Hearing the term “power outage” will put a knot in the stomach of any reef aquarium hobbyist. We rely heavily on electrically powered filters and pumps to maintain a stable environment inside the aquarium and when the power goes out, the options for survival are slim unless you come prepared. The newly released IceCap Battery Backup V3 can make all the difference in saving your reef tank during a power outage by keeping your pumps or powerheads operational and you can be confident your fish will have sufficient oxygen to breathe until power is restored. 

Shop Ice Cap Battery Backup V3

What’s In The Box?

  • Battery Backup V3
  • Link cable
  • Y cable
  • Charger
  • User manual

Specs & Dimensions

The IceCap Battery Backup V3 uses a 2.5Ah battery with a maximum output of 12V x 2.5a and it can provide up to 10 hours of runtime for a single circulation pump. The dimensions of this battery are 5.75” x 3.125” x 5” and it weighs just 3.5 pounds which makes it extremely compact, easy to mount, or store. Each of the ports on the bottom of the unit is labeled to prevent you from making any mistakes.

Ice Cap Battery v3 Compatible Pumps

Compatible Pumps

This V3 battery backup is compatible with a range of DC pumps, but it pairs best with the Ice Cap & Maxspect Gyre pumps as well as the Reef Octopus Octo Pulse pumps. These particular pumps can detect when they are running on the battery backup and will automatically reduce their pump speed to extend battery the life. The V3 is also fully compatible with the Hydros WaveEngine Controller and any pump plugged into it can be powered via the battery. It should be noted the battery is designed solely for use with DC pumps and cannot be used with AC powered return pumps.  

Possible Configurations

The most common configuration for using this battery backup is to have it operate with a single circulation pump to keep the water in your display tank moving during the outage. You can also choose to run two pumps using the included Y-splitter cable which will be good for those with larger tanks, just keep in mind that running two pumps will reduce the total run-time. In that case, you can daisy-chain two batteries together to double the run time up to a maximum of 20 hours. 

Overall Convenience

While this battery backup is not a long-term solution when it comes to a power outage, it will give you the time you need to make alternate means for your system. Whether that be getting an electric generator or getting battery-powered pumps, your tank won’t skip a beat while your power is in limbo. At an affordable cost, you can get tank-saving support for your priceless reef aquarium.