# DIY: Insulating Your Aquarium



## CoryWM (Dec 7, 2010)

Depending on your level of obsession in the hobby, heating your aquarium(s) is a cost that can quickly add up on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, glass and acrylic are not the best insulators but are necessary to be able to see into your tank. Assuming you’re not simply heating the whole room to 75+ degrees, insulating your tanks is a cost-effective solution to keep those aquatic heating bills down so that you can spend more of that disposable income on other areas of the hobby that are less boring. Continue reading “DIY: Insulating Your Aquarium” »


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## jwm5 (May 9, 2010)

lol is this a joke? This makes no sense, most heat loss would occur from the top of the tank so unless you have an airtight hood it doesnt matter, plus who wants to only view the short ends of their tank(s).


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

jwm5 said:


> lol is this a joke? This makes no sense, most heat loss would occur from the top of the tank so unless you have an airtight hood it doesnt matter, plus who wants to only view the short ends of their tank(s).


For breeder racks all of my 10g tanks are set up this way with the ends out. More tanks on a smaller rack is the goal. 

But glass tops would prob save just as much. I think people would be shocked to see how little they save with insulating tanks, and you'd prob save yourself more money by unplugging your tv set. 


I keep my tanks a bit cooler, for practical purposes, though.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

And if you were to take this up, why not use something with long term holding power like silicone or construction adhesive. Hot glue has a high tendency to pop off.


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## GaMeR (Apr 5, 2010)

The funnier thing is, he uses reflective insulation which is better for outdoor use because of the sun or radiant heat sources.
But hey, that makes aquarium much brighter, saving on the light bulbs?


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## tzen (Dec 31, 2008)

I have a Kill-a-watt meter that I plugged my tank's power strip into. Since I have fairly efficient lights, I was surprised at first to see that everything was drawing 127 watts. Then I remembered that my 100w heater was, in fact, using 100w.

In the push for efficient lights in the hobby, we forget about the cost of maintaining tropical water temperature. Pushing your tanks together to create a heat mass, insulating the non-viewing sides, as well as using a tight cover to prevent evaporation are all pretty basic solutions. If it doesn't fit with your goal of having a 360-viewable open-air tank, fine. Otherwise, a little polystyrene insulation board can save bucks.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

tzen said:


> I have a Kill-a-watt meter that I plugged my tank's power strip into. Since I have fairly efficient lights, I was surprised at first to see that everything was drawing 127 watts. Then I remembered that my 100w heater was, in fact, using 100w.
> 
> In the push for efficient lights in the hobby, we forget about the cost of maintaining tropical water temperature. Pushing your tanks together to create a heat mass, insulating the non-viewing sides, as well as using a tight cover to prevent evaporation are all pretty basic solutions. If it doesn't fit with your goal of having a 360-viewable open-air tank, fine. Otherwise, a little polystyrene insulation board can save bucks.


100 watts, yes.... But not 100 watts all day long. I'd bet my heater is only running for 2 hours a day total.


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## CoryWM (Dec 7, 2010)

Just wanted to follow up with some of my research I did before I set out to do this project.

Simply Discus is where I found out about Reflex. He went from 300 watt heaters in 55 gallon tanks to 100 watt heaters to maintain his 85 degree discus water after installing Reflectix.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showt...ulation...-a-money-saver!&highlight=reflectix

Next was researching about Heat transfer. This article has many ways heat is transfered by aquariums. Radiant heat, which the reflectix is best at handling is emitted from the top of the tank and all other surfaces. Where ever cooler air is, the heat will transfer too.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/7/aafeature1#section-6

I actually spent a few days and many different sources researching insulating aquariums before doing this. As it would take a while to install it all, and if it made no difference then it'd be wasted money as well.

Now first let me say that, your first priority is to get glass tops to reduce heat exchange their. Then reflectix can help the sides. 

This will not making fish keeping free! However it will help lower your bills if aquariums are kept in cooler rooms. Or if you have to heat the water considerably higher than your room temperature. Namely discus.


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## manikmunky (Mar 24, 2011)

GaMeR said:


> The funnier thing is, he uses reflective insulation which is better for outdoor use because of the sun or radiant heat sources.
> But hey, that makes aquarium much brighter, saving on the light bulbs?


Even insulation that goes inside walls often has reflective foil on one or both sides. It does, as CoryWM says, reflect heat as well as light. You could go really overkill and use insulation boards (50-75mm thick)


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## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

manikmunky said:


> Even insulation that goes inside walls often has reflective foil on one or both sides. It does, as CoryWM says, reflect heat as well as light. You could go really overkill and use insulation boards (50-75mm thick)


Actually, most insulation doesn't have a reflective surface as that only works with a particular type of heat. Insulation like cellulose/demin is incredibly popular and doesn't deal with radiant heat at all.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Everything loses heat by radiation, but the amount of heat lost is proportional to the difference in the absolute temperature of the body losing heat raised to the 4th power, and that of whatever is in the way of the radiated heat, also raised to the 4th power. You can't quickly dismiss radiant heat loss, because it can be significant. (Absolute temperature is degrees Fahrenheit plus 460, or degrees Celsius plus 270.)


