dwalk

SpidersWeb, do you have a 5-6ft tank? I'm keen on knowing the cost of heating one, as i'm looking at getting one soon.

Yeah, I got it from bunnings for $19. There in the isle with the power multiplugs

I get Poly from lfs, But i saw some used as packing at Mitre10 Mega PN in the weekend

I run a 200w Juwel heater in my 160l tank, it keeps the tank heated to within 1 deg of set temp regardless of outside temperature

The tank has a glass lid, which is now covered with Poly, apart from a 45cmx15cm cut out for the lights Yes, the tank has rounded corners at the front, but as my side insulation comes right up to it I can't see how it would make a difference.

It's the end of week 3, and here is a summary of what power savings were made from insulating the test tank. Week#___Insulation__________ Avg nite____Avg Day____Power ___________________________Temp_______Temp______Used 1________None______________6.7________14.4________18.6 kwh 2________Back and Sides______2.7________14.9________14 kwh 3________Top, Back+ Sides____6.7________13.7________13 kwh This week (#3) the tank was insulated top, back and sides, and I was expecting a reasonable increase from the previous week, but it was not to be . Using 13 kwh, there was only a 5% increase of savings from the previous week. I suspect that there may be more heat lost from the sides, as that is what the water touches. Week 2 had a power saving of 24% over uninsulated week 1 Week 3 had a power sawing of 30% over uninsulated week 1 From this data i've now started insulating my other tanks. A 30% saving sounds good to me.

Someone told me that to heat twice the amount of water requires four times the energy (power) anyone out there know if this is true?

Where did you get all the lil Glosso from?? I'd be keen to do a similar set up

I'm looking at getting a 5-6ft tank for my Cichlids. But I am worried about what it will cost to heat. Does anyone have info on this??. I have info in 3 ft 160L tank, but 5-6 ft would be 400 plus liters. Anyone in palmy/levin area willing to test this for me if I lend them my plug in meter?

I have the same thing with my GBA babies. The tank has a trickle filter on top (not my favourite filter), and quite commonly they swim up the outlet and swim aroung on the filter wool under the spray bar, in about 10mm of water.

Temperature data for the first two weeks I've just got the temperature data with min and max temperature for the first two weeks from the Niwa website. In trying to work out how to compare the two weeks tmperature, I've averaged the daily readings to give an averaged min, and an averaged max for each week. Week 1 June 9-15 inclusive. Min temp for the week 2.2c average min 6.7c Max temp for the week 17.5c average max 14.4 Week 2 June 17-22 inclusive Min temp for the week -0.9 average min 2.7 Max temp for the week 18.8 average max 14.9 What this means??? The 2nd week has a noticably cooler overnight temp, and a higher average temperature. As it is both cooler at night and slightly warmer during the day, i think the heater would of been working a little harder in the 2nd week. My power saving of 24% could be slightly low.

Sounds a good Idea Whetu, not sure on the best way to insulate the filter and hoses, for as little outlay as possibile. How about some suggestions people??

Matthew, I've asked Niwa for this info and will post if and when it becomes available. The weather has been reasonably similar I suspect, and my lounge temperature doesn't vary all that much.

How many tanks do you have?? You must have a very Extreme case of MTS ! Bring out the men in white coats??

Paying for poly??? Ahh, if you ask nicely at your LFS, you may get some poly for free. It's nice to know that someone is actualy following what i'm doing. Thanks for the replies MarkLb and Luke*.

With my little test for insulating tanks, this is what I have found so far. Week 1: No insulation Used 18.6kwh Week 2: 12mm Polystyrene on 3 sides, not inc top Used 14.0kwh Week 3: 12mm polystyrene on 3 sides,plus top around lights Week 4: 12mm all around except front during the day / evening. What this result means By insulating my test tank with 15mm poly back and sides, I have saved about 24% of the power. Based on a kwh rate of 19cents, my tank costs $3.50 week with no insulation compared to $2.65 insulated on 3 sides. 85 cents a week saving might not sound like much, but this is for only one sml tank, most people have mts and the savings are likely to be a lot higher The Test Tank 130L community tank, 5 Dwarf Gourami, 5 Striata Loaches. 5 Tiger Barbs, 4 GBA (young), 1 SAE, 3 BN, 1 Plec, 1 Siamese fighter Filter: Fluval 205, cleaned weekly for duration of test. Heater: Jager 150w, 25 Degree temp Lights: Two 15 watt tubes, on a timer for 8 hours a day.

Thanks Smidey, Stripping a fish still scars me a bit, I don't want to accidently hurt her!

These tanks rely on a thin gap under the glass as insulation, that's what my one has, it seems to work , as the wood beneath doesn't get very warm at all. A bit like double glazing I think

It's a wooden chest, approx 800x500x500 with a hinged lid. Heres the tank on top of one

I've got the same tank, with a fluval 205 and these fish in it 5 Dwarf Gourami, 5 Striata Loaches. 5 Tiger Barbs, 4 GBA (young), 1 SAE, 3 BN, 1 Plec, 1 Siamese fighter here's a pic

I have one of these as well, It's my community tank, the one i'm doing the heating experiment on. Mine is happily sitting on a blanket box, has been there for a year with no worries.

Yaaayyy!! One of my Elec Yellows is holding!!!. This will be my first time breeding of Cichlids, so expecx lots of questions. Question one, Should I strip ( not sure about this idea yet) If so when. Question two. Would a 1ft tank be ok for raising fry to start with? My Cichlid tank as of 16/6/08 The fish in question...

The weeks power usage. Well it's the end of the first week, and I've just installed the 15mm polystyrene on the back and ends of the tank. According to the power meter, my tank used 18.6 kwh over the last seven days, inc lights and filter. Subtracting lights and filter, (2.52kwh week) I used 16.08 Kwh of power to heat my tank. This sounds a little high, but could be right. Anyway, since it's the same meter on the same tank setup, (apart from the insulation) as a comparison week to week it will be accurate enough. The Test Tank 130L community tank, 5 Dwarf Gourami, 5 Striata Loaches. 5 Tiger Barbs, 4 GBA (young), 1 SAE, 3 BN, 1 Plec, 1 Siamese fighter Filter: Fluval 205, cleaned weekly for duration of test. Heater: Jager 150w, 25 Degree temp Lights: Two 15 watt tubes, on a timer for 8 hours a day.

Thanks Casserole, I'll be setting up the breeding tank tomorrow, will use an sponge filter, that should be ok?

Why can't you use polyester resins?