Can an OUTDOOR tank be made?

[purity]

my buddy wanted to make a tank outdoors under his covered patio. i told him that, in theory, it should work. of course he'll need to get a very good cooler & heater, take extra care in covering electrical cords, and expect a tad more wear n' tear.
is that all though? could this work?

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by Purity
my buddy wanted to make a tank outdoors under his covered patio. i told him that, in theory, it should work. of course he'll need to get a very good cooler & heater, take extra care in covering electrical cords, and expect a tad more wear n' tear.
is that all though? could this work?
just to be a smart a**. yes they are called ponds.
You might be suprised has easy it would be. Especially, if the patio is south facing and can get some good sunlight for a few hours each day.
As long as outside temperature to not exceed say 90 for extended periods of time, and the tank is shaded