Fish Tank Infront Of Radiator?

[chigwellhammer]

Is this ok if a tank was infront of a radiator but not actually touching it of course? Maybe only half the tank across the radiator.


Thanks!

 

[Bugdozer]

Not if you want a stable temperature, no.

 

[mattlee]

shouldnt really be an issue as long as the heating doesnt go above the tank temp. if only half is over the rad then put the heater at the end that isnt. this way the whole tank should stay warm and when the rad is on the heater wont be working as hard.

if the heating does go above the tank temp then you will get fluctuating water temps. you could always stick some polystyrene to the back of the tank or a heat reflecting material if it does get a bit hot in there

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Could be perfect for a heaterless, temperate fish setup, or failing that a mid tropical setup that will barely activate the heater.

 

[creeker]

Doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Blasts of heat, followed by cooling. Sounds like Ich Heaven.

 

[Mauigirl]

Next to heater vent or radiator , in front of windows , next to major appliances that give off heat, are all not great idea IMO

 

[mattlee]

a radiator will gradually heat up not instantly so as long as the heating doesnt get hotter than the tank it wont effect it in any way at all. one of my tanks is side on to a rdaiator and it doesnt effect the water temp at all even in winter. most tropical tanks will be set at 26 degrees C or even hotter and its not very often the heating is on at that temp... average house temp is about 20-21 degrees C. if anything the extra heat from the rad will give the heater less strain as it wont be needed constantly

 

[creeker]

So is this like the standing metal contraptions bolted to the floor that I used to see here like 40 years ago? Are these still in common use? Almost every place I see here is on a central heat system. I guess if it heats that slowly, and doesn't get real hot, it would be ok.

 

[Bugdozer]

shouldnt really be an issue as long as the heating doesnt go above the tank temp. if only half is over the rad then put the heater at the end that isnt. this way the whole tank should stay warm and when the rad is on the heater wont be working as hard.

if the heating does go above the tank temp then you will get fluctuating water temps. you could always stick some polystyrene to the back of the tank or a heat reflecting material if it does get a bit hot in there

Several people seem to be making the assumption that if you set your thremostat temperature to 22 degrees, then the radiator will only heat up to 22 degrees or whatever the ambient temperature you want the house to be. This is incorrect.
A radiator will be significantly hotter than its surroundings in order to radiate the heat into the room. The bigger the temperature difference, the faster the rate of heat transfer into the room. Next time your thermostat is set to 22 degrees for your house, and your radiator is on, put a thermometer against the radiator. It will probably be upwards of 20 degrees warmer. This is why objects next to radiators are hotter than other things in the room. It's also why cats go and lie next to them. The immediate vicinity of a radiator could well be warmer than your tank water.
The next issue: how big is the tank? The larger it is, the harder it will be to heat it up as the flow of water within it will take away heat from the side nearest the radiator, but a large volume of water can absorb more heat than a smaller one before its average temperature rises. (see http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_capacity ) "Heat capacity is an extensive property, meaning it is a physical property that scales with the size of a physical system. A sample containing twice the amount of substance as another sample requires the transfer of twice the amount of heat () to achieve the same change in temperature ()."
In a nutshell, a tank of 300 litres capacity will probably be fine. A 40 litre tank almost certainly would experience a temperature change of a significant amount if the radiator was on for long enough. If you know the temperature measured by a thermometer the same distance from the radiator as the tank glass, the area of the glass, the volume of the water and the air temperature next to the other sides of the tank, it's possible to calculate exactly what the temperature change would be. If you have a very cold room with a very hot radiator in it, the side of the tank outermost in the room will actually act as a radiator itself to expel the heat it has absorbed, much like a cup of tea cooling to ambient room temperature.

 

[tribalbrit]

turn down the trv on the rad.. wont get to hot then.

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Modern day radiators are designed to warm up the room by travelling up the wall and across the ceiling, not straight out as is commonly believed. As long as there is a sufficiant gap between glass and rad (nothing less than 20 inches IMHO) then it can work, with very little or no side effects.

Terry.

 

[chigwellhammer]

Thanks for replying all, Really helpful

When i get home from work tonight im going to change the room around and see what looks best.

 

[Cupster]

Mine has been next to a rad for the last two years, granted it is 6 inches away from the side and not the back of the tank. Not seen any side effects what so ever.

 

[onidrase]

I'd avoid it under better safe than sorry measures, especially since if it does pose any risk, moving an aquarium isn't exactly fun or easy.