It can happen. The power goes out in an ice storm and take DAYS to come on again. In our case, a hurricane-force windstorm knocked down 40-year-old evergreens and threw a third of our city into the dark for 8 and more days.
How to survive with a reef tank.
1. own a generator. These are not quite plug-and-play. They're heavy, they're run on gasoline, so they can't be indoor, and the lighter they are, the less they can power. Research before buying and if this is a part of your plan, figure where you can put it, how to fuel it, and how you can prevent thieves from making off with it.
2. don't freak totally about the tank chilldown. The colder the better when things are going chemically wrong---down to about 62.1 degrees F. Below that, things die. And you may lose your snails and worms. You may have an ammonia spike, so have some Prime handy and dose it---but remember that bit about chemistry running slower in cold? Ammonia won't be near as extreme as a power-out in hot weather. Use sheets in the doorway to hold heat in the tank room, and have the family live in there: your body heat actually makes a difference. Oil lamps are a great boon to nighttime.
And here's the worst part: if you don't have battery powered bubblers (Penn-Plax, cheap) or the ability (generator) to turn over your tank every 8 hours (4 is better) you need to get a pitcher, stand on a chair, dip and pour as many gallons as you have in that tank. And you do that every 4 hours day and night.
The rocks and sand will cool down slower than the water.
But when power comes on, they will warm slower than the water. This is not a bad thing, but it means recovery will be slow.
Buy bubblers, have them accessible, have oil lamps, have LED lanterns, and have a pitcher and bucket---AND a generator. The one I got (this year) is a Honda that has an 'inverter,' which I'm told makes it nicer if you want to power up your computer or, better yet, your cell phone, which is one time an internet capable cell is a real nice thing. Having at least one (the rest of ours are burners) of those is a nice thing.
IT is something to think about and plan for, especially if you're young, and DON'T have a lifetime's basement accumulation of spare bits that can be pressed into service (we had over 200 candle stubs, and don't, now.)
Standing in a 'ration' line at Lowes for such essentials as power cords for the generator, generators, gas cans, and such is not fun. In this one thing, it's good to be a prepper, because you've got a big investment in that tank, and it all depends on electricity.
How to survive with a reef tank.
1. own a generator. These are not quite plug-and-play. They're heavy, they're run on gasoline, so they can't be indoor, and the lighter they are, the less they can power. Research before buying and if this is a part of your plan, figure where you can put it, how to fuel it, and how you can prevent thieves from making off with it.
2. don't freak totally about the tank chilldown. The colder the better when things are going chemically wrong---down to about 62.1 degrees F. Below that, things die. And you may lose your snails and worms. You may have an ammonia spike, so have some Prime handy and dose it---but remember that bit about chemistry running slower in cold? Ammonia won't be near as extreme as a power-out in hot weather. Use sheets in the doorway to hold heat in the tank room, and have the family live in there: your body heat actually makes a difference. Oil lamps are a great boon to nighttime.
And here's the worst part: if you don't have battery powered bubblers (Penn-Plax, cheap) or the ability (generator) to turn over your tank every 8 hours (4 is better) you need to get a pitcher, stand on a chair, dip and pour as many gallons as you have in that tank. And you do that every 4 hours day and night.
The rocks and sand will cool down slower than the water.
But when power comes on, they will warm slower than the water. This is not a bad thing, but it means recovery will be slow.
Buy bubblers, have them accessible, have oil lamps, have LED lanterns, and have a pitcher and bucket---AND a generator. The one I got (this year) is a Honda that has an 'inverter,' which I'm told makes it nicer if you want to power up your computer or, better yet, your cell phone, which is one time an internet capable cell is a real nice thing. Having at least one (the rest of ours are burners) of those is a nice thing.
IT is something to think about and plan for, especially if you're young, and DON'T have a lifetime's basement accumulation of spare bits that can be pressed into service (we had over 200 candle stubs, and don't, now.)
Standing in a 'ration' line at Lowes for such essentials as power cords for the generator, generators, gas cans, and such is not fun. In this one thing, it's good to be a prepper, because you've got a big investment in that tank, and it all depends on electricity.
kicks on as soon as the power goes out then back off then the power kicks back on 
