Tank in unheated basement

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T

The Truth

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 2, 2011
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New Bedford
Hey guys, I'm new to site, I wanted to ask you guys a question regarding tank in a basement, but first let me introduce myself. My name is jeff, I'm from MA and right now i keep florida gar and some cichlids. I currently have them in my 125 gallon tank.

I want to upgrade to a bigger tank preferably 210 and unfortunately the only place i will be able to place it is in my basement, which is unheated. I live in the northeast so we do have cold winters, the basement never gets to bad tho. i was wondering if this is possible? and if so what kind of heating should be used? also what kind of stand should i use? during heavy rain in the summer my basement at times can get an inch of water on the floor so that is another concern. any info will be greatly appreciated.
 
wow.. an inch of water in your basement? is that normal? im in Mn. where we get.. well probly colder winters and I know many people who keep tanks in the basement. on the other hand im not sure if homes here are build diffrent than there because if we get an inch of water inside its a problem!
 
haha yeah in the summer we got a inch of water in the basement but it was also the most amount of rain we had gotten in a 3 day period in a long time, usually its small puddles here and there if anything. I live towards the bottom of a hill, so if the street floods generally my basement gets water as well, not sure the reasoning. I live with my parents and its something that has happened for as far as i can remember. I only mentioned the inch of water just incase it happens again in the summer which i don't expect it should but we already beat last years snow total in a month and half so never know lol
 
How cold does it get? Even though basements are cold, they are usually temperature stable, it should be fine. You could always just increase the watts per gallon if your heaters aren't keeping up. My house can fall to about 57F during the winter, and 3 watts per gallon works well. If your basement is colder than that, then do 4-5 watts per gallon.

In terms of the water on the floor, I suggest a stand made out of cinder blocks. A metal stand will eventually start rusting, and I think a wooden stand will absorb water and warp, unless sealed very well, but I think cinder blocks won't be affected at all. Just make sure they support the tank properly.
 
Juxtaroberto;4853509; said:
How cold does it get? Even though basements are cold, they are usually temperature stable, it should be fine. You could always just increase the watts per gallon if your heaters aren't keeping up. My house can fall to about 57F during the winter, and 3 watts per gallon works well. If your basement is colder than that, then do 4-5 watts per gallon.

In terms of the water on the floor, I suggest a stand made out of cinder blocks. A metal stand will eventually start rusting, and I think a wooden stand will absorb water and warp, unless sealed very well, but I think cinder blocks won't be affected at all. Just make sure they support the tank properly.
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i didn't think of using cinder blocks, how would you go about making a stand out of that?
 
Simple, just make a stack of them at each corner of the tank, and two stacks in the middle (along the edges) for added reinforcement, and then nail together pieces of lumber that match the footprint of the tank, sit the lumber on the blocks, and sit the tank on the lumber.

This will only work for glass. Acrylic needs to be supported along the entire bottom, but you could still make the design work by altering it a bit so that the entire bottom is supported, not just the sides.
 
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