Due to major remodeling, I have to put 2 of my 130gal tanks (with 1/2 inch thick glass). 1st tank has 2 x 6" S. Arowana, 1 x 6" Australian Arowana, 2nd tank has 1 x 6" sun catfish, 1 x 7" Syno catfish,in my covered patio for the next few months, I am in Sacramento, N. Cal, the cold weather at night might reach 30 degrree some nights, what would be the best way to keep the tank around 75C - 80C? Plus what else I should be aware of? Thanks.
setting up outdoor tanks.
- Thread starter mwvtl
- Start date
im from the bay. theres no way u can store it inside like the garage? if not i think u should relocate them, ie a friends/family house. dont know what else beside alot of insulation, cover, protection from cats eye balln u fishes. good luck bro
I currently have a 100g in my covered patio- with 2 major differences from you: 1. My tank is acrylic, which is a better insulator than glass. 2. I live in SoCal.
The coldest it ever gets at night is about 50*, but when that time comes, I'll throw an extra 300W heater in the tank to go along with the 2 250s that are in the sump. I also put together an insulating blanket to throw over the tank to retain even more heat. The blanket consists of 2 "survival blankets" from an emergency kit sandwiched around some polyfiber quilt batting (the kind used for actual quilts).
As for fending off cats, my lids have a 25# weight lifting plate on top.
HTH.
The coldest it ever gets at night is about 50*, but when that time comes, I'll throw an extra 300W heater in the tank to go along with the 2 250s that are in the sump. I also put together an insulating blanket to throw over the tank to retain even more heat. The blanket consists of 2 "survival blankets" from an emergency kit sandwiched around some polyfiber quilt batting (the kind used for actual quilts).
As for fending off cats, my lids have a 25# weight lifting plate on top.
HTH.
That sounds like it could get expensive. You could try covering the entire tank with the pink/blue poly foam. Box it in and seal the foam together. Then weight the lid down and put a couple air pumps and vent holes. Just a thought though.
mwvtl;2211604; said:
I'll have to do some comparisons this winter- it'll be my first with the outdoor setup! Luckily, like I said, I'm in SoCal and 50* is about as low as it gets. It was great all summer- still haven't plugged my heaters back in. I imagine I'll have to in about a month, though.
If worse came to worse, I could always build a collapsible "surround" with a space heater inside for the tank.
Maybe search some of the outdoor pond threads. I'm sure somebody here has posted about their electric bill concerns.
any chance of building a quick and dirty plywood and 2x4 "shed" for them? you could line it with insulation foam (4x8 sheets are like $8).. add 1 or 2 extra heaters and you should be good..
as for $power$.. i ran 2 window ac units almost nonstop for the whole summer.. my electric bill went up about $20 a month.. so i wouldnt sweat the extra heaters too much
as for $power$.. i ran 2 window ac units almost nonstop for the whole summer.. my electric bill went up about $20 a month.. so i wouldnt sweat the extra heaters too much
Those last 2 posts were pretty much what I was thinking to do.
My 100g is actually positioned within the confines of a homemade pergola (google it). It already has a clear, corrugated plastic roof plus I've got lots of extra lumber laying around to fab some quick "detachable walls" onto the pergola's 4 posts.
I actually did have a DIY greenhouse a few years ago. It was essentially a wooden frame with "window panels" made from a double layer of clear plastic "sheets" (came from a big roll- like super thick trash bag material, only clear). It was actually quite warm in there- even during winter.
My 100g is actually positioned within the confines of a homemade pergola (google it). It already has a clear, corrugated plastic roof plus I've got lots of extra lumber laying around to fab some quick "detachable walls" onto the pergola's 4 posts.
I actually did have a DIY greenhouse a few years ago. It was essentially a wooden frame with "window panels" made from a double layer of clear plastic "sheets" (came from a big roll- like super thick trash bag material, only clear). It was actually quite warm in there- even during winter.