tanks in garages

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Y

yoimb0b

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 18, 2006
312
0
0
36
???
Does anyone here, especially those in california, keep tanks in their uninsulated garages? Do they have problems with temperature fluxes during say "winter" and the summer, and by winter in california i mean just a little less warm than summer lol. We have a 3 car garage, and the third space is not being used by my car, so my dad said i could keep my fish tanks in there if i wanted. I currently have 2 in the house, but i was planning on getting a 125 and would like to put it in the garage. Anybody do this? or would the differences between the weather during the year really mess up the temperature of the tank/ kill the fish.

any and all input would be great, thanks.
 
i think if your heater is working properly, and with a back up heater in add. then you probably shouldn't have any worries; and i hope your tank isn't sharing space with any cars that are being driven and parked there since i wonder about the toxic fumes.
 
im sure the amount of fumes in the garage from parking a car in it would not hurt the fish, as noone would park and let a car run in a closed garage, not only would it harm the fish but the monoxide would kill humans too. I was just wondering about this because the floor is concrete, so it would be great to put tanks on, cause it can stand the pressure, and spilling water on it wouldnt make too much of a difference, rather then inside on the carpet.

edit: my main concern would be in the summertime, with the tank becoming too hot, and therefore requiring a chiller.
 
yes I know a guy whos garage is a fish room with over 2000 gallons of tanks..... all saltwater. Even reef tanks. Even better..... I live in Canada and our winters are freezing. He has a heater in the garage which keeps it warm. Garage is great because you can spill all you like and it doesn't matter.:)
 
I am contemplating the same thing. I am setting up two racks in my garage. I will be keeping discus in them. They like warm temps and I keep their temps in the mid 80's so summer time won't be a problem for them. I got some good heaters so I'm not worried about winter time. I guess it would depened on what fish you plan to keep. If you want warm water fish I think you'd be alright but if you have fish that needs their tank temps in the low 70's than I'd worry just a little bit. You know sometimes it can can extremely hot in California. If your garage is ventilated or you can crack open a window I think you'll be fine.
 
well id be moving both the 40 and the 60 gallon into the space, along with setting up a 125 as well.

The 40 has just 5 peacock bass in it, and my 60 has a silver arowana, an albino channel catfish, a bichir, a pike, and a few fancy plecos. So all of my fish would be fish that like the warmer water. So i think they should be fine. I plan on making the space my fish room basically. Since the spots i have my 2 tanks right now arent great areas to actually look at them, it was just the only place i could put them at the most convenience to me to maintain.
 
i moved into my current home last summer when temps were in the 90's (i'm in fountain valley, ca) and had to house my tanks in the garage due to remodeling being done to the house. the first day temps went over 100 degrees in the garage even with the garage door half open. it didn't help that the garage faced westward and the sun beat down on it.

i ended up having to buy a chilller to keep my temps around 80 degrees. i tested a bare 40gl without fish and it got as high as 95 degrees one day.
 
Garages are bad spots for tanks unless alot of remodeling is done. I started my hatchery setup in an oversized 2-car garage. First, the windows were replaced with double-insulated low-E windows. The floors were leveled out. The walls and ceiling were insulated and moisture-proofed as well as the garage doors. And, I had the garage vented to the main furnace and central AC. I had to install a separate thermostat and automatic dampers to keep the garage at 80F while the house remained at normal living temps.
 
oddball knows what i'm talking about.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom