Tank above radiator

[squidneh]

For space-conserving purposes, I've been toying with the idea of putting my 20 gallon tank above the radiator in my room. It would be on a shelf (capable of holding the weight) about 4 inches above the actual radiator, on a thick slab of wood. Could I put something under the wood (between the wood and the radiator) to help deflect the heat away from the tank? Granted, we keep out house about 68F-70F during the winter, and I have fish that need warm water anyways, so maybe the heaters just wouldn't have to be running full power all day to maintain temperature. But with the tank directly above I just worry the temps would get too high.

 

[Colin_T]

You could try the silver insulation under the wood and put a sheet of 1 inch thick polystyrene foam under the tank.

You will need to monitor the water temperature because heat rises and the tank could get warmer than expected.

If you have a small fan in the room, it can help blow the warm air around the room instead of just leaving it to rise up to the roof.

 

[Byron]

Never place an aquarium above a heat source. If the tank has a heater, and if the room temperature is less than the tank heater setting, you might think it wouldn't matter, but it does. Warm air will rise surrounding the tank no matter how much insulation or space there is between the tank and heat source. The heat given off by the radiator depends not upon the air temperature around the radiator, but upon the temperature of the air where the thermostat is positioned. And assuming it is like most all rooms, the air around the radiator will be significantly warmer because it has to force that air out into the room. The heat is dissipating as it moves into the room, so the air around the radiator will be much warmer that the set temperature. This can easily raise the tank temperature.

A similar thing occurs with heaters in the aquarium; the water around the heater will be significantly warmer than the rest of the tank. But in the aquarium, the thermometer is in the heating unit so this keeps it less, unlike what occurs in the room.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I wouldn't do it - In winter, radiators can get too hot to touch w/o burning and as Byron points out, the air above is very WARM as heat rises.
But wait and do a test come winter with a bowl of water on the shelf you describe. I'm betting the water temp will be way too hot for fish.

 

[sandrahof]

I don't even know if it could be a good idea.

 

[connorlindeman]

I don't even know if it could be a good idea.

This thread is very old.

 

[shaurdav]

To tell you the truth I is exactly the same thing when I was renovating my room. I did move the furniture and changed the placement of my writing table. After that, I had no idea where to put the tank. So, my father suggested I make a giant shelf above the radiator and place it there. The place from the interior design point of view is amazing! But I was worried about the temperature as well as you. After googling and searching for the radiators which I can change the heat power myself I came across cheap radiators near me, in the same town. It turned out radiator outlet has a nice catalog with plenty of models (vertical radiators, horizontal classic ones, of different colors, and so on). I bought a horizontal, with a matt finish of bright color. I set the temperature from the start and now I barely need to heat the tank.

 

[GaryE]

The experience here is old, but in our local club people were discussing a rash of back bottom seam failures in tanks right above radiators. One seemingly knowledgeable guy thought there might have been contraction and expansion issues, since heat does tend to run hard during a Canadian winter. I never followed up as I designed my fishrooms to have the heat shielded from the tanks. It's a thought someone else may find interesting.