Moving My Predatory Oddballs Inside

[N0body Of The Goat]

This recent cold spell is really concerning me about the ability of my 550W of heater to maintain a temp of 22C in my 540l in the uninsulated garage. I have taken some precautionary measures...

• Filled gap between tank and window with polystyrene
• Placed five condensation trays across the top of the tank, resting on the glass ledges, with the "door" style lid above that
• Placed polystyrene; my bulk sheet of "Koi filter Wool;" my fish towel on top of the trays
• A gardening frost protection sheet around the whole tank, covering the lid/frame interface
• A doubled over old blanket over the whole lid and the frost sheet

But I'm still worried about how much a drop in temp some fish will cope with, if the worst happened. Consequently, I'm seriously thinking about bringing the tropical fish back indoors and putting them in the 620T...

• 1x 7cm African Butterfly
• 3x 7cm Golden Wonder Panchax
• 3x 5-6cm Leopard Bushfish
• (Considering 4x 6-8cm Humphead Glassfish)

If the tank was empty, I would not resitate to move them, as they are still reasonably small and I'm reasonably confident that short term "claustrophobia" will be alright. However, "Mr Stumpy" ( ~4.5cm Pearl Danio with caudial fin completely vanished last week, his nine conspefics plus nine Yellowtails were moved to Rio240 that night) is still in the 620T, along with eleven ~6cm Golden Kuhlis.

I'm undecided if the top three oddball species could be trusted to "play nicely" with the current 620T occupants.
If I move the Humpheads upstairs into the 620T aswell, plus move my three Lionhead Cichlids and three Synodontis brichardi into the Rio240 with fish in my sig, I then have the option of lowering the thermostats on the 540l heaters, as I think all remaining fish would no tbe stressed by an 18C setting (much less stress on heaters and my bank balance). However, "Mr Stumpy" and the Golden Kuhlis would need to move to the 240.

Virtual pennies for any thoughts

 

[mattlee]

my tank in the garage was down to 22 degrees yesterday so i added 2 more heaters and it back uo to a constant 26 now. the only thing is i now have 4 x 300W heaters in the tank

 

[the biffster]

as long as its fully covered
whole tank on a night with
blankets it should be OK make
sure to put double on

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

my tank in the garage was down to 22 degrees yesterday

so i added 2 more heaters and it back uo to a constant 26 now. the only thing is i now have 4 x 300W heaters in the tank

as long as its fully covered
whole tank on a night with
blankets it should be OK make
sure to put double on

Hopefully the added layers around the tank will do the job, but I would crestfallen to lose fish from a severe temp drop, as I'm sure you would be mattlee. In some respects I'm "lucky" that my tank's magic number is 22C and not the more usual 25-26C like your's, where it could potentially be like running a small kettle all night to keep the water warm enough!

The moving of the oddballs was playing on my mind anyway, as these are my most interactive fish I have and I have missed seeing them regularly since I had to move them out of the Lionhead fry tank (240l) behind my computer. Having them next to the TV over the winter will cheer me up.
The hardest call is the Humpheads and whether the 620T is adequate for them over the next few months, given their size and very "on-off" relationship with each other.

In the short term though, my hands are ties a little with the 620T, because of the injured Pearl and the delicate Kuhlis. Mr Stumpy might be ok if I simply re-introduce him to the others in the 240l (albeit I do not know who nipped his tail off), but the Kuhlis may not cope with any inquestitve nature of the Lionhead fry in there, so this whole idea might be on hold until my re-homing plan for the Pangio doriae is sorted...

 

[simonas]

I;ve been having smae problems all weekend, not checked temp today

I alsoadded another heater yesterday and have another to put in later

Mines been at 23.6 which is far too cold for the discus..Its never gone as cold as that before can;t believe how cold it is!!!

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I;ve been having smae problems all weekend, not checked temp today

I alsoadded another heater yesterday and have another to put in later

Mines been at 23.6 which is far too cold for the discus..Its never gone as cold as that before can;t believe how cold it is!!!

Blimey, sounds like you have the worst scenario going, simonas! Was talking to my mum just up the road from you on the Oxton/Prenton border last night and she said it has been bitter in Wirral, which was often the case when the northerly winds came. Sounds like you could do with a number of those large polystyrene tiles, about 2-foot square, to wrap around your Discus tank.

Its only just dawned on me that I do have an emergency solution to my own concerns... The 100l plastic tub! I could move the Kuhlis and Mr Stumpy into there with the Fluval U4 filter from the 620T, move my oddballs into the 620T and bring the Eheim 2078 filter up for them. This will still leave the FX5 in the 540l, which should easily cope with the bioload of the 7 Barilius; 8 Weather Loaches; 6 Denisons Barb; 3 Panda Garra; 3 Squirrel Loaches (I would probably move the Yellowtails back down there too, maybe even the Pearls too, as they should all in theory cope with temp of ~18C).

The above would also mean bringing the three adult Lionheads inside with the three Synodontis brichardi, putting them in the 240l, the former of which is something that has been suggested to me after the "wife beating" incident some weeks ago i.e. re-introducing "dad" and the unpaired duo to "mum"'s territory.

Who needs Countdown, when you can play the fish conumdrum?

 

[john2708]

i have also had the same problem as my tanks are in the garage im losing alot of water out of my 700ltr tank aswell in 4 days iv lost about 4cm of water from condensation both my 300w heater on constantly big bill coming i think

 

[always4lora]

My tank is outside in the half brick half wood shed, water has stayed stable. I am doing 24/7 water changes as well and still havent had problems with the drop in temp (around £800+ worth of fish in there i was bricking them it wouldnt cope)
I have 2 heaters in the tank and 2 in the sump so about 700watt of heating for a 1000ish litre tank.

What i would do if i was you is get some loft inuslation and cheap wooden boards or plastic boards. put the loft insulation right around the garagae and then just tack the boards on top so you dont get crap everywhere. My shed has this right around with fibreglass boards on top and it's doing great.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Seems like the extra added layers are doing the trick, just as Biffster predicted!

So once "Mr Stumpy" is ready to join his pals again, hopefully within a few weeks, I have decided on a slightly diiferent fish juggle which will allow me to turn the garage tank into a riverine again by activating the Magnum8 powerhead...
560l: Synodontis brichardi; Lionhead Cichlid adults; Weather Loaches; Squirrel Loaches; Panda Garra; Barilius; Yellowtails; Pearl Danios (if they have not been re-homed by then)

Korall60: Still just for the Persian killifish youngsters (some starting to colour up nicely now, just need to be wary of how many males are in the group, they will kill each other at sexual maturity)

620T: African Butterfly Fish (might move into 240 instead in 2011); little Tanganyikan catfish

Rio240: Humphead Glassfish; Denisonii Barb; Leopard Bushfish; Golden Wonder Killi; "Giant Otos"(? Maybe garage tank instead)

To be re-homed: 11(?) 3-month old Lionhead Cichlid youngsters; (11?) Golden Kuhli Loaches; 10 Pearl Danios; 1 Golden Wonder Killi youngster (male going on colours already at ~2cm)... "Nelly" is intrested in some of these (yet to confirm which and how many), but if anyone local to me in the Southampton area is intrested, get in touch via this thread or a PM.

 

[JasonandJill]

I was walking my Danes a little while ago and couldn't help noticing how many small dogs had coats on. I don't suppose may shops sell non-waterproof coats for fish though. Can't help chuckling at the thought of SOMEONE ELSE trying to fit one though