livingart Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 want to heat a 30.000 litre tank thought of coiled alkathene laying in the sun fitted with a thermostat and pump any thoughts on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 Perhaps a pool company would be a good place to start! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 want to heat a 30.000 litre tank thought of coiled alkathene laying in the sun fitted with a thermostat and pump any thoughts on this? If you really want to do it properly and have the funds I'd say getting a good evacuated tube solar water heating setup would work best. Coiled alkathene in the sun though should be relatively cheap and good for a couple degrees above ambient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 a company called aqua therm tanks would be my first call patented heat retention system. also i would say not a black line, i would get a proper solar panel to heat water, the glass tubes with reflectors. they are only 1500 to 2500. really a small investment to save you thousands in a couple of years. heating a 30k L tank would be a huge undertaking. I would have a solar heater, and a redundant system of a gas heater to ensure temp is always up. if you have a 30kL tank. you would surely put highly prized fish in there. if i was to build tank like this, i would invest almost the same value with fish! if not more! so, investing in the right heat retention and heating system is important i reckno. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 A well insulated room with a heat pump would be the most efficient way to maintain it (this is going to be indoors right?), but you'd want something like a spa heater to help bring the temp up. When do the arapaima arrive?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 excellent ideas the 3,000l aro tank i heated with 25m of thick walled alkathene in summer had to watch it didn't heat too much though winter would be a different proposition tank will be half inside with polystyrene on outside big acrylic windows inside other tank will be 9m concrete construction will look at solar heating systems ira and the aqua therm arapaima, stingrays and breeding reds would be nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos & Siran Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 the water line to our house is alkathane which lays on the ground for a couple hundred meters and during the hottest part of summer it heats up well above 'Ambient' more like around 35'c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 If your household water supply is that casual I would check to see that it is not connected to the farm watering troughs without back flow prevention I have seen a number of farms where the farming families were at risk of being treated with bloat control drugs because the system was not set up properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEE Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 excellent ideas arapaima, stingrays and breeding reds would be nice where you going to get these guys :-? and if you are going for such a big tank i think a ID shark would be cool to and some giant dats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 i am pulling your chain DEE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 Solar would obviously work over summer, in fact with a large body of water like that you'd hardly have to heat it over the two hottest months once you got it up to temperature. The big question is what you would do over winter, and you'll need something more reliable than solar IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 i would think about using a combination of solar & a fire place with a wet back system, you may need the wetback for the cold winter days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 What about something like an infinity gas heating system with adjustable thermostat? You would have to plumb it in so that the solar worked first and if the water was already warm enough the infinity wouldn't turn on. I think you can get pretty efficient swimming pool heaters that are heat pump based too which may work? The key would be fully insulating the side that isn't inside to prevent losses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 there is a solar heater that works even in winter, as long as there is sun. that would work too. but indoors, i agree with david that heat pump in doors in a insulated room is your best bet. once the heat is up to temp, you maintain it by a heat pump. BUT thats indoors lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 i have a spa heater and the gas could be done as well winter will still provide a little heat with solar but not enough i have a wetback that can be used as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 move to rotorua :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricketman Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 I'd say try the solar, but have the spa heater in line too. that way, even if you get a little through the solar your not relying on it, and the spa heater might not have to be on constantly either. with a body of water like that though, once it was up to heat, robably wouldn't take much to keep ticking over. Good insulation will be your best friend too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted March 26, 2010 Report Share Posted March 26, 2010 We had friends in Picton who heated their large swimming pool using black hose coiled up and down the garage roof that was right beside the pool. Worked very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkie Posted March 26, 2010 Report Share Posted March 26, 2010 man wheres the pic's of this monster? drool drool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted March 26, 2010 Report Share Posted March 26, 2010 man wheres the pic's of this monster? drool drool I think sketches and imagination are the best you can get so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted March 26, 2010 Report Share Posted March 26, 2010 dairy vats have some good insulation available to help keep the heat in once you do sort how to heat it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillnzcookie Posted March 26, 2010 Report Share Posted March 26, 2010 s That is superb! (nzcookie's husband here again) For the lowest capital cost option check out: http://www.omega.com/heaters/hsc.html I imported submersible heaters with built in thermostat from these guys to heat a 5,000L bioreactor. An electric heating element this size could thermally shock (aka cook) fishies that get too close so you should ideally install it in a thermosyphon with the heater in a vertical pipe outside the tank connected to a coil inside the tank. (full design drawings on pg 169 of this doc: http://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/bitstream/10 ... lltext.pdf). If you put a heater this size in the recirculation loop from the filter, make sure you have enough recirc. flow that you don't thermally shock any fish near the return line into the tank. For the lowest running cost, and probably most reliable option (similar power saving over an electric element to solar considering how much back-up power you need from an electric element with solar) a swimming pool heat pump is the go. These are specifically designed to hold 20,000 - 40,000L of water at anywhere between 20 - 35 Deg C. PS if you want any design help on a denitrification filter for this size tank let me know (contact details on http://www.apexenvironmental.co.nz) Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2010 thank you nzcookie's husband Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brennos Posted March 27, 2010 Report Share Posted March 27, 2010 is there going to be a build thread, because this interests me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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