Heating

[Curtis]

Tinman- Most of the heating is like yours, through the heat of pumps/filters/lighting. My fishroom isn't in a basement, but still it gets very cold near the outside walls/windows during the winter. On my main tanks, this past winter I used only 1- 200 watt heater for for keeping 250g up to temperature. The heater was on a timer and only turned on when the aquarium lights turned off. (I downgraded my tanks, so that I could upgrade them. It's taken me awhile to it upgraded though).

The styrofoam insulation, helped out alot. I would of had to run a few heaters otherwise. I ran 6 filters and 1 pump Totaling 145 watts. I ran about 155w of lighting 10 hours per day also.

My fishroom is small. It's an 11 ft by 11ft room. That probably helps keep it warm. Like I said before, the tanks heat up the room about 5F degress warmer than the rest of the house also.

Where do you have styrofoam insulation? How did you attach it to the tanks?

[chefkeith]

I put styrofoam everywhere. Between the walls and the tanks. Under the tanks. Over some tanks. On the sides of the tanks. I've built tank igloo's with it out of it with pins/duct tape for some small tanks in a really cold room on the other side of the house.

In most cases I don't attach it to the tanks. I just lean it against the tanks or wedge it between the wall and the tank. Duct tape works as well.

[Tinman]

Great idea being above ground. It gets below zero here but not for more than a week or two.The frost sets only on the Northside of the house . If I was fighting the bitter winters you are I would insulate too.