I am adding to my tanks in August of this year, currently I have a 150 gallon horse trough sump, with a 125 gallon and a 220 gallon tank on the same "central" system.
I will be adding two 265 gallon tanks to the mix in August and moving all of my tanks and sump to my new house (I'm getting married in September). The tanks will end up in the basement where the natural temperature is between 60-66F seemingly year round.
Since I have tons of loaches, the tank temp is between 79 and 83F.
My question is, what are my options for heating the tanks without going bankrupt. The other issue is we do not keep the upstairs of this house 72+F The upstairs tends to be 66F or so in the winter months, so the primary furnace of the house really isn't going to be much of a help.
Total aquarium water volume for this project is around 1,000 gallons with the water having a temp between 79-83f and the room temp around 60-66f.
Any ideas of how to heat these tanks efficiently is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Heating
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welp heres a stupid idea
a water bed heater
they are a flat plastic pad
they come with a thermometer and a thurmustat (sp)
you could line the sump witha pond liner
placen the heaters pad under it
and it sould work good
its controllable from 60-100 degress F
on the bed itself
it lays on a piece of plywood
and theres a liner type water catcher between it and the bag of water
my electric bill hasnt seen any big diffrence
and i think a king size waterbed is like 750 gallons
it takes a long time to fill it
and like 24 hours to get up to temp at first
ive had a king size water bad for 15 years
if it works let me know
i dont have a reason to try it
a water bed heater
they are a flat plastic pad
they come with a thermometer and a thurmustat (sp)
you could line the sump witha pond liner
placen the heaters pad under it
and it sould work good
its controllable from 60-100 degress F
on the bed itself
it lays on a piece of plywood
and theres a liner type water catcher between it and the bag of water
my electric bill hasnt seen any big diffrence
and i think a king size waterbed is like 750 gallons
it takes a long time to fill it
and like 24 hours to get up to temp at first
ive had a king size water bad for 15 years
if it works let me know
i dont have a reason to try it
If I were using traditional aquarium heaters.... how many watts would I need for 1000 gallons of water with a 20 degree room to tank difference?
Some calculations state 5,000 watts of heating... but then I struggle with .... how does one calculate electric usage for heating? For example if I put 5,000 watts of heating in my 1000 gallons of water how many hours in a 24 hour day does the heater run if the room temp is 20 degrees below the tank temp.
Sounds like a word problem from math class if you ask me.
Any advice is appreciated.
(I really do wonder how waterbed heaters would work!)
Some calculations state 5,000 watts of heating... but then I struggle with .... how does one calculate electric usage for heating? For example if I put 5,000 watts of heating in my 1000 gallons of water how many hours in a 24 hour day does the heater run if the room temp is 20 degrees below the tank temp.
Sounds like a word problem from math class if you ask me.
Any advice is appreciated.
(I really do wonder how waterbed heaters would work!)
1000 watts is a kilowatt
so if you have 5000 watts
your running 5 kilowats
now every hour they run is another story
my 500 watt on my 180 runs for 30 seconds every few minutes on a really cold day in an unheated basement
i am haveing problems with my electric and am in a high bill investigation
as some how we comsume 6800 kiliowatts in 60 or so days
its rediculious
since the put in the new meter we have gone down to around 1800 kilowatts for 60 days
its all about the watts used
you could prolly get a pool heater (this should work easy)
or add another line onto your furnace to heat the sump
im not to sure how this would work but my plumber friend was gonna do something like that for an idea i had for a huge ass fishtank
i still think the waterbed heater would do the job
and not cost so much as ive had the same king size water bed for 16 years
and never had a problem
it has a thermastate(sp) with a control from 60-100 degess
and there cheap like 40 bucks or less
the compltet bed costs 250$
but anyways keep us updated
so if you have 5000 watts
your running 5 kilowats
now every hour they run is another story
my 500 watt on my 180 runs for 30 seconds every few minutes on a really cold day in an unheated basement
i am haveing problems with my electric and am in a high bill investigation
as some how we comsume 6800 kiliowatts in 60 or so days
its rediculious
since the put in the new meter we have gone down to around 1800 kilowatts for 60 days
its all about the watts used
you could prolly get a pool heater (this should work easy)
or add another line onto your furnace to heat the sump
im not to sure how this would work but my plumber friend was gonna do something like that for an idea i had for a huge ass fishtank
i still think the waterbed heater would do the job
and not cost so much as ive had the same king size water bed for 16 years
and never had a problem
it has a thermastate(sp) with a control from 60-100 degess
and there cheap like 40 bucks or less
the compltet bed costs 250$
but anyways keep us updated
Another thing to consider is that there will be a temperature equilibrium between the basement temp and the aquariums temp. The aquariums will be heating the basement, whilst the basement will be cooling the aquariums.
