8 foot aquarium placement

jschne06

New member
I was considering getting an 8 foot fowlr aquarium, but the only spot in my house where it would fit is in front of a window and baseboard heater. I keep the blinds on the window closed most of the time, but I'm still concerned about the heater. Do you think it will be a problem?
 
Honestly, I think the heater will be a problem. Have a heat source inconsistently blowing heat on the tank will probably cause some temp swings. Is there any way to shut it off or move it?
 
I was considering getting an 8 foot fowlr aquarium, but the only spot in my house where it would fit is in front of a window and baseboard heater. I keep the blinds on the window closed most of the time, but I'm still concerned about the heater. Do you think it will be a problem?

I was worried about the same thing. I have a 48" tank [120 gal.] and have a hot air register in the floor immediately adjacent to the stand. My total volume of water with the sump is about 150 gal. total. I also live in Northern Dakota- it's 1 degree F. outside right now. House is well insulated. I also have approx. 14" of access space behind my tank & stand. This allows good air circulation. Because of the thermal mass of all that water, I have no problem with temp. swings.

Your thermal mass would be around 2x of my setup. If you have insulated glass on that window, good blinds/ drapes and good insulation in floors & walls, I don't think there will be a problem with such a large tank. I would strongly agree a smaller tank could have issues,

Be sure to use good quality heaters with even better quality external controllers [either system or dedicated heater units].

Goodluck
 
As long as you tank isn't pushed up against the heater it shouldn't be an issue. The heater would only be running in the winter which means that you will loose heat via the window and gain heat from the baseboard heater. The net effect should be negligible. The bigger issue is the possibility of salt spray hitting the heater and causing rusting.
 
I think it will be a huge problem. You should put the tank in my house to avoid those temp swings!

Just kidding - IMHO, the window, especially if it faces south or west, will cause more issues than the register, excess algae growth probably being the biggest problem.
 
I think it will be a huge problem. You should put the tank in my house to avoid those temp swings!

Just kidding - IMHO, the window, especially if it faces south or west, will cause more issues than the register, excess algae growth probably being the biggest problem.

I have never figured out why people think the suns causes algae, but you could get the sun itself causing temperature swings if your drapes are open.

If the sun caused algae, the ocean would be filled with algae. Excess nutrients cause algae. If they aren't there, no amount of sun or light will cause excessive growth of algae.
 
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