Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I plug it in before I go out, just in case there's a power failure. I also have it plugged in on the hot nights, to make sure the water is oxygenated.

I've got the same air pump and it performs really well, but it did not oxygenate the water well enough for the number of fish I had and they all died. Word of warning, make sure your backup air is enough for your fish load.

I guess my air surpply as all out of love for the fish

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Out_of_Love

your on a role today simo!

my jokes are so bad I even embarass myself

so you should be

Simo: "I've got the same air pump and it performs really well, but it did not oxygenate the water well enough for the number of fish I had and they all died. Word of warning, make sure your backup air is enough for your fish load."

I've got 25 silver perch in 1000L. The fish are about 15cm long. How many fish did you have? I'm wondering if I have enough air now!

I had a four hour power failure when we had the Eastern suburbs storms, and the air pump kept them all alive.

That air pump would be fine for that many fish, I had 150 in 4000L

Does anyone know of a good step-by-step guide to making a golf cart battery backup? The few links in this thread are now 404.

I'm thinking parts lists etc, along these lines:
http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Porta ... ographers/

Can I ask someone smarter than me - I have the oppotunity to get 2 x 600VA UPS's.

How long would these run a 1000 l/h pump for example in an emergency? Any guestimates? Is it worth it?
cheers
Todd

That will vary greatly on the wattage of the pump. Some cheap pumps use a hell of lot more power than others.
Also the VA rating is really how much load the unit can take. I have 1500VA UPS that lasts about 8 hours as it has a huge battery setup.

At a guess 30mins, but again it depends on the pump.

I'm putting together the pumps/aerators/backup systems for my commercial AP setup.

I would like to use 230v pumps and air blowers, since they're more efficient (and sometimes cheaper.
For instance, I'm looking at the Aquatic Ecosystems sweetwater 2.4 pump. At 115v, it's $530, but at 230v, it's $490 (US dollars)).

However, I'm also going to set up a 6v deep cycle battery/trickle charger backup (at least two batteries, maybe 4).

Inverters for 230v are REALLY expensive.

Too add a slight complication, I'm also going to buy a gas generator as my long term backup, so the battery backup only needs to last a few hours. The generator I'm looking at has both 115v and 230v GFI plugs.

So, I could
1) just go all 115v.
2) I could go 230v, but buy a 115v air pump for my battery backup, and not run any pumps off of that backup,
3) I could spring for a 230v inverter (I can't afford this).

Are 230v products efficient enough to justify going with 2) over 1) ?

You may not be aware but you are asking detailed electrical questions re US power on an Australian website
All our mains power is 240V we can go to 3 phase x 240V then up from there.
3 phase motors are much cheaper both to buy and run. Connection and setup is more expensive. The motors are much simpler and more reliable.
Mostly you are forced to 2 or 3 phase by motor size required.
Not sure youll get any solid (or informed) answers here.

Well, Jet, I've been on the forum for four years (vs. your less than a year), and am well aware of the international membership. I guess I just give the members (aussie and others) more credit than you do...

Sorry to insult your longevity here, I dont underestimate other members, just offering perhaps a reason for no responses in a week.
Dont worry I wont bother next time.