Anyone here mastered insulation on outdoor tanks?

[Tarsun]

I have a 90 gal outdoor tank that i keep at 75F. it only costs a few extra $ a month. I built an enclosure around the tank to help regulate the temp. While i was at it, i added a few bedrooms, some bathrooms, and a kitchen....

Seriously though, hot tubs are insulated ALL the way around. they have a few inches of insulation on all 6 sides. That's not going to work for a fish tank if you want to be able to see the fish.

If you want an outdoor tank and then build an enclosure around it, like a shed, doesn't that defeat the purpose of having an "outdoor" tank...?

You can search for cold water fish and keep the tank running at lower temps possibly.

You can also get a rough estimate of price if you leave 30 100watt lights on in your house. Same as running 3 1000watt heaters.

That's a lot of pixies. Call the electric co and see how much they charge per Kw/Hr and go from there. Then you can calculate how long the heaters can be on (assuming you run the 3 1000w heaters) until the $35/ month limit is reached. Then start lowering the watts to keep them on longer while staying under the $ cap.


I have insulation on the back and top of my 90gal and the 2 canisters have insulation around all of the plumbing. The savings isnt dramatic but its a few $ each month. Every month which adds up.

 

[BIG FISH BOB]

That is incredibly impressive. That is actually my end goal, to have a tank as large as that for a relatively low cost. Do you mind sharing your monthly electric bill for those heaters? That is what i'm mainly interested in. This will give me an idea if what i'm trying is feasible/worth it.

The electric bill for the heaters is tough to pinpoint....... we also have the pumps light a de-humidifier and AC in the warmer months. I have read somewhere on this site approx $30 a month.... I would believe that.

 

[butchie]

why not bury that thing? So much cheaper than insulation and I bet it would work better. I have one of those I use intermittently and I am considering burying it. I live in Central florida

 

[bobblehead27]

Where in Texas are you? I'm moving to Houston this summer and was curious about the same thing

 

[coolcomfort]

Where in Texas are you? I'm moving to Houston this summer and was curious about the same thing

Central, Near Austin. It's a bit strange in Texas because the weather fluctuates in the cold temps. If it stayed mainly at 60 it would be okay with heating, but many months there will be some outlier days that reaches the 40 degrees. However, if this span is only at night, it should not cost too much. My thinking is that if you get 2-3 JBJ 1000 heaters, it'll be more than enough to keep it at 70 degrees. Those are expensive heaters but they might bring your monthly costs down to $20-$50. At least that is the goal. You will have to insulate the living hell out of the tank though.