Hey all-

I'm setting up a new 55g + 15g sump. My first thought was to have two 200w Visitherm Stealth heaters and putting one in the sump and one in the DT. My thought on this is that during a power outage, the return pump will be shut off and only my DT powerheads and DT heater will be operational via battery backup.

Do most people with sumps keep their heaters divided like this?

On second thought, should I also be maintaining temperature and circulation in the sump for when the power turns back on? I don't think the power outage show was very specific about sumps, but I would assume it is advisable...

Of course, a refugium would require temp and circulation maintenance during outages.

It looks like I may be getting a generator to handle all this power consumption...

thanks for any feedback,

-S

I am not nearly as advanced as you on my backup plan. :) I use a Penn Plax B11 airpump in both me DT and sump. These pumps only come on when they detect a power outage. I think that you need to at least keep the water circulating in the sump.
Here are a couple of articles that may be helpful.
Reefreaders - Power Outage Preparation (http://www.reefreaders.com/content/view/32/1/)
Advanced Aquarist Feature Article (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/aug2002/feature.htm)