Agap Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Hi All, I recently built a 3x3m fishroom. I put a whole sheet of clear polycarb roof in the middle and double it inside. Now, Im getting algae problem in tanks directly below the poly roof and its getting pretty hot inside during sunny days. I put the clear roof so I dont have to turn on the lights during the day and the natural lights I recon brings out the colour of the fish more. Now, can I get away in just putting a sail cloth or a piece of curtain over the clear roof, will this stop overheating the room during summer in Melbourne or do I have to completely cover the clear roof. Suggestions please Ace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daci Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 depend on what fish you'll keep on that tank but if you could chuck in a hand full or two of retired bristlenose in there will do the trick. Otherwise just clean it manually everytime you do your water change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangka Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 I think you might get into trouble in summer with the heat, all it takes is a heatwave to lose all your fish. Invest in insulation or a chiller etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agap Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share Posted October 6, 2011 Thanks for the reply guys. The fishroom is well insulated, its just the whole sheet of polycarb roof Im concerned with. Maybe I will just cover the 1/3 on both ends so I can still have natural light in the middle. Ace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noxious_nasties Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 A clear roof would indicate to me that alot of heat is coming from the sun. Good idea for a different source of light, but the heat is an issue. I could be wrong but generally when insulation is put in you need the whole room done in a certain way for it to be effective. In your case the ceiling is the weaker link and does not act to filter out heat coming in (not sure about heat going out). Don't know about your heating costs, but if the ceiling keeps it warm all day throughout the year you could go for an aircon or chiller. If you are paying for both heating and cooling, then you may want to cover the entire roof with a material that can come off (so you can use the sun to heat on cooler days). This may not solve the entire problem as you can still have humidity and ambient temperatures affect the overall temperature of your room. Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogboy Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 as John said for a room to be well insulated the whole room needs to be insulated, doing the walls and roof and then leaving a polycarb skylight will totally defeat the purpose of insuating in the first place, what you save in lighting you will more than lose by heating costs in winter and dead fish in summer. the options as i see them are either a propper double glazed skylight so you get some insulation. or lose the skylight and look into LED lights to run the fish room, much cheaper to run than flouros and little or no heat produced by them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agap Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share Posted October 6, 2011 My power bill was not too bad but still high compare from before when Im running 3 tanks in the garage with individual filters and heaters. I guess I need to cover the clear roof. What do you guys use to light up the fishroom during the day? Thanks Ace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superbad0417 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 why dont you try putting a whirly bird in the roof to help with ventilation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krellious Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 My fish room is the garage and i use an enery saving globe to light it. Nothing fancy but i do have fish breeding. LED's seem to be the cheaper and a populat alternative to fluros on individual tanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogboy Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 i use fluros but will change to LED when i can afford, Mattrox did a good thread on led lighting http://www.aceforums.com.au/index.php?show...c=50512&hl= Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishdance Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Just add a sheet of polystyrene straight under your skylight. It will insulate and reduce the amount of direct sunlight through but still allow lots of light through so you can see within the room during the day without turning on lights. I used 25mm thick sheets on mine but would probably use 15mm next time (just over the skylights) Winston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elapid Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 I use LED lighting on my tanks, Depending on what colour scheme you are going for (Blue and white or just cool white) will depend on what you need and how much it will cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agap Posted October 9, 2011 Author Share Posted October 9, 2011 Just add a sheet of polystyrene straight under your skylight. It will insulate and reduce the amount of direct sunlight through but still allow lots of light through so you can see within the room during the day without turning on lights. I used 25mm thick sheets on mine but would probably use 15mm next time (just over the skylights) Winston Good idea !!!!! Where were you last week. I have covered 2/3 of the skylights yesterday. Now the room is bit a dark. Ace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Hey, Its best to prevent direct sunlight from hitting the skylight. Once sun hits the surface it will transfer into the room, although those polycarbonate sheets do have some insulation properties. I would probably use a shade clothe that is mounted with separation between it and the roof sheeting to allow air to circulate. That way, you would still get some sunlight but the heat gain is reduced. You will also find that in winter you will lose alot of heat from your room through the sheeting, especially during the night. If you could remove the shade clothe through the day, you might take on a bit of heat. There will still be the issue of loosing heat during the night though. Maybe you could use your polystyrene sheets during winter and just live with reduced lighting. It would cost alot more to heat the room than to light it. Just a thought. Interested to see some pictures when you get a chance Joel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishdance Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 A couple of photos as requested. I would leave the polystyrene inside as it rapidly deteriorates outdoors. I collect rain off the roof and would not like polystyrene polymers in the water. Sheets would blow off in high winds too. In winter the polystyrene helps keep heat in and in summer the polystyrene helps keep heat out although I have a couple of whirly gigs too since my roof is pitched. The whirly gigs are free to run and very effective. I throw a jacket cover over them in winter. There is nothing wrong with getting algae in some of your tanks, especially if you have a central filter. I have added an outdoor aquaculture tub to one of my indoor systems which is great for culturing green water (perfect live food) which also doubles as a plant filter to reduce nitrates. I feed the excess plants to the fish too. First pic was taken quite late one afternoon near sunset so appears dark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agap Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Cool, thanks fishdance. I guess I can retain the skylight after all. Ace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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