Some kind of battery operated power head-do these even exist? And maybe a seperate holding tank or something. Not sure what else I should keep for emergencies though.
 

Cathan

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Apr 3, 2012
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Burbank California
For me. I do tropical tanks. I tend to snag 10-20 gallon tanks at Petco when they have their 1$ per gallon sale. I keep a few running just incase anything wrong goes on I have a spare tank. Nothing's in the tank except for plants and a few snails.



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greech

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May 13, 2009
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Graham
A generator or deep cell marine battery setup is by far the best investment you can make should a long term outage occur. Obviously, you will need plenty of gas for the former as well ;). Other option for powering pumps is a power inverter which you can hook to a car battery or cigarette lighter outlet in the car. Probably not the best option in a LT situation but they will power a couple of powerheads and a heater.

Extra RO/DI is a great idea as well and some will always have a water changes worth of SW mixing. With the exception of tornados, I think in most cases you're going to know a significant storm (tropical or winter) is coming so you can mix up some water before it hits.
 

excuzzzeme

Stroke Survivor '05
Generator, battery operated air pumps, water containers I can fill in advance, Ice chests, battery operated lantern, spare propane tank, dry camp food, canned food, flashlights, spare batteries, sleeping bags . . . . . . spare sponge filters to run off the battery operated air pumps

I have plenty of things I always keep on hand in case a Nor'easter hits or another hurricane. Nor'easters have hit us even in the winter, it's not just a seasonal occurrence.

Knock on wood but in 7 years I have lost only one tank. Just been real lucky. Sit down with a piece of paper and list all the things you won't have during a power loss. Cross off the things you can live without. What's left are the things you need to address.

Last hurricane, lfs lost 75% of their corals and 30% of their fish.
 

the wizard

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Jan 28, 2010
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David
I must admit, I am not sure but it seems a battery back up like what is sold for computer systems mit=ght also work for an aquarium for short term issues with power. For a return pump failure the only back up I can think of would be a spare return pump. Makes me think I will order two when I set up my sump.
 

stormywendyann

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Apr 21, 2012
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Westchester, CA
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Wendy Lubianetsky
I keep a generator in the garage and if necessary I can always pychon the gas from ome of my cars, but I try to keep some gas around for emergecy use. I have lived through the big earthquakes in California and the generator has saved my fanny several times. I was the only person with electricity for miles.
 
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