[AngelLeah1981]

A couple people have told me where you have the holes drilled in the tank is important because in case of a power outage you don't want the water going into the floor. 2 days ago the lfs said that isn't what determines whether the water goes into the floor or not. shrugs shoulders. ....and of course he didn't want to explain it to me because he never wants to explain things to me. What are the other things that will prevent the water from going into the floor in case of a power outage. Also, I know there is a piece of equipment that cost betwen $30-75 (can't remember which) that keeps the tank going in case of power failure. Does anyone know the name or the link where I can see this? How powerful does it have to be? Which one do you suggest? The cheapest best one for a 120 gallon. Thanks.

[patrick1234]

Well are u runing a wet dry

[patrick1234]

if your runing a sump or a wet dry with out over flows then what will hapen is if the power stops the tank will drain down past the pipes and if it gose down to much then will flow out on to the floor

[reefnoob1991]

If there's no suction break on the overflow equipment (which most newer stuff has) then it will drain the tank down to where the output nozzles are, so as long as your sump could hold that much water then it wouldn't pose too much of a problem

[120gallons]

If your sump is big enough shouldn't be a problem. Test it. Turn the power off and be ready to turn it back on if it looks like it is going to overflow. Should have a check valve if your return lines are low in the tank as they can siphon back.

[stephaniesquires]

It works like this, your water is being pumped one direction with the pumps on, turn them off and the water flows back down the way it came, this causes it to suction from where it was going to (still with me??). You can prevent this two ways (at least I know of only two, maybe there are more). Equip your hoses with a 'check valve', this allows water to flow only one way, if the pump stops the check valve will close and not allow water to flow. Secondly, have your returns high enough that the amount of water that backflows will be contained in your sump.
If there is another way I'd like to know, I use check valves because I like my returns to be fairly deep in the tank...

There are various battery back up systems out there, but I dont know much about them. Check old threads related to 'battery backup'..

[ilovemash]

Check out this product, I guess you plug your return pump into it and that would Keep you safe in the event of an outtage.
Aquarium Air Pumps: Azoo Battery Backup Pump

[AngelLeah1981]

Well are u runing a wet dry

If wet/dry is trickle then No, I have decided against that.
I am going to do a sump and possibly a refugium with algae.

Thanks for that link I'm going to bookmark it.

Steph, why do you like the returns deep in the aquarium? Is this necessary or better?
Thanks.

[Jeremy0322]

Mash, i think all that is is an air pump. Just make sure that you are using some form of siphon break on your lines(i dont remember at the moment which one). All you do is when they water is at the normal lever drill 2 small holes about a half inch under the water line in that pipe. Then, when the water line passes those holes, the siphon will break and you should be alright. That is at least what i have been told.

[ilovemash]

What that thing does is, you plug your return pump into it and plug that into an outlet. If the power goes out that thing has a built in battery that kicks in and can run your return pump or whatever it is hooked up to for an additional 10-20 hours depending on whatever mode you have it set on.

[pogodzib]

Leah - I'm one of the people that told you to drill the holes in the return lines so you have a siphon break. TRUST ME! You do need a way for air to get into the return (and overflow) lines incase of a power outage. With most new overflow boxes and standpipes, they have a way for the air to get into them. Return lines can be setup many different ways, but the only way to ensure that they won't back siphon a tank is to have holes near the water surface to allow air into them. Check valves do work initially, but over time, they are prone to failure once they get gunked up inside so I don't trust them. Here's a link that discusses how sumps work. About 2/3 of the way down, it talks about preventing a flood.

Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums

Regarding the power outage concerns, you can get a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) battery backup unit. The main thing with them is that they do have a limited power supply, so you only want to connect necessary equipment to them (1 heater and 1-2 powerheads). Many people use the APC brand that are made for computers. I've been told for a tank around that size, that you'd want a 1500 VA unit, but since I still haven't bought one (of which I plan on doing soon), I can't tell you for sure if that would be the best type or size.

[sgarron]

Mash, that is just an air pump. You connect it to an air stone to supply some oxygen to the tank in case of a power outage.