Do you set up tanks outside of your house?

[yngplo]

Hey all, I’ve been considering setting up a quarantine tank in my back yard for new fish I’ll be buying.

I haven’t yet because I’m not sure if setting up a tank outside will be a great idea, but, it’ll be underneath a shaded area.

What do you all think about outdoor QT tanks?

 

[SupraSaltyReefer]

Unless you have solar, I don't think it'll be a good idea. The PG&E cost will be very expensive to keep the heater on to maintain the tank at 76-78 degrees when the tank is outside.

 

[JVU]

Depends on what your weather is like where you are. Where I am it gets too cold in the winter and too hot in the Summer to be safe. For intermittent tanks like QT it might work in the Spring and Fall.

 

[rdriggett]

I know of a tank kept in a utility closet that's on a porch. It takes 300-400w to keep ~30G at 78F in the winter.

 

[Srt4eric]

@ashburn2k had an outside tank.

 

[sfsuphysics]

I say go for it... then when PG&E determines what "baseline quantities" are for this area based on the average electrical usage of similar homes I'll get to use a lot more electricity before getting charged so much!

(I kid, I kid, my usage for last month was negative 95 kWh)

 

[Kensington Reefer]

I have tuff sheds without insulation
but my systems are large
temp fluctuates but seems to be working for the last 15 years

 

[Devon]

I have tuff sheds without insulation
but my systems are large
temp fluctuates but seems to be working for the last 15 years

I’ve been to your house with the club some years back. Didn’t you have a tank in the backyard with African cichlids if I remember correctly?

 

[ashburn2k]

@ashburn2k had an outside tank.

Yeah it didn't go well, and direct sunlight is creating too much algae and nothing would live with outdoor temperature without a heater ( on the side note, gold fish survived and getting really fat in my freshwater outdoor tank )

 

[Kensington Reefer]

I’ve been to your house with the club some years back. Didn’t you have a tank in the backyard with African cichlids if I remember correctly?

Could be!
there is a Rubbermaid 300 with a turtle and some goldfish

 

[grizfyrfyter]

Yeah it didn't go well, and direct sunlight is creating too much algae and nothing would live with outdoor temperature without a heater ( on the side note, gold fish survived and getting really fat in my freshwater outdoor tank )

I used to work at a spot around 6000 foot elevation. We had a 500g tank that the helicopters used to practice filling buckets of water. Anyhow, we had half a dozen goldfish that have been in there for years, even when the top foot of it is frozen.

 

[DemetriusBonilla]

Setting up an outdoor quarantine tank can be a cool idea, especially if it's shaded. Just make sure it's predator-proof and the temperature stays stable. I've seen people do it successfully. You might want to check out this article on outdoor tank considerations: https://www.tortoiseowner.com/do-tortoises-turtles-show-affection/ for some tips.

 

[BAYMAC]

I had a tank outside at a friends tank for almost 2 years in the banana belt of Santa Cruz. Corals, macro and fish thrived, as did the electric bill. We had a 55g tank with a 250g macro bin sump. We build a green house over it using conduit and 6mm clear plastic, We had a 3x 500w heaters in it.