grubby Posted June 15, 2013 Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 I have 2 two footers on my patio where I keep some of my fish in. One is an unheated tank with Rhads and empire gudgeons in it, the other one is a heated tank with Parkinsoni rainbows and Firemouth juvies in, the temp is set to 23 degrees. Last week I went to the camping shop next to AOA and bought a mylar space blanket for $2.95, it was so cold last night I decided to take the blanket out of its packet and cover the tank in it. Seems to be doing the trick. Cheap insulation where its not practical to do anything else. When I finish painting my garage and putting insulation in the ceiling and insulating the garage door I will move my rack in which is sitting in the shed. I am going to put ply with styrofoam on the back and sides held on with velcro for quick release and I a going to bulid a curtain out of wollies cooler bags with the shiny stuff facing inward which will drop down at night to keep everyone snugg. Thing of using an old esky as an insulated sump. Will also seal the garage floor you would be amazed how much heat you lose from an unsealed concrete floor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grubby Posted June 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 Just checked the tank, nice little cushion of warm air between the blanket and the tank. Its working !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smicko Posted June 15, 2013 Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 Always good to find a cheap yet practical solution. Do the parkinsoni need a heated tank or is that to keep them breeding? Cheers mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grubby Posted June 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 Always good to find a cheap yet practical solution. Do the parkinsoni need a heated tank or is that to keep them breeding?Cheers mick Their from PNG, the need the heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smicko Posted June 15, 2013 Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 Thanks grubby. Only just getting into all the variations of rainbows. Until recently I thought there was only a few types. Love this hobby always something new to learn. I have noticed alot of rainbows have the creek they are caught in attached to the name. Does every creek have a different colour or variation or is it more to keep them pure until further scientific studies are done? Cheers mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grubby Posted June 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 All of the above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic99 Posted June 15, 2013 Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 a sheet of clear plastic over your tank will also do the trick. bubble wrap even better. you want to create an air tight pocket to insulate and 70% heat loss is from top. polystyene is effective because its mostly air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grubby Posted June 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2013 The beauty of the space blanket is that it is so easy to cover the tank in. I just drape it over the top and tuck the sides in so that the tank is fully wrapped, with a cushon of air over the top of the tank. I have LEDS on that tanks so I am not worried about overheating or fire. I have found thicker blankets which are made of the same stuff as insulated shopping bags. I intend to use these on the sides of my stands and in front of the tanks to keep em warm. The thicker blankets are called Casualty blankets and are used by the US military in hostile climates. One side is reflective mylar and the other is olive drab for camo. Only problem is the Taliban have started using them to mask their heat signature, woops !!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grubby Posted June 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2013 When I get my stand set up in the garage... 4 of these one on each side of the stand, foil side facing in,, with the front one as a lift up curti for when you switch off the lights at night. This should do the job of insulating the tanks from heat loss. Cheap and easy. Reusable All Weather Foil Space Blanket - ADULT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grubby Posted June 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 Until it warms up, this is the order of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wraithie Posted June 24, 2013 Report Share Posted June 24, 2013 Inspired by grubby and reports of a 4deg minimum tonight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grubby Posted June 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2013 You bleed a lot of heat out of the top of your tank, just like humans lose a stack of heat through their scalps and hence why a beanie is popular in winter. If you can cover the top of the tank and get a nice cushion of air going on you will really be keeping things cosy. I have an LED light so I am not too worried about too much heat, not sure with a fluro. There also the fire risk to think of . A think if you use a space blanket a cushion of about 2 cm on the sides would be the way to go you don't want the blanket touching the glass. Thats if your using a space blanket ofcourse . Well done, I like your work. I hadn't thought about using insulated shopping bags, let me know how you get on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wraithie Posted June 24, 2013 Report Share Posted June 24, 2013 It's more of a temporary solution for tonight, I need to remember to bring a large styrene box from work to chop up, the plan being to tape it to the back and sides (the hood helps a bit with keeping heat in) and have a removable piece for the front. It has a heater ( and realistically is only platys and endlers, but I want the fry to survive), just making some effort to save a little in power costs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