My fishroom is about 5F warmer and much more humid than the rest of the house.
I would start at 1 watt per gallon for heaters. Have a few spare heaters also, just in case.
My question is what will you do if there is a power outage and you can't use electrical heaters for your aquariums? IMO, it would be easier if you could just find a way to keep the basement warmer. I'd probably insulate the basement and add another furnace.
My fishroom is about 5F warmer and much more humid than the rest of the house.
I would start at 1 watt per gallon for heaters. Have a few spare heaters also, just in case.
My question is what will you do if there is a power outage and you can't use electrical heaters for your aquariums? IMO, it would be easier if you could just find a way to keep the basement warmer. I'd probably insulate the basement and add another furnace.
You are describing the system I use. The big key is to keep the sump off of the concrete with an air space around or you will have a mold problem also.I set mine on galvanized uni-strut.Use a submersable pump and the heat given off is absorbed in the water and should account for about 2000 watts or so depending on your pump size. Then place one 150 or 200 in each end of each tank and set them alike. They will share the load when adjusted correctly and last much longer than just a few huge heaters. I use approx. 1500 watts to maintain 79-80 but I have about 3000 watts of heaters hanging in my system just for back up as they do fail. Also leave a gap between your tanks for air flow and cleaning as you should not under-estimate the mold potential with this much water running in your basement. You are only moving up 6-10 degrees from the air ussually so it as not as bad as you think. If on concrete you could potentially have to move 50 or more degrees from the temp of the concrete and that is a problem. The water bed thing is brilliant. I can't belive I never thought of it. My fish like to set on the heaters sometimes so I have found them better mounted in the tank than in the sump just for the hot tub effect fer the fishys...........Tinman http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t26/ ... medtinman/
Does anyone have a good clue on how to attach styrofoam insulation to the back and sides of a tank? I use decorative backrounds on my tanks and have nothing on the sides of the tanks...chefkeith wrote:Insulate the basement real good. Also insulate each tank. Use Styrofoam sheets on the bottom and the sides of each tank. On the top you'll need thick well insulated hoods also.
I'd love to see pic's when all the tanks are set-up.
So your tanks are in the basement as well? How many gallons of water do you have in your system? What is the temp of the basement normally?Tinman wrote:You are describing the system I use. The big key is to keep the sump off of the concrete with an air space around or you will have a mold problem also.I set mine on galvanized uni-strut.Use a submersable pump and the heat given off is absorbed in the water and should account for about 2000 watts or so depending on your pump size. Then place one 150 or 200 in each end of each tank and set them alike. They will share the load when adjusted correctly and last much longer than just a few huge heaters. I use approx. 1500 watts to maintain 79-80 but I have about 3000 watts of heaters hanging in my system just for back up as they do fail. Also leave a gap between your tanks for air flow and cleaning as you should not under-estimate the mold potential with this much water running in your basement. You are only moving up 6-10 degrees from the air ussually so it as not as bad as you think. If on concrete you could potentially have to move 50 or more degrees from the temp of the concrete and that is a problem. The water bed thing is brilliant. I can't belive I never thought of it. My fish like to set on the heaters sometimes so I have found them better mounted in the tank than in the sump just for the hot tub effect fer the fishys...........Tinman http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t26/ ... medtinman/
Is your electric bill horrible?
Did you insulate the tanks?
