Winter Is Truly Here

[Bigpig]

Winters is truly here now with most mornings below -2

what is the best ways to save money runing fishtanks in the winter?

First off we have a prepaid meter which we are getting removed today to a bill.

My main tank is an Osaka open top. Would adding a cover keep heat in. what will i make it out of? They don't make drip trays big enough. Its a planted tank with hanging light so dont want to effect my lighting to much.

Would two heaters help or would that cost more money?

Any other tips? Am sure others are interested also.

 

[Gruffle]

My LFS has an osaka with a thin (clear) plastic sheet over the top, cut 2" shorter than the width of the tank and 3" shorter for all the pipes and stuff at the back, which is suspended over the tank by bathroom hooks that are hooked over the edges.

Sounds pretty daft but its virtually invisible because of the silver band around the top of the tank, I asked the LFS dude about it and he said it really helps regualate heat loss in the day and stops the tank emptying slowly due to condensation.

I might try and make one myself, it would be worth it just to stop consdensation, I lose about 15l a week, and my spray bar gets louder and louder as the water level goes down, its the bane of my life!

 

[pieman]

you could paint your tank black and place it in direct sunlight so it absorbs more heat

 

[Socks]

Aye,covering the top will stop a HUGE amount of heat loss.If it's not bothersome to the looks or if you just don't care adding sheet foam to the back and sides can also drastically cut heat loss.You can also insulate water piping with that there water pipe insulation rubber foam sleaves.Also remeber that (scaling with your tank vs. room size) your tank is like a electric space heater,that is if your home heating method isn't on par with your tanks temp your tanks heater will run more and vise versa.Places like here where heating fuel prices is more of a concern than electricity prices a nice 70 gallon tank blowing off a bit of heat to the room is a bit of a blesing.

 

[Athena]

Yes, having a cover of some sort will help reduce heat loss from your tank (and also helps prevent unwanted contaminants entering the tank, too). You could try that suggestion above, have a go at a DIY plastic lid, if you can't find one in the size you need for sale. Will be easier than having one made out of glass (and less dangerous come water change times).

I also remember reading somewhere online about taping some bubble wrap to the back and sides of the tank (if you have a tank background so that the bubble wrap can't be seen through the glass) as that helps keep heat in, too.

I'm dreading getting my winter fuel bill as I know it's going to be high. I see the heater lights on my tanks coming on much more frequently now! I've no idea just how much electric they use, though. I don't have tank backgrounds fitted, so using bubble wrap would look a bit daft on mine.

Regards - Athena

 

[Bigpig]

picked me up a sheet of acrylic 4x2 2mm for 11 pounds out of b&Q this afternoon. Was very easy to make the cover

 

[nitro7]

what the hell,what you save in the summer you loose in the winter here in the north east of england its still cold most of the summer so we dont see much difrence in our bills if you love your fish it should not bother you