Aesthetics and Insulation
- Thread starter looney417
- Start date
I'm sure you don't want to move that big tank, but if you did, positioning it next to an interior wall rather than one that connects to the outside would probably help. If that's not where it is already.
Things to do to lower electricity usage:
--You can lower the temp of the tank a few degrees.
--You can keep the lights off during the daylight hours, helps with algae too
--You can tape/glue 1 inch blue styrofoam insulation on the BACK of the aquarium
--You can tape/glue 1 inch blue styrofoam insulation on the inside of your tank stand top thus providing some insulation to the bottom of the tank
--You can raise the temperature of your room, transfering heating costs to a furnace using cheaper oil/gas.
--You should have a glass/plastic top on the tank as evaporation will take heat with it.
If you do the calculations, your lights are probably costing you as much as your heater is as they run all year long regardless of room temperature.
This device from Amazon will give you a direct read out of the watts you are using. Calculate the kilo watt hours and get the cost per kilio watt from your electricity bill and you will know the actual cost of electricity for the tank and can play with various things to reduce that cost.
http://www.amazon.com/P3-Internatio...d_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1234982688&sr=8-1
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Gas cheaper then electricity? I would think the cost of running an aquarium heater would be cheaper then raising your home temperature.
Also, are you saying to run your entire light cycle at night? Or just leave them off during the day and turn on for just a few hours at night?
Yeah, unless you are getting a sweetheart deal from your friendly neighborhood nuclear power plant / hydroelectric dam it's much cheaper to generate heat using natural gas than electricity.
Even though the tank is in a corner without much airflow you're still losing heat through conduction (from the sides of your tank to the walls of the room).
You can get rigid sheets of insulation at any home improvement store. A sheet underneath the tank will help some (although you'd have to drain the tank to lift it and slide it under). You can also put some on the sides of the tank between the glass and the wall. If it's a real tight fit I've also seen some semi-flexible rolls of the insulation that could slide in there. Just cut it to fit and you're good. Every little bit will help, and you probably won't be able to see it once it's all in.
A 1" thick 4'x8' full sheet is about $12 at the lowes near me.
Even though the tank is in a corner without much airflow you're still losing heat through conduction (from the sides of your tank to the walls of the room).
You can get rigid sheets of insulation at any home improvement store. A sheet underneath the tank will help some (although you'd have to drain the tank to lift it and slide it under). You can also put some on the sides of the tank between the glass and the wall. If it's a real tight fit I've also seen some semi-flexible rolls of the insulation that could slide in there. Just cut it to fit and you're good. Every little bit will help, and you probably won't be able to see it once it's all in.
A 1" thick 4'x8' full sheet is about $12 at the lowes near me.
Generally oil/gas is cheaper then electricity. Of course it helps if your heating system has zones so you can heat a single room at whatever temp you want.
If you have a reef tank and need lights or a planted tank and need lights on 12+ hours per day then you're stuck. But if the lights are just for show you can leave them off except when you are home and need to see the fish. For most folks who are working that's just a few hours at night.
As for insulating the bottom I wouldn't put the insulation directly under the tank but inside the tank stand itself. If you insulate the inside top of the tank stand you'll be doing something to reduce heat loss. Inside the tank stand you can use either styrofoam or fiberglass batting depending on which is cheaper.
If you have a reef tank and need lights or a planted tank and need lights on 12+ hours per day then you're stuck. But if the lights are just for show you can leave them off except when you are home and need to see the fish. For most folks who are working that's just a few hours at night.
As for insulating the bottom I wouldn't put the insulation directly under the tank but inside the tank stand itself. If you insulate the inside top of the tank stand you'll be doing something to reduce heat loss. Inside the tank stand you can use either styrofoam or fiberglass batting depending on which is cheaper.
what do you mean by "rigid sheets of insulation" is this the stuff inside the drywalls. And any ideas for it to hug the tank sort of? double sided tape is all i can think of.
Hmm, well I'll goto lowes and home depot when/if you reply. i hope they have like 3/4inch or something. I think 1 inch might be to much, if i tape them to my sides, i think the visible side will show, at least i can have it flush to the stand and canopy.