How I Engineered a Backup Power System to Save My Fish

One of the moments that made me seriously consider engineering as a career happened during the California storms last year. Our house lost power — not just for a couple of hours, but for five straight days.

That was bad news for my pet tropical fish. Their tank relies on a delicately balanced ecosystem: a heater to regulate temperature and a filter pump to circulate water. Without power, they wouldn’t survive.

The Challenge

How could I generate reliable electricity for the aquarium when the grid was down?

The Solution

I decided to rig the system to run on car batteries.

• I picked up spare batteries from a mechanic and AutoZone.

• I used car battery clamps to connect the wires directly to the tank’s power strip.

• To make sure I wasn’t overloading, I connected a gauge to monitor power consumption.

• Each battery gave me about 12 hours of runtime, so I created a rotation: one battery running the tank, the other charging at the shop.

This became my daily routine for five days. Drive to AutoZone, swap batteries, keep the system alive.

The Result

The hack worked. The heater and pump ran smoothly, and my fish survived until the power was restored.

What It Taught Me

At first, I was just worried about saving my fish. But I realized something bigger:

• Engineering isn’t abstract — it’s about solving real-world problems that matter.

• Even under pressure, I enjoyed the challenge of designing a system, troubleshooting, and making it work.

• With enough creativity, even something as simple as a car battery can be reimagined into life support.

This experience showed me how engineering can change lives for the better, whether it’s for people, pets, or entire communities.