Insulating A Garage/shed Tank

[ZoddyZod]

I've got a 3 foot tank sitting in my garden shed that is begging me to be used. I'm thinking about some kind of breeding project but I'll leave that discussion for another thread....

What I'd like to understand is the feasibility of setting one up and insulating it sufficiently enough through the winter so that the heater runs at a minimal cost.

I was thinking about attaching polystyrene sheets to the three sides of glass (leaving the front for viewing, obviously) and maybe another sheet to sit on the top. Any other ideas?

The tank is the Fluval Roma 125L, so looks like this....
http/www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/attachments/equipment-classifieds/11692d1274447252-fluval-roma-125-stand-equipment-side-view-low.jpg

 

[Tizer]

I've got a 3 foot tank sitting in my garden shed that is begging me to be used. I'm thinking about some kind of breeding project but I'll leave that discussion for another thread....

What I'd like to understand is the feasibility of setting one up and insulating it sufficiently enough through the winter so that the heater runs at a minimal cost.

I was thinking about attaching polystyrene sheets to the three sides of glass (leaving the front for viewing, obviously) and maybe another sheet to sit on the top. Any other ideas?

The tank is the Fluval Roma 125L, so looks like this....
http/www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/attachments/equipment-classifieds/11692d1274447252-fluval-roma-125-stand-equipment-side-view-low.jpg

3 foot my #14###.

Cant do much more than you have already thought of. Going bananas on the top could result in a fire hazard, those tops get quite hot when the lights are on, i used to use mine to dry my fish towels.

 

[ZoddyZod]

I don't intend to use the lights, the tank will get plenty of natural light from the shed window.. Just don't want to set a tank up that costs a small fortune to heat during the winter.

 

[OldMan47]

Don't forget the bottom Zoddy. A nice inch or so thick piece of polystyrene under the tank will prevent heat loss through the bottom. Even with a substrate, you will lose lots of heat through the bottom unless you deal with it.

 

[ZoddyZod]

thanks OM, I hadn't thought of that at all.

 

[tribalbrit]

Insulate the garage not the tank.... add more tanks..

 

[DrRob]

Have you considered celotex type insulation instead of the polystyrene? Has a better U value.

You can also get a fair amount of insulation with a simple bag over the whole shooting match, stops a lot of convection.

 

[ZoddyZod]

as long as Celotex is fairly cheap then I'm keen

U value? Please don't scare me with your magic, wizard!

 

[DrRob]

No, it's not that cheap, unless you can find some offcuts somewhere as it's used for building work a lot now and walls and roofs are rarely built in multiples of 8 by 4.

Bin bags are cheap though to make the tent out of.

U values are just posh ways of saying insulation strength. The lower the value the less heat moves.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Would one of those tent style greenhouses do the job? I half considered buying one of these to assemble around my garage 5x2x2.