keeping stable temperatures in garage setup

[Ej6hatchie]

Hello,

I am new to MFK, but certainly not new to the hobby!

I have a 4ft long 55 gal growout acrylic tank set up in my garage and I cant keep my temperatures stable with the recent bipolar norcal weathers. i have a 150watt heater in it right now, do i need to add another one? like, one on each side of the tank? Im running a spraybar right in the middle from my sump, pushing about 550GPH and a Hydor powerhead on the opposite end of my bulkhead drilled on the side of the tank so water circulation isn't an issue. I have a young payara scomb that i want in this tank till I finish my 200gal build, so stable temperature is needed. recently in norcal it has randomly been sunny, then cold, then raining, then super hot again. any tips? Thanks!

 

[Oddball]

The only way to achieve a stable temp in a garage is to work up the garage like the rest of the house. Insulate the walls/garage door and add climate control to the garage (heat and A/C).

 

[Ihsnshaik]

The only way to achieve a stable temp in a garage is to work up the garage like the rest of the house. Insulate the walls/garage door and add climate control to the garage (heat and A/C).

Yup thats what my father did. two 300 gallon totes as sumps and 1000 gallon and 500 gallon tanks in his garage. Works flawlessly and its for saltwater. Only thing that is a downfall is his garage looks like a drug house from the outside since blue lights are projecting out lol. He was windows in his garage doors and oddly enough people have asked him about it lol

 

[xraycer]

Try using rigid foam insulation. This what I did with my 180 in my unheated basement. I also built a canopy using the same rigid foam.

 

[Ej6hatchie]

Try using rigid foam insulation. This what I did with my 180 in my unheated basement. I also built a canopy using the same rigid foam.
View attachment 1178865 View attachment 1178866

hmm, ill give this a shot before i start looking into insulating the garage. I plan on having the 200g in the garage as well and use the 55 as a sump or something in the future. Im going to do a bit of research on insulating the garage. Thanks!

 

[Drstrangelove]

Agreed with all the above. Most garages are not designed to be economically heated or cooled because it's assumed that only a car or some lawn equipment, a washer & dryer, a water softener, boxes of old toys, etc will be located in it.

Insulating the garave walls & covering windows, tossing a rug down on the concrete are more elaborate options (beyond insulating the tank), but can accumulate and give the garage a more stable temperature so that a aquarium heater will have a lot less work to do. Some of that will also work to make it easier to keep the tank from over heating in the summer.

 

[carbene]

150watt heater isnt enough to keep 55g stable in norcal. you need atleast 250w