Fish 'house' Temp?

[MermaidMel]

I have a large under the stairs cupboard that was decked out with heavy duty shelving before we moved here. I am considering growing-out in there. What temp would the cupboard have to be? I already have cables running into their because it has lighting in the cupboard, so I could put an oil heater in there OR would you say just to stick with heaters in each tank OR both? It's not warm in there, it's not freezing either but there's no pipes or radiators nearby so in winter it would get cool.

 

[Underwurlde]

I am considering growing-out in there.

I am having a thicko moment here... what does that mean?

I already have cables running into there because it has lighting in the cupboard

Which is irrelevant unfortuantely! You need to spur off from the mains ring I'm afraid - lighting is half the duty and should run from a different fuse rating in the fuse board. Espcially for higher rating electrical items such as heaters.

Andy

 

[MermaidMel]

I am considering growing-out in there.

I am having a thicko moment here... what does that mean?

I already have cables running into there because it has lighting in the cupboard

Which is irrelevant unfortuantely! You need to spur off from the mains ring I'm afraid - lighting is half the duty and should run from a different fuse rating in the fuse board. Espcially for higher rating electrical items such as heaters.

Andy

Eh? I just meant that I have plug points in my cupboard, which people don't normally lol
The lights plug in to the plug point, as would the heaters... see what I mean?
Oh and growing out, like when I have fry, their tanks would be in there whilst they are growing before I sell them on

 

[Underwurlde]

Right, gotcha! LOL

I would not put a heater in there, just rely on the tank heater - take into account the extra wattage needed for the heater based on the icreased temperature differential. Or, just leave the cupboard door open?.....

Andy

 

[MermaidMel]

Right, gotcha! LOL

I would not put a heater in there, just rely on the tank heater - take into account the extra wattage needed for the heater based on the icreased temperature differential. Or, just leave the cupboard door open?.....

Andy

Toddler alert!!! No open doors I'm afraid hence my plans! Cheers for your wise words mate

 

[CFC]

whether to heat the room or not depends on the ammount of wattage used, if your in tank heaters are going to exceed 1000 watts when added together then a small 1000 watt heater in the room is cheaper to run.

 

[MermaidMel]

whether to heat the room or not depends on the ammount of wattage used, if your in tank heaters are going to exceed 1000 watts when added together then a small 1000 watt heater in the room is cheaper to run.

That's awesome advice, thank you

 

[Underwurlde]

...regardless, they'd still have the same amount of work to do, no?

Anyway, you are concerned about heating the water, not necessarily the room as well. Therefore it will be more efficent to heat just the water and not the room and therefore everything in it and then maintain it at that temperature (to raise ambient) and then the water to the required temperature.

Andy

 

[CFC]

Those of us who run fish houses/rooms usually heat the room rather than the tanks, if i heated the tanks individually id be using a little under 3000 watts of heaters but i can keep the room at 80f with a 2000w heater so the tanks dont require any additional heating.

 

[MermaidMel]

Those of us who run fish houses/rooms usually heat the room rather than the tanks, if i heated the tanks individually id be using a little under 3000 watts of heaters but i can keep the room at 80f with a 2000w heater so the tanks dont require any additional heating.

And do you use an oil heater or central heating or what? Is it safe to leave a heater plugged in 24/7?

 

[BigC]

You will need to address the subject of condensation. Take it from me it is a serious issue especially if an internal fishroom is to be considered. I always have had external fish-houses and in the early days condensation was a real problem. You will need to ventilate. Sorry to sound so negative but I just wish to alert you to such issues. I use 3kW fan heaters wired to a thermostat.

 

[Tolak]

BigC is on the money with humidity, condensation, and the eventual mold & water damage issues. For some reason it seems the old timers love to have all the tanks uncovered, which leads to a major problem with condensation. I use light diffuser panels over all the tanks in my fishroom, this substantially reduces evaporation. I also have a cheap bathroom fan on a timer, it vents through a dryer vent to the outside, running for a couple of hours 3x daily.

I've seen treated wood that rots given enough years, these were ceiling joists in a garage, which was a serious structural issue. Most recently I saw a buddy's drywall ceiling falling off due to condensation and the eventual freezing then thawing & dripping in his garage. Adding ventilation is a lot less work than fixing the damage it causes.

 

[MermaidMel]

Thank you guys, this advice is great, I appreciate it loads

 

[CFC]

I have to echo the damp problem, one of the main reasons for moving the fish to a new external fish house is the damage the damp has done to the dividing wall between the garage and the house, once the tanks are all moved i will have to replaster a section of the wall in the front room where the damp has lifted the plaster off the wall.