winter water changes in a fishroom ~ a solution

[DFishkeeper]

I use mainly rainwater for my water changes on my sumped system, and every winter I have the same problem. Plenty of rainwater in the tanks, but no sun available many days to heat the solar panels I have on the fishroom roof to heat the water as I pump it through on the way to the sump. So I end up using the house hot water, which impacts on both the power and water bills.

Recently it occurred to me that I heat my fishroom during the winter and have space available on top of one of my stands. So I thought, why not get a flat water tank to sit up there, pump the cold rainwater into it, and after a day or two in the heated fishroom, it should be warm enough to use for water changes. However, after googling I found that all the commercially available flat water tanks are either too wide or too high to fit in the space I have available.

So then I found this guy :

http://www.abbertanks.com.au/

He makes custom sized water tanks out of food grade polypropylene, usually for commercial and recreational vehicles. He can make a tank any size and shape you want and fit it with female 3/4" BSP poly fittings so you can add inlet, outlet and breather fittings. I got him to add an additional one for me at the bottom underneath the inlet and I put an elbow on this one with a piece of clear tube running up to the top so I can see how full it is. The tanks he makes are made for vehicles which move, so are fitted with baffles to prevent the water sloshing around. This makes them very strong. And they are light. Mine holds over 1,000 litres and weighs less than 30kg.

So after laying a piece of 19mm form ply for it to sit on, and a test fill which confirmed no leaks, I now have the capacity to have over 1,000 litres of water available constantly for water changes during the cooler weather. And I was very happy with the price I negotiated with Chris at Abber Tanks, I thought it was very fair for a custom job. He is located at Burpengary northside of Brisbane, so I was able to go for a drive with my mate with the ute and pick it up, although Chris can arrange transport anywhere.

May not be the solution for everyone, but if you heat your fishroom during the cooler months and have an odd sized space available, it may work for you.

Cheers, Doug

[Ged]

Doug, a great solution.

I had the blue tubs sitting in the fish room during winter but it cluttered the place up. Any chance of some photos of the finished setup.

[frankenstrat]

i always just add the water at what ever temperature it is....my system is 1000l and i change 100l every week and never had a problem

[DFishkeeper]

Doug, a great solution.

I had the blue tubs sitting in the fish room during winter but it cluttered the place up. Any chance of some photos of the finished setup.

Hi Ged,

I don't have a digital camera myself, but my daughter is visiting next week and she has one, so I'll see what I can do. I may need some help with posting them though.

Cheers, Doug

[Jamesmac]

i run 28 tanks d fishkeeper have water tanks in fish room up high just put a heater in tank

1 day before water changes water temp to 25 degrees takes about 8 hrs for 2000 lt

if u spend a lot of money on fish must spend a lot on equipment

cheers

[DFishkeeper]

I'm not sure what your point is, jamesmac, I've just spent money on equipment in the form of the new water tank which has gone into a previously underutilised space up high in my fishroom right in front of the reverse cycle air-conditioner I use to heat the fishroom. There shouldn't be any need to also put a heater in the water tank.

Cheers, Doug