One never knows when a power outage may strike, and if you own fish and other sea creatures, you should be prepared with an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for your aquarium. Heaters, aerators, filtration systems—all need electrical power to operate and keep fish alive. They need heat when it is cold, cold when it is hot, and oxygen to breathe at all times.
An aquarium battery backup system can prepare you for the next unexpected power outage. By purchasing a UPS system for your fish tank, you can ensure that your essential equipment will continue providing life-giving power.
Before choosing a UPS system, you’ll need to measure your total load. That is, the total number of watts put out by your life-sustaining equipment such as filters, aerators and heaters. Be sure your aquarium battery backup system can handle more watts than the total load of your equipment. Also, you may want to consider the amount of runtime you’ll need, in case the outage is longer than anticipated. Most power outages last from just a few minutes to less than an hour. If you still need help calculating the capacity (load) of your aquarium and determining the desired battery backup runtime, checkout this UPS sizing guide.
One more point to consider: pure sine wave power. Many popular brands of electric motors for aquarium filters and aerators require pure sine wave power to operate. Incorrect power output can result in motors running slowly, erratically, or not at all when the UPS is on battery. Thus, you’ll need a fish tank UPS that generates pure sine wave power, as the following choices do.
Backup Power for 70-Gallon Fish Tanks
Assuming a rudimentary 70-gallon fish tank uses 100 to 150 watts of electricity, the SU1000XLA fish tank UPS should keep your aquarium creatures safe through most short-term power outages. It will support a load of 200W for 31 minutes, and your connected equipment likely carry a smaller load than that. You can also purchase additional external battery packs if you want a longer runtime while on battery backup. Keep in mind that the aquarium battery backup systems mentioned here will also clean your incoming AC power of line interference, overvoltages and brownouts that can damage your connected equipment.
Get more information on the SU1000XLA UPS System
Even More Aquarium Backup Power When You Need It
Let’s say you have something bigger than a 70-gallon tank, maybe 500 gallons. You’re going to need a beefy UPS that can really bring the backup power for your aquarium. The SU1500XL can keep a 300W load operating during a power outage for approximately 34 minutes. If you need more runtime, you can add optional external battery packs to keep the heat on and the air flowing during a blackout for several hours or even days if need be. And like the SU1000XLA, this UPS generates pure sine wave power that generates clean electricity compatible with your sensitive equipment.
