is the garage too cold to keep fish?

[kagochi]

I live in Kent Wa, and have two fish tanks already. (I know that is not that many compared to some of you). I want to keep another tank, but my wife is not too keen if you know what I mean. The only domain I have any power in is the garage. It isn't insulated, but it is a full garage (not a carport.)

Question: Is it possible to keep a fish tank in the garage with Washington state weather? If yes, how?

 

[TerenceH]

Plenty of people keep tanks in the garage. What is the temp in the garage in the winter? I would put it on an inside wall if it is attached to the house and make sure I have adequate heating on it. Also if it a low temp in the garage your heaters are going to work pretty hard so I would use 2 small heaters instead of one large. Get a good thermometer too to make sure the temp is accurate.

 

[Adonijah]

*poke Madness*

 

[Madness]

I had 5 tanks in my garage last Winter, and we all know how cold it got. Terence has a good idea with the 2 heaters. But also you should buy insulation from Home Depot.
http://www.homedepot.com/Building-Materials-Insulation-Radiant-Barrier/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbedf/R-100012574/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
Put a strip of this under the tank, and then rap the tank on 3 sides. It will keep the tanks nice and warm. If it gets too cold, cut a piece for the front and top for when you go to bed. Even last Winter, I didnt have to cover the front or top.

Or you can do what I did this past Summer, and that is build a fish room in my garage and insulate the walls. http://www.wafishbox.com/t2811-my-fish-room-and-new-300-gal-aquarium

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6mNJZ3dW8E

 

[DMD123]

Nice madness, I had never seen your build before and did not realize it was so recent. Maybe I just need to move my hobby out to the garage that way I can get bigger tanks! :cheers:

 

[hbluehunter]

When i kept my big ray tank in the garage i wrapped it with that pink foam insulation from Home Depot (1.5" thick i believe).. I did the bottom, sides and top and did a removable front piece.. It worked like a champ and kept the tank at 80 all winter long. I did keep 2 300 watt heaters in it also, but i do that even in the house as a back up..
It wasn't the prettiest but it worked..

 

[kagochi]

I love it! You have just expanded my fish keeping capabilities to levels I did not even know existed. This will be a project I will be planning through out the winter, and begin in the spring or summer. I am not sure if I will be able to construct said tank on the wall that shares the house though.....space is limited on that side due to my work bench and shelving unit. I do have room on my other walls that are not shared by the house; and it sounds like insulation is key. do you remove the insulation from the sides and back when the seasons get warmer? how thick of insulation do you use?

A fish room! daaaaaaaamn, that's hard core man. nice! I'll check out your creation. If I can pull this off I may as well get a 100 gal.This is going to be tremendous fun; I just have to sneak all of this in past the Warden... I mean my wife. let the madness continue!

 

[hbluehunter]

For me i took it off in the summer months, my garage was warm enough that the heaters could keep up and not work 24/7.. But it wouldn't hurt to leave the pieces on that don't bug you not seeing through.. I left the bottom, back, and the one side that was against the wall on year round, and just installed the front, top and other side when cold weather hit.. Plus it helped BIG TIME when the power went out.. The foam kept all the heat in and tank temp barely dropped at all.
If you go with the HD pink foam i think they have it in 1", 1.5" and even 2" i believe.. I used the 1" stuff for under the tank and the thicker 1.5" for the rest.. But my tank was 5'x6'x17" so i needed alot of foam...lol

 

[Madness]

If you check out the link that I posted above from Home Depot, you will see what to use. Though the pink wall insulation will work wonders, I did not wan the fluffy pink crap exposed. The link above is the same insulation they use to rap duct work, hot water tanks, crawl spaces. Its a little more than a 1/4" thick, and no pink fluffy stuff.

 

[Madness]

Nice madness, I had never seen your build before and did not realize it was so recent. Maybe I just need to move my hobby out to the garage that way I can get bigger tanks! :cheers:

I figured that I did not use the garage for anything but storing crap. So out goes the crap, and in comes the fish room. It looks like my blog never shows a completely finished product. When I expand it, I will have to continue.

 

[kagochi]

Madness I Just visited your blog, that's really impressive!