South Florida hurricane season means power outages, and outages mean your filtration, heating, and circulation stop right along with the grid. Here's how to keep both freshwater (FW) and saltwater (SW) tanks alive through an extended outage.
Keeping Pumps and Filters Running
Battery/inverter systems (the kind built for lawn mower batteries, with a 110V outlet) can power canister filters, wave makers, and return pumps for anywhere from a couple hours to 10–12 hours depending on battery size. We use smaller drill-battery inverters (like Ryobi) in-store for exactly this purpose. To conserve runtime during an extended outage, cycle equipment on and off periodically rather than running continuously.
Backup Air for Sponge Filters
A standard air pump dies the instant power does, which is a real problem if your filtration relies on an airstone or sponge filter. The Aquarium Co-op Air Pump with Battery Backup solves this — it runs on wall power normally and automatically switches to its lithium battery the moment power cuts out, with no interruption to airflow. It's fully adjustable, quiet, and has a power-save cycling mode to stretch battery life further. It's also genuinely useful for transporting fish, not just storm prep.
Ready to hurricane-proof your tank? Shop the Aquarium Co-op Battery Backup Air Pump at natureaquariums.com, or stop by our Lauderhill store before the next storm and we'll help you build the right backup plan for your setup.
