Tank in garage?

[fireman731]

Has anyone kept a tank in their garage in a warm climate? I live in Texas and we have multiple days over 100 in a row. I have a 55 I wanted to set up in the garage... It's winter now so I can't really experiment with the water temperature fluctuations, was curious if anyone has tried this?


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[PNWaquarist]

A lot of breeders do this. But they also insulate their garages and install ductwork to draw from their home heating/cooling systems to help control the temperature.

In an unheated garage in Texas, I imagine that you'd be able to do goldfish or some other cold-water fish. Definitely invest in a chiller for the summers, though.

 

[Andy Sager]

I'm in FL and I keep fish outside in tanks. Here's the biggest issues you will have when the water get's that hot: Limited types of fish that can be kept at high temps, limited number of fish in the tank and lack of oxygen in the water.

When the temps get up there, you will need to up the aeration with more surface agitation. I use extra airpumps for this opposed to filters as you are looking for exchange of gasses more than water movement. Bubblers at the bottom of the tank will move a lot of water anyway.
As for types of fish to keep, You will need to stay with more heat tolerant fish like certain South American Cichlids, for example, or fishes that come from hotter areas. It will be a challenge, but doable. I did it before in S. FL and now in Central FL. My biggest issues are when it gets cold here. I have to oversize my heaters for the winter. (they basically stay off during the summers but I don;t unplug them.) When it goes below 50 degrees, I wrap my tanks ( 9 presently) in styro so they stay warm at night without taxing the heaters.

As previously mentioned, you can avoid the whole heat issue with a chiller for the tank. With one of those, it opens up a whole new ballgame for you. It won;t matter that the tank is in the garage.

Hope this helps