I have 1000 gallons in my basement.You need to stay away from concrete walls as that will suck the heat from your system in the winter. My tank is 6' from any wall except on one end. I used to keep a 4 wall room of fish with tanks close to the walls and mold began flourish on the concrete. The real drain on your electricity is your pump. THe pump runs 24/7 so that really uses electricity. I take the heat generated by the pump and use that to heat my sump so that is not wasted . This will account for about 2000 watts of heat or so depending on your pump size obviously. Supplemental heat must then be added to each tank I use a couple of high quality submersible 150 or 200 watt heaters but they only run intermittantly. Your flow characteristics will dictate the best placement for these but I try to spread them evenly. This adds about 1200 watts of resistive heat in my system bringing it up to about 3000 watts. I set the heaters to share the load and this is a trick but easy with observation. Then I hang a couple more heaters set a couple degrees cooler for winter if it won't keep up and in case of a heater failure as back-up. My house is 68 in the winter and 72 in the summer so I only move the water about ten degrees. The system itself affects my house temp and humidity. Air flow MUST be maintained around all tanks to keep it dry and mold free. When I moved I set up as an ell on block and on CCA lumber leaving a 1" gap between boards and 5-6" between tanks to maintain a clean and healthy enviroment in my house AND aqaurium. It is 27' from end to end . I actually run a fan to keep things dry . You will spend about half as much to heat as it cost to run your pump I would assume.( I am a master electrician) I would not be against setting your sump on some insulation and I considered that too but opted for airflow and dry. I have not been without a pump to judge but I assume I spend about 50.00-75.00 a month for electricity for this.Much less than the food to maintain a system like this.
What type of fan do you have running? Where do you point the fan? Is it like a ceiling fan or a fan blowing behind the tanks?Tinman wrote:I have 1000 gallons in my basement.You need to stay away from concrete walls as that will suck the heat from your system in the winter. My tank is 6' from any wall except on one end. I used to keep a 4 wall room of fish with tanks close to the walls and mold began flourish on the concrete. The real drain on your electricity is your pump. THe pump runs 24/7 so that really uses electricity. I take the heat generated by the pump and use that to heat my sump so that is not wasted . This will account for about 2000 watts of heat or so depending on your pump size obviously. Supplemental heat must then be added to each tank I use a couple of high quality submersible 150 or 200 watt heaters but they only run intermittantly. Your flow characteristics will dictate the best placement for these but I try to spread them evenly. This adds about 1200 watts of resistive heat in my system bringing it up to about 3000 watts. I set the heaters to share the load and this is a trick but easy with observation. Then I hang a couple more heaters set a couple degrees cooler for winter if it won't keep up and in case of a heater failure as back-up. My house is 68 in the winter and 72 in the summer so I only move the water about ten degrees. The system itself affects my house temp and humidity. Air flow MUST be maintained around all tanks to keep it dry and mold free. When I moved I set up as an ell on block and on CCA lumber leaving a 1" gap between boards and 5-6" between tanks to maintain a clean and healthy enviroment in my house AND aqaurium. It is 27' from end to end . I actually run a fan to keep things dry . You will spend about half as much to heat as it cost to run your pump I would assume.( I am a master electrician) I would not be against setting your sump on some insulation and I considered that too but opted for airflow and dry. I have not been without a pump to judge but I assume I spend about 50.00-75.00 a month for electricity for this.Much less than the food to maintain a system like this.
How do you feel about a dehumidifier?
I just have a little fan I point at any spills that occur during maintanance that sits on the floor to dry things .I only use it when needed. Keeping everything covered is important also not just for the safety of fish but to keep evaporation and humidity in check.A large room with adequate ventilation should not require de-humidfacation but that depends on your situation. ......Tinman
I usually get packs of 4 foot styrofoam sheets that are 3/4" thick.
In my fishroom I stand them straight up from the floor between the wall and aquarium. This way they can easy be removed. On some tanks I custom fit them and use duct tape to keep the styrofoam in place. After cutting pieces, I lightly flame harden the ends so that foam won't brush off and make a mess.
In my fishroom I stand them straight up from the floor between the wall and aquarium. This way they can easy be removed. On some tanks I custom fit them and use duct tape to keep the styrofoam in place. After cutting pieces, I lightly flame harden the ends so that foam won't brush off and make a mess.
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.
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.
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