aquarium heaters

Question
this may be a difficult question, but i am looking for a backup heating system for my aquarium in case the electricity goes off.  i recently moved (drove my car) from Florida to Boston with all 17 of my tropical fish and put them in their aquarium, no problem.  In Florida I had a special battery powered aerator that automatically starts up and runs for many days when electricity shuts off (such as hurricanes).  It's winter here, and now I worry about power outages and having the temperature drop when the power stays off all day or all night.  Are you familiar with any kind of heater system that runs on battery?  Can you think of a place where to research the topic? Thanks, Ann

Answer
Hi Ann, thank you for rating my answer to you. You are correct, a battery back-up heater is not on the market - perhaps you can patent that idea! That link to http://saltaquarium.about.com that I provided had a section on insulating an aquarium to avoid heat loss. Typical aquarium heaters can only raise the temperature 12-18 degrees above ambient temperature. Perhaps you could look into a pond heater, powered by oil, to warm water in your bathtub or dedicated trash can, which you can slowly add to the aquarium itself. I have not heard of this idea before, you may consider asking other aquarists in your area how they manage this issue...but it is just a thought that came to me when I read your comments. Best wishes! - Nicole