How many of you have had a tank in the garage of your home, in the middle of winter? I'll be moving into our first home next week and won't have the new 180gallon set up in time to move the current tank over. I'll need to set it up in the garage, but am concerned that my 300W heater won't be able to keep up. The garage in not insulated, and the floor has a slight slope to it. I plan to put the 100gallon on the slope and shim it up, and leave it there for at least 3 weeks maybe 4.
Tank in the garage?
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I have my 180 gallon in the garage and 300 watts won't cut it ..matter or fact i am
Running 800 watts by night and i still supplement with small heater..be carful..nights are really cold and halides are off
Running 800 watts by night and i still supplement with small heater..be carful..nights are really cold and halides are off
07FocusST
Well-known member
If you are going to put the tank in your garage I would suggest adding around 3 to 4 heaters in the sump. Have them all set to the same temp this way one heater is taking the whole load.
Definetly more then one i have a 300 and 200 in sump and 300 in tank
steven11
Somethingotherthannormal!
I have a 125 in the garage and have a 500w, 250w and two 150w heaters to keep the temp up over night.
NC2WA
Well-known member
i have a 375g in the garage and have 2 300w heaters which holds the temp pretty well..my tank is acrylic which does hold the heat well.
07FocusST
Well-known member
I am in the process of setting up a 180G right now. I plan on using atleast 4x 300w heaters in the sump. Just in case and to spread the load out to all 4 heaters.
Katchupoy
Well-known member
If you can have multiple heaters so much the better.
Since this is temporary setup????
If you can put the heaters on the main tank, so much the better. If you put it in the sump, and the sump pump dies, then your sump will be nice and toasty and your main tank will be as cold as your garage.
If you can buy those pink styros from home depot or even the silver back ones with higher R- Values then use these to wrap it around your tank. Use some also to cover the top during night time. Heat escapes going up. This will be a very big help.
Another trick is create a temporary room inside the garage. By means of cheap painters plastic (instead of hard walls), you can wrap it around the tank with a little space so that you can walk around the tank while inside the plastic room/bubble.
I suggest to use pvc pipes to make a temporary frame to support the plastic. This way your water heaters does not need to work as much. You can even put portable (air) heaters inside the plastic to make sure that the air temp does not go down that low.
We do this a lot when painting car inside the garage, and you dont for your paint to spray all over... the same concept but different purpose....
If you can double the plastic in such a way that they have air gap between plastic then your in better shape.... like a small green house or hoop house inside the garage.
Since this is temporary setup????
If you can put the heaters on the main tank, so much the better. If you put it in the sump, and the sump pump dies, then your sump will be nice and toasty and your main tank will be as cold as your garage.
If you can buy those pink styros from home depot or even the silver back ones with higher R- Values then use these to wrap it around your tank. Use some also to cover the top during night time. Heat escapes going up. This will be a very big help.
Another trick is create a temporary room inside the garage. By means of cheap painters plastic (instead of hard walls), you can wrap it around the tank with a little space so that you can walk around the tank while inside the plastic room/bubble.
I suggest to use pvc pipes to make a temporary frame to support the plastic. This way your water heaters does not need to work as much. You can even put portable (air) heaters inside the plastic to make sure that the air temp does not go down that low.
We do this a lot when painting car inside the garage, and you dont for your paint to spray all over... the same concept but different purpose....
If you can double the plastic in such a way that they have air gap between plastic then your in better shape.... like a small green house or hoop house inside the garage.
NWDiver
Swimming with the fishes
+1 to Cesar. If you have the room, adding plastic and foam should help a bunch.
Burke
Well-known member
+2 for Cesar. That is the best idea for a short term setup in this condition.
thatguy559
Well-known member
also when you have multiple heaters in the sump using their own thermostats and not a controller space them out so they dont cancel each other out. but heating that small area causing the other heater to think its at the temp when its not
So you would turn them
Off by day?When would you enjoy the tank?I can only see a benefit if u have huge windows that heat up the garage a lot...and your electricity is cheaper by night I guess ..but the enjoy and mess with it factor is bigger for me personally..i like my lights on by day...
Off by day?When would you enjoy the tank?I can only see a benefit if u have huge windows that heat up the garage a lot...and your electricity is cheaper by night I guess ..but the enjoy and mess with it factor is bigger for me personally..i like my lights on by day...
me like blue light more better over white light. if mdeal halide is white and you dont like turn on during night and let blue light during day. it sound like he only do for a few weeks during his move and want to heat the tank. light have to come on so if at night less electric running heaters. you need light so use it to heat tank me feeling use medal halide at night blue during day tank temp more better stable during move
When are the fish sleeping?i know my fish are really confused when I switch their cycle and lights are on longer due to maintenance they go nuts...
Good input, thank you. I'm gonna move the tank this wednesday, and I plan on putting 2 300W heaters set at 76 in the sump, and 1 800W JBL in the tank set at 76. The JBL will be pluged into the chiller, and the chiller will be set at 77 with a 1 degree temp diff. I hope that will work for the mean time. I"d hate to move the tank right now, as for the first time in 9 months the tank is running clean. I have little algae, bright corals that are gowing, and the fish really seem to be showing their colors.
E
eww
Guest
Our 29 gal QT is in the garage. We use a space heater in the garage when it gets really cold. That way the single heater we have in the QT will keep up without have to drop multiple heaters in temporarily.
Well we moved into the new home last Tuesday, and I set the tank up in the garage. I used shims to level it out, and put 1 300W heater in the sump. Then I placed a 800W heater with it's own controller in the DT. So far the tank seems to be doing fine. The garage has an 2X2 dog door installed that leads outside. I tried to plug the hole as best as I could but there is still a little draft. We'll see how everything goes as the temp drops later this week.
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