Large Reef Tank in Garage?

[Spectre2006]

I'm thinking of ordering a large reef tank that I could put in my garage. 10 feet long 3 feet wide and 2 feet high. Question is I live in upstate New York, close to Niagra Falls, the temps in winter get to freezing point.

I could put it in my basement, the basement has a sliding door entry that would have to be unhinged. I'm worried that the humidity level is already too high from multiple reef tanks. I have a 65 cube rimless in Master Bedroom, and 34 gallon rimless in Family Room, A 65 rimless frag tank, with 100 gallon sump in basement. A 30 gallon fresh water setup in Dining Room, plus 5 gallon in kids bedroom. Would heaters be able to keep up with temp control, and what would the drawbacks be? Would certain portions of the tank have cold spots? Would ice form from condensation on non heated portions?

thanx
Chris

 

[rick12]

I keep my tanks in the garage but don't have the extreme cold. Only goes below zero a few days of the year.
Water evaporation is high in the cold times.
I run multiple heaters in the cold months.
My garage is not heated, so need to be prepared for power outages in the winter months.

 

[triggreef]

I have an attached garage that stays warm from my furnace being in there and it still takes a lot to heat water in there. I wouldn't want your electric bill for sure.

 

[tigerdat]

Cool tank, a friend and I heat are tanks a little differently. He has a 750g, 240g hex and a 80 gallon all heated by a single heat exchanger connected to a gas water heater. Electricity rates are very high in CA. Now that there are reasonably priced titanium heat exchangers it's farely cost effective. My electricity bill dropped $250-300. I'm not sure how much my gas went up. There was no significant increase maybe $10.

These systems can use an existing water heater or a dedicated tankless or standard water heater.

 

[sfsuphysics]

I'm worried that the humidity level is already too high from multiple reef tanks. I have a 65 cube rimless in Master Bedroom, and 34 gallon rimless in Family Room, A 65 rimless frag tank, with 100 gallon sump in basement. A 30 gallon fresh water setup in Dining Room, plus 5 gallon in kids bedroom.

They do sell devices to measure humidity so you can be sure and if you have any sort of modern heater it probably has a humidity altering device on it considering your location, although 450 gallons of tank I would want to make sure the air over the tank is vented outside regardless of how many tanks in the house. You will get humidity issues, you will probably get condensation issues on any wall or window that is cold, you will get mold issues, all of these if you don't already have them (lots of factors come into play).

Would heaters be able to keep up with temp control, and what would the drawbacks be?

You mean external heaters? Like electric ones? It won't matter if you spend the energy to heat the room or the tank, at least with heating the tank you put the energy there first then as it loses energy to the environment (room) then the room loses it to the outside. There is ZERO benefit to heating a room with electric heaters in hopes that it'll keep the tank warm. If you put the tank in the garage, either tear out a wall to make it viewable from the inside and then enclose the back (again insulate the crap out of it) or don't do it, you will hate life and more likely than not unless you toss in a ton of heaters into the tank (more than any circuit could handle) you probably couldn't keep the cold out.

Would certain portions of the tank have cold spots? Would ice form from condensation on non heated portions?

If the tank is warm, and water is moving then you probably wouldn't have cold spots unless one side of it is against a very cold wall.

IMO, if you're going to put a big tank in a cold room... don't. You'll hate life the first time that electric bill comes. If you absolutely must keep it in the cold room, turn the cold room into a warm room (if possible) insulate the room from the outside, and from the rest of the house, replace the sliding glass door if it's an older single pane one as you're going to get a ton of heat loss there too, basically turn that basement room into a liveable space. You literally want it so that the tank will heat the room up and the room will stay warm from being well insulated... of course you also need to vent the air on a tank that large too.

 

[Northside Reef]

I'm thinking of ordering a large reef tank that I could put in my garage. 10 feet long 3 feet wide and 2 feet high. Question is I live in upstate New York, close to Niagra Falls, the temps in winter get to freezing point.

I could put it in my basement, the basement has a sliding door entry that would have to be unhinged. I'm worried that the humidity level is already too high from multiple reef tanks. I have a 65 cube rimless in Master Bedroom, and 34 gallon rimless in Family Room, A 65 rimless frag tank, with 100 gallon sump in basement. A 30 gallon fresh water setup in Dining Room, plus 5 gallon in kids bedroom. Would heaters be able to keep up with temp control, and what would the drawbacks be? Would certain portions of the tank have cold spots? Would ice form from condensation on non heated portions?

thanx
Chris

Put it the basement you're wife will not be happy once she sees the bill trying to keep a large reef warm in the winter and cool in the summer. in MN my garage is a sauna in the hot months and it faces north.

Here is what I did.

that's a vent fan controlled by a humidistat and piped into the dryer vent to go outside. I did have to put a small in-line duct fan on the run over to the Y to force the air outside even if the dryer was on. But it works and it keep the humidity out of the house and the tank in a temperature controlled environment.