Wintering an Outdoor Tropical

[pshtex]

Also consider making things nice and secure to compensate for days when the wind picks up. Keep tap on the weather forecast and perhaps secure everything down with a large tarp and plenty of rope/cord when you know the wind is going to be picking up

I will be putting up some simple walls. 2x4 framing and 4 mil plastic to put around the tank also.

maybe on one of the ends you can put a door view, so you can check the fish without opening the insulation.
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with the clips i made it is really easy to slip off the radiant barrier. Cool idea but not something that i am going to do

Well there has not be a change in the weather so nothing to really update but this gives me the time i need to finish before it starts to really cool down.

 

[Warborg]

Don't forget to allow enough Oxygen to get into the tank.

 

[Gill Blue]

with the clips i made it is really easy to slip off the radiant barrier. Cool idea but not something that i am going to do

.

wasn't really a question of difficulty. I was thinking sudden cold air on warm glass. probably a non issue, but I've seen windshields crack heavily from defroster heat on a cool day. hate to see a chipped corner spiderweb.

 

[pshtex]

wasn't really a question of difficulty. I was thinking sudden cold air on warm glass. probably a non issue, but I've seen windshields crack heavily from defroster heat on a cool day. hate to see a chipped corner spiderweb.

I see what you are saying. yeah i already thought about that and don't think it will be an issue. I am not 100% of that but hoping it won't be, with that wall going in it won't be outside temp. air hitting the glass, the air directly out side the tank should be warmer.

 

[pshtex]

Today i started to put the walls up. Got the framing done for the most part, there is a bit left to do. Then the plastic, and hopefully this will help a bunch.

 

[pshtex]

So temps are going to start to drop this week. Should be reaching the low 40s towards the end of the week so i will be able to start giving to more info on how the insulated aquarium is working out.

 

[pshtex]

The walls are up with the 4mil plastic on them, waited till the last minute to do this. Have been thinking and i want to top the plastic with cardboard or something else cheap, only needs to last for this winter, and add tinfoil on the inside of the plastic to help keep in all that radiant heat. With just the plastic on it got into the mid 50's and inside the plastic it was 70. I want to do all the additions to the temporary walls so my heaters won't have to work so hard. i am hoping to get the cardboard up and the tinfoil in place by the weeks end.

 

[MyGiants]

I keep a outside tank. 300 gallon acrylic tank up into a corner that exposes just two sides and the top. I thought of insulating but I didn't last winter. I used 2 heaters a 300w and a 150watt its what I had available. The water still got cold not freezing but not tropical. A bunch of fish I thought that could handle the cooler water died off. And the fish I thought i'd need to bring back inside made it through the winter. this year I moved more fish from inside to the outside tank. A bunch of Tinfoil barbs I think will not make it this winter as that was one fish that didn't make it last winter. I probably should trade them in before it gets too cold.. But my bichirs made it through last winter so I expect them to make it again this winter. I had a Goliath tiger that made it through last winter. But sadly died in the summer strangely. I also have a Softshell turtle I moved to my tank that made through freezing water in a tub last winter.

 

[pshtex]

So for the past few days we have been getting into the 30's got as low as 32. The only change i have made is i covered the aquarium with 4 mil plastic also. Been checking the temps every morning and the lowest it has been is 76. Every thing has been working great so far there are still a few ideas i have in case it gets even lower.