# 175 Gallon Bowfront Setup In Unregulated Garage



## kamath (Feb 11, 2005)

Guys,

Starting June, I will be moving to a townhouse with a 2-car garage. I want to put the 175 gallon GLASS aquarium in my garage. As the title says, I want to put it in my un-heated garage.

I live in New Jersey so it drops below zero every now and then in winter. Has anyone done this?? Will the Glass tank survive the winter? Needless to say the 10 red bellies?

I can have as many heaters in there as needed. The problem is the weight of the tank may not allow me to keep it in the house itself. I currently have three heaters, a wet/dry filter, a UV sterlizer and a canister filter.

All help is appreciated!! I am having trouble finding people who've done this successfully.. or otherwise!

Thanks,
Ash


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Is the garage insulated?

I know a lot of people that keep tanks in the garage here in Minnesota. Some garages are finished with insulation and heat, others are just insulated... most don't open the garage much, if at all, during the winter time. A well insulated garage can usually stay around 50 degrees during the winter if you aren't opening the door much. Without insulation and if you plan on parking your daily use cars in there, it's gonna take some extra heaters to keep your tank at a stable temp. You should definitely insulate your wet/dry and keep an eye on condensation as it gets closer to winter time.


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## kamath (Feb 11, 2005)

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> Is the garage insulated?
> 
> I know a lot of people that keep tanks in the garage here in Minnesota. Some garages are finished with insulation and heat, others are just insulated... most don't open the garage much, if at all, during the winter time. A well insulated garage can usually stay around 50 degrees during the winter if you aren't opening the door much. Without insulation and if you plan on parking your daily use cars in there, it's gonna take some extra heaters to keep your tank at a stable temp. You should definitely insulate your wet/dry and keep an eye on condensation as it gets closer to winter time.


Thanks Joe. I am not sure if the garage is insulated. How can I tell?

I will be using it on a daily basis during winter as I plan on keep my car parked inside. Is there any special recommended way to insulate a wet/dry? I am going to have to risk it in any case, and will record my findings.

I am just afraid of the glass tank shattering or cracking. Anyone heard of this happen?

Thanks for your help!!


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

You can insulate the wet/dry using styrofoam insulation. You'll be able to tell if the garage is insulated by looking at the walls, if you can see the studs and the exterior wall, it's not insulated.

The only real risk of damage to the equipment is if the water freezes or if you get condensation all over the place, which wouldn't be good around electricity.


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## kamath (Feb 11, 2005)

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> You can insulate the wet/dry using styrofoam insulation. You'll be able to tell if the garage is insulated by looking at the walls, if you can see the studs and the exterior wall, it's not insulated.
> 
> The only real risk of damage to the equipment is if the water freezes or if you get condensation all over the place, which wouldn't be good around electricity.


I went there today to take a look at the garage. Sadly, NOT insulated. The place that I've picked out has no electric wires around so that part should be OK.

What I am trying to get my finger around is if the water is continuously flowing, and the temperature inside the tank is (somehow) kept at 80F - I don't know how many heaters I'll need or if its even possible - and outside is below freezing, would that still be OK for the tank and the piranhas to survive???

I heard somewhere there would be a lot of fluctuations in water temperature...


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## EZmoney (May 13, 2004)

You'll probably get some temp fluctuations if you are opening the garage door during the winter. However, the tank will be fine because only rapid fluctuations in temp will actually crack the glass or compromise the seals. IMO, 175 gallons of flowing and heated water is not gonna suffer from huge temp swings.

I would be more concerned with keeping the water at a constant temp for the p's benefit. The heaters will be working overtime to keep the tank at the preset temp. Definitely insulate the garage. You should also think of a way to keep the cold air from blasting the tank everytime that you open the garage door. Maybe hang some heavy blankets around the tank (from floor to ceiling). This could help block cold air on the outside and retain some aquarium heat on the inside. Obviously, this would only be needed during the coldest months. Also, get a digi thermometer to accuratly monitor the tank's temp.


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## jp80911 (Apr 3, 2008)

it'll probably be cheaper to get a space heater to help keep your garage at a higher temperature than just the aquarium heaters.


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## TheSpaz13 (Apr 9, 2010)

Could you insulate the garage? I dont know what your living arrangements are or how apt you are to alter the garage, but your best bet is going to try and keep the ambient temperature somewhat regulated, because those heaters are going to be running serious overtime in the winters. EZ was right too, as long as you can get the tank up to temp you will be fine, it will take a long time for 175 gallons of water to drop significantly in temperature, but using a space heater to heat the garage will stop the tank from hemorrhaging heat when its 2 degrees out.

But on a completely unrelated topic, do you know any good shops in central/north jersey?


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## kamath (Feb 11, 2005)

Thanks for the responses guys! I'm renting at the moment, so I won't be insulating the owner's garage. I'll have my own place in the next year.

Space heaters are a good option. I went back (using the search!) a couple years and it seems someone here had the very same situation. He used three Rena 300W heaters and he didn't have a problem - same size bowflex tank. I'm guessing that should do the trick. I'll try to find some space heaters just to be on the safe side.

Aquascape and Shark Aquarium is in Jersey dude!! We have some good stores here..


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## jp80911 (Apr 3, 2008)

TheSpaz13 said:


> But on a completely unrelated topic, do you know any good shops in central/north jersey?


Aquascape, Shark Aquarium and AE Aquatics are all in NJ and shouldn't be far from you


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## rhom15 (Dec 20, 2009)

does the owner not want the tank in the house because i have a 180 on the main floor and its not in the basement yet .one guy told me that if you get 6 men that weigh 230 pounds each and put them all in the same area where the tanks going to be that is about the same weight if thay dont fall throw nether will tank


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

The tank should be fine in a garage, but heating it wont be cheap. Id suggest keeping it indoors. You dont have to worry about glass breaking becasue of the cold as the tank water will keep it warm, but when its zero outside it takes alot of power to heat a tank to 80F. Insulating the garage would probably also be good or at least some diy to cover any holes that casue drafts. Like joe said, my only concern is running tank equipment at below zero as they wernt ment for that low of temps.


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## Us And Them (Dec 4, 2008)

Wouldn't you lose water a lot quicker that way ? if the garage temp is -2 and the Fish tank is 28 , thats a 30 Degree difference. Wouldn't you get that rapid evaporation effect ??

I could be wrong , Wouldnt it have that Lake effect , like first thing in the morning where you see all that water evaporating.


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## martini (Jul 19, 2009)

I'm no expert, but another thing to consider is how warm an uninsulated garage gets in the summer. When it hits 90F-100F outside, my uninsulated garage is typically 10-15 degrees warmer. And you can't keep the garage door open all day, every day during those times, even if the heat wave lasts only for a few days. I bought a used chiller for my cichlid tank last year, simply because they were overly uncomfortable in my indoor, non-air conditioned house.

I've thought about keeping a larger tank in the garage, primarily for safety reasons, but would like to hear about what people do to keep temperatures stable in those fluctuating environments.


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