Powers out how to keep fish alive?

With everything going on ranging from the various wild fires, to extreme heat in some regions, it can be HUGELY important to have a backup plan in case there are any rolling power outages in your area. Some of the following are either short term or long term solutions, that kind of have their own set of pros and cons.

• Battery Powered - A lot of equipment can be found in a battery powered form, such as small water fans (to circulate the water around) to even air pumps. These devices are really only limited to the number of batteries that you can carry on hand.
• Backup UPS - These are those devices you normally find with higher end electronics, or with computers. These are huge batteries that can power devices for a short period of time to a very long period of time dependent on the amount of wattage you require. Sadly, once they are out of battery usage there isn't a way to recharge them unless you have another way to feed them power specifically.
• Generators - This is a long term solution and normally is found in higher end setups (such as for saltwater tanks, or aquarium companies) that allow for you to power everything as long as you have enough fuel to keep them running.

As far as heaters, I have yet to find a heater that works and is battery powered. You may need to get a UPS, or try to find a better solution (dependent on your area, make a fire and use river rocks and heat them and then place them into your tank if its extremely cold outside - just make sure to watch the water temperature so it doesn't overheat or get way to hot fast).

Do you recommend any specific UPS units or any specific battery powered pieces of equipment?

Quote from RocketMAN

Do you recommend any specific UPS units or any specific battery powered pieces of equipment?

For a UPS, make sure you get one that automatically switches over and has atleast some outlets that are not used for it and some are (to allow for some heavy items like lights or non-essential filters) to be turned off. I try to find one with a decent warranty and one that lasts atleast a good amount of time with the load you expect (look at the items to see wattage per hour of usage), and then see how long that will go. You could also get one with a digital display that outputs how much load is on there and will tell you how long it will last.

You ideally want one that lasts at a bare minimum of 4-6 hours, or ideally 8-12 hours. Anything more than that is an added bonus, especially those that have replaceable batteries since you can have a pair as a real backup.

REMEMBER; they are pricey, but you are getting a power backup AND a surge protector (a really good one at that).

For a battery backup; you really just want air pumps/bubblers that can mix up the water a given rate. I just try to find one with common batteries (ex: AA or AAA) since others take small 9V batteries which always seem to last longer and cost more money if you buy the batteries in bulk.

I have a generator for exactly this reason. Power cuts are very common where I live.

Has anyone tried that candle trick that can use a pot or rocks to keep things hot? It might sound bad but possibly warming up river rocks and then placing them into the tank in order to keep it warm (and not having the rocks too hot it boils the water or overheats it).