heating 20 tanks

[random-cichlid]

So i was wondering if a centralised sump with a heap of heaters would work
Sump will not be pumping any water thru the tanks as all tanks are separate systems.
What i was hoping to do would be plumb pipes through all tanks in say a u shape, so im pumping hot water thru the pipes and back to the sump
if this seems like it will work let me know
If u have any other ideas i will be interested as i do not want to buy 20 heaters and run them all winter

i dont really have the space to build a new room and insulate it properly

[Ghoti]

i dont really have the space to build a new room and insulate it properly

Clearly you are aware of the best solution.

I have no experience in the area and can only guess your idea would experience two main issues:
- Loss of heat through the piping required;
- Variance in tank temperature as the last tank in the chain would not have the same heat available as the first (as each tank takes heat from the plumbing source in turn).

My guess would be that if you cant heat the room then the only other options would be a sump per x number of tanks (most likely way fewer than 20) or a heater per tank.

Cheers,
Scott

[boxters]

cheapest an easiest way contact a gas plumber, install a gas outlet in your fish room. Install a seem gas heater which is cheaper to run than electricity and you are sorted

My electricity bill to heat my 20 tanks at home was about $1950 per quarter
with gas its now only $600 per quarter and the rheem heater cost me $900

[random-cichlid]

well i give up on any other method im taking the plunge and insulating a room dedicated for my fish and finnaly starting my fish room>
Its getting cold and i have 2 man7y tanks with out heaters still so the question i am now asking is whats the best brand and how big of a central heater am i going to need.. Gas is out of the question because i dont have gas lines plumbed in to the house So it will have to be a electrical radiator of sorts
just going to go measure the room now

[Nev]

Have a look at how some lfs heat there tanks not all use heaters in each tank. some heat the room, usually gas. others have a large sump going to each tank. They also have uv to stop any disease spreading throughout the system. easier for water changes too.

Failing that l think the most efficient electrical heating is a split system air conditioner.

[Ghoti]

Or for a small room you can go LPG and run from a cylinder

[Mr Wild]

How big is the room?
I had a 6x3 metre room with 14 tanks on one 4ft sump it heated well with 2x 300watt eheims then I filled the rest of the room with tanks and water thats the key fill the void with as much water as you can it helps keep the heat in the room up. I must say however I then went reverse cycle air after a year I found that far more efficient for all the tanks. Once the water is up to temp it takes alot longer to cool than air does.
JM2CW

[random-cichlid]

ok i just measured room it is pretty close to 5.7L x 2.9W x 2.8H
One side is already insulated and the roof is also insulated
I need some ideas on what i should use for insulation i want to go the cheapest way but still being efficient at the same time and im not to sure about how i shall heat the room whether it be a reverse system ac or a electric radiator what does the majority use

[random-cichlid]

i forgot to mention we dont have gas plumbed

[Mr Wild]

I used yellow batts from Bunnings found they had a great discount on them after the whole government insulation mess a while ago.

[ILLUSN]

ok i just measured room it is pretty close to 5.7L x 2.9W x 2.8H
One side is already insulated and the roof is also insulated
I need some ideas on what i should use for insulation i want to go the cheapest way but still being efficient at the same time and im not to sure about how i shall heat the room whether it be a reverse system ac or a electric radiator what does the majority use

if your doing it on the cheap think thermal mass, the more tanks you have and the tighter you cram them together the warmer the room stays.

as Kath said batts are good but work better if you integrate them with other materials, ie a layer of foil insulation, then batts then more foil and maybe a plywood sheet or styrofoam to finish it up on the inside. such a system has almost 0 loss.

A radiator heater will give you 1 watt of heat for 1 watt of power (resistance heating an electric heater that converts electricity into heat).

An AC will give you up to 4w of heat for every 1watt of power, as all your doing is moving kinetic energy from the air outside into the air inside the fish room (on most domestic units this only works if the outside temp is above -12 degree celcius).

Seriously if its a new room, to set it up right will save you a fortune over the year especially with power prices on the up and up you'd be crazy not too.

[phil56]

over the years Ive seen some very interesting ways breeders heat there rooms,slow combustion convection wood heaters seems to be the most popular if you have access to cheap wood.the wood heater helps to dissipate the moister some what cutting down on mould.I have seen up to 400 tanks heated this way,works in Qld anyway,I don't think it could do that many in n.s.w.
Insulation is a must.
I have used reverse cycle air which gave me the most expensive electricity bill i ever had,other people may have success elsewhere but here 3 people i know have ripped out the air con. me being one of them.
you can cover the roof with black plastic,than run lines of black Polly pipe from one end to the other,back and forth until you cover the roof than slowly pump water from the sump through the system.on a sunny day the returning water can be very hot heating many tanks,I have used this method combined with aquarium heaters as a backup for stormy weather with great success.
I saw one guy who glued sheets of Styrofoam to the sides and back of the tank,on the top of the tanks he did the same to each piece of glass.Of a night he placed numbered sheets for each tank on the front for a good fit.turning his tanks basically into eskies.He heated a large number of tanks with a 300watt heater,I tried this method it really works.
Anyway hopefully one of these ideas may help you.good luck.