Agap Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Hi Guys, Im in the process of building a fishroom and wanted some suggestion on heating the room. I know the reverse cycle heater is the best option but Im looking at a cheaper alternative. The room is 3m x 3m, fully insulated. Cheers Ace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattrox Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Gas space heater? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 I was using a 1200w column heater and a fan to circulate air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRK-351 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 How effective is heating the air in a room then heating the glass then the water? I'm thinking that it wouldn't be enough to heat tanks to 26 degrees in winter just with a reverse cycle??? Wouldn't it be more of a secondary method to maintain/stabilise temperature, with in tank heaters directly heating the water? What do you guys with fish rooms find? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 If the room temp is constant the tanks will be constant. Heating a small insulated room to 26 degrees isnt really that hard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosco Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 How effective is heating the air in a room then heating the glass then the water? I'm thinking that it wouldn't be enough to heat tanks to 26 degrees in winter just with a reverse cycle??? Wouldn't it be more of a secondary method to maintain/stabilise temperature, with in tank heaters directly heating the water? What do you guys with fish rooms find? Works for me and my room is 6x3. I use a wall heater thermostat to control the power to the powerpoint with a fan attached to the same power point so it circulates the heat while the heater is on. here is a photo it is hard wired before the double powerpoint below it. I plan to put an R/C unit in there one day until then this is fine. It has worked for me for 5 years. cheers Rosco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRK-351 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Is that your only method of heating? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishinf Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 all i use is a blower heater on timer 1 hour a day dose the job maybe a bit more on the colder days weve been haveing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosco Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 Is that your only method of heating? Pretty much. I do have heaters in the ground level tanks as they only get to 21 degrees so I push them up to 25 degrees. When it is -5 or lower outside it is essential in Winter, I turn them off in summer. I am cautious about doing large water changes on small tanks in winter due to the temp of the water coming out of the tap being around 4-5 degrees so I put heaters in the tanks after a water change to take the edge off. If I am organiseed I get a few buckets of water a few days before hand and put them in the room to warm up. My room is pretty seriously insulated with that R1 foil on either side of the walls and ceiling and R4 batts all around. I also have rubber matting on the floor to stop the rising cold and seal the door frames with the foam stuff. The heater is 2400w heater and I reckon I probably comes on every 30 minutes or so for 5 or so minutes. I also have cool room blinds across the doors and have sealed the windows. I pay my bill fortnightly and it went up around $50-$60 a fortnight when the room went live. cheers rosco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efc01 Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 also there is no need to heat to 26 degrees. 20 degrees is plenty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link2Hell Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 some pretty good replies in this thread when my room was running I used the oil filled column heater and a fan to circulate the air and even the tank temps worked fine until I was away on holidays and got that phone call you never want ............ there's a problem in the fishroom the problem was a faulty thermostat that proceeded to turn my room into a sauna = lots of dead fish having said this I know lots of people that use the same method and have had no problem the only additions would be a secondary thermostat like Rosco uses and a timer so that if you do have a thermostat problem you have 2 safety windows I have also used a ceramic blower heater and fan with the heater on a timer this also worked fine insulation is the key to your room and that includes any windows as these will need to double glazed a simple removable sheet of perspex will be good and/or some heavy curtains can also help once the room is insulated and draft sealed the temp will be easier to stabilise and use less power getting there you will find that most species won't care if the temp is only 20-22*C the exceptions are Discus and some of the other equatorial species but having said this 24-26*C will usually be acceptable and it's easier to heat one tank to a higher level than the whole room personally for a couple of hundred extra dollars I'd take the rev cycle AC as this also sorts out room cooling in summer Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krellious Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I have my garage as the fish room. Are the any suggestions as to how to insulate the roller door yet still have it usable as a door so i can perform water changes? Winter power bill went up $250 due to a few tanks so i need ideas. I also run heaters in all tanks so am actively watching this thread for fresh ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agap Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 Some nice suggestion guys...keep them coming. Cheers Ace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolla Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Im in the same boat, havent received my winter bill yet.. Have you tried insulating each tank with foam (back ,sides,top) I have my garage as the fish room. Are the any suggestions as to how to insulate the roller door yet still have it usable as a door so i can perform water changes? Winter power bill went up $250 due to a few tanks so i need ideas. I also run heaters in all tanks so am actively watching this thread for fresh ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosco Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I have my garage as the fish room. Are the any suggestions as to how to insulate the roller door yet still have it usable as a door so i can perform water changes? Winter power bill went up $250 due to a few tanks so i need ideas. Build a wall (probably in 2 sections with 4x2 fibre cement cladding and wall batts inside of it and drill at 50mm hole in it and run some pvc pipe through it. On each side put those angled end pieces with the lid that closes. I have done this (but fixed my wall is fixed to concrete) and it works like a bought one. Laurie has done this exact thing and it works like a charm. It also means that when you leave the house there is nothing to destroy to make it a garage again. cheers rosco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tank Aquariums Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Pictures Rosco???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishdance Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Over some winters when I was renting, I arranged the tank racks into a rectangular shape and then stuck 25mm sheets of polystyrene to the backs of them with silicon or plastic tape to form its own room. Have the polystyrene go right up to the ceiling and a removable sheet for the door. It works quite well and is a cheap temporary solution. You can re-use the panels every year and easily pull them down when its warm (I'm in QLD). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristlenut Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 bubble wrap garage door insulation from bunnings works well $150 a roll for double door. i used two rolls and only had to tweak the springs up a bit for the motor to lift the little extra weight. mine is a panel type door so can't easily build a wall and still use the door. agree with above seem to lose more heat through windows and draughts so would spend money there first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brisbane Fish Junkie Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 I am cautious about doing large water changes on small tanks in winter due to the temp of the water coming out of the tap being around 4-5 degrees so I put heaters in the tanks after a water change to take the edge off. If I am organiseed I get a few buckets of water a few days before hand and put them in the room to warm up. My room is pretty seriously insulated with that R1 foil on either side of the walls and ceiling and R4 batts all around. I also have rubber matting on the floor to stop the rising cold and seal the door frames with the foam stuff. The heater is 2400w heater and I reckon I probably comes on every 30 minutes or so for 5 or so minutes. I also have cool room blinds across the doors and have sealed the windows. I pay my bill fortnightly and it went up around $50-$60 a fortnight when the room went live. cheers rosco Hi just a thought have you got room for an IBC they hold 1000L in a small space and the water would heat up in a couple of days to your room temp after filling from a tap then after water changes just top up and you have warm water all the time just an air stone for water movement is all thats needed BFJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agap Posted June 27, 2011 Author Share Posted June 27, 2011 I found this in Ebay, looks good. Has anyone currently using this? http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/FULL-Brooder-Ki...=item3a67691215 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRK-351 Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 I pay my bill fortnightly and it went up around $50-$60 a fortnight when the room went live. cheers rosco Is that a typo? $50 a fortnight seems like quite abit. I have a power meter gadget and I have averaged my winter increase is about $10-$15 a fortnight for 10 tanks close to 1500L total. Since I am using my spare bedroom as a study/fishroom I am only using in tank heaters. Might try insulating the window and getting a room heater but dont think it is worth it for the few months of winter that I will use it. Maybe when I move into a house and expand to a full room Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosco Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Not a typo unfortunately . I have 45 tanks with 9,000+ litres not including the 6 sumps. Most of the tanks are lit and I am running a large air pump, multiple water pumps from 3500 lph to 7500 lph and a few canisters on my display tanks some are large. During the rebuild of my room I was struggling to keep the heat in so I had to keep the temp up. I have dropped the temp in the room to 22 so hopefully this may drop a little but I am not holding my breath. If you put 38 tanks into room behind your carport with a tin roof with temps last night dropping to -7 degrees I guess I have to pay the price I have considered a water tank but I don't have the room unfortunately. cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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