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## newshound (May 9, 2005)

I use foam board insulation for the tops of some of my tanks... so easy and cheap.
I also use it to the sides that I don;t need to see. All of my tanks are in the cold basement and I see the heaters working all the time with just straight glass.
I think this is a good thread.
It is also puts your tank at an optimal stage if the power goes off... the very slow transfer of heat without having to run around covering the tanks with blankets. If you are even home. This gives you more time to heat water or for the power to finally be restored.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

I did cover my tanks with thick towels one winter. On at night, off in the day. They used less power and stayed more temperature stable. So even a poor insulation job is better than none. Probably get a lot more mileage out of a good product, properly applied.


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## drbotts (Apr 10, 2011)

Why don't you just create plans for a DIY double insulated aquarium (i.e. like a window) filled with Argon gas. Simple, don't you think?
Walk down to the local window shop and they'll show you how it works. 

Suggestion: Instead of worrying about insulating the aquarium, worry about where the energy comes from. If it's that big a deal, buy a little solar cell pad and stick it outside a window and have that power your heater. Get more creative with the energy, not the aesthetic appearance of the tank.


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## VaultBoy (Nov 11, 2010)

drbotts said:


> Why don't you just create plans for a DIY double insulated aquarium (i.e. like a window) filled with Argon gas. Simple, don't you think?
> Walk down to the local window shop and they'll show you how it works.
> 
> Suggestion: Instead of worrying about insulating the aquarium, worry about where the energy comes from. If it's that big a deal, buy a little solar cell pad and stick it outside a window and have that power your heater. Get more creative with the energy, not the aesthetic appearance of the tank.


Since i saw this thread i have been thinking about a "Thermos flask" and how a vacuum could be used to insulate a tank, i didnt think of argon gas. A tank double glazed with a fully sealed double glazed lid would be cool if not a little expensive, i might have to do some sums and see if its economically viable with the reduced cost of heating in the long term.

Using solar electric to heat the water is not as efficient as an evacuated tube solar heat exchanger. They will heat water to near boiling point in ambient temperatures well below freezing as long as there is direct sunlight on the tubes.


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## MoeBetta (Feb 5, 2011)

CoryWM said:


> Just wanted to follow up with some of my research I did before I set out to do this project.
> 
> Simply Discus is where I found out about Reflex. He went from 300 watt heaters in 55 gallon tanks to 100 watt heaters to maintain his 85 degree discus water after installing Reflectix.
> 
> ...


The only thing I will say about this is that replacing a 100 watt heater with a 50watt heater will not save any energy. Reducing the load will, but a load is a load is a load.

Your 50 watt heater would just run longer to make up the difference, providing it can meet the load and maintain setpoint.

Reducing the envelope of the conditioned space will always work. The better you seal that envelope the more effective your insulation will be as well.


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## RainbowRita (Apr 19, 2011)

*Insulation is worth it*

To save on utilities and be a responsible consumer I keep my house at 63 degrees during the winter. I insulated my tank with foamcore (a hobby material consisting of a layer of plastic foam in between paper). I also keep a thick towel on top of the hood, which I pull down over the front of the tank at night. These small efforts decrease the additional energy use of the heater, timer, lights and pump for my tank.

I do believe that the shiny insulation would stress the fish, but painting the sides or just taping plain paper under the insulation would take care of that.


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## Moe (Jan 22, 2004)

I insulate my 10 gallon CRS tanks on three sides with foam board. My tanks are in a room that reaches summer temps in the 80's, so with the combination of small PC fans and the insulated side I have no problems keeping the tanks 70-75 degrees.


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## Treeline Panzer (Jun 9, 2017)

*flexible Insulation for outside under cover tanks*

I have 3 tanks outside on the deck under a corrugated plastic roof deck, 1x 280L, 1x100 L and 1x 50L all on stands with plastic grill tops and light combo lids as per commercially made tanks you buy in pet stores. The loss of heat at night especially in winter is considerable and sees the water temp drop by 10 degrees Celsius in ambient day of 14/15 degree Cel day to night 4 deg cel. The heaters running constantly had increased my monthly power bill by 240-320 dollars.
Insulation was required as putting the tanks in our small house wasn't feasible and they were outside to complement an outdoor deck and dining area. Foam board is ugly and needs storage area. I took the idea from our BBQ cover and chose an insulated material that was cheap and effective with reflective foil capability. Its the flooring underlay you use on the click down timber look flooring they use in new homes/apartments. It has foam on one side and foil on the other. It is flexible enough to fold away and store under outdoor furniture out of sight and is easy to cover the tanks with. It has a R rating of 1.5, you can get higher value if you need. I measured and cut out the sides and top and used tape to seam them together (on the inside) with a few small holes (10mm) to allow vapour to escape) over the grille area. The finished product goes on like a BBQ cover and temp drop was less than a few degrees and the power bills dropped.
The material is cheap and readily available off the roll at any big DIY store or flooring centre. There will be some condensation on the inside surfaces when you remove in the morning but just shake it a bit and store away, the material is impervious to water.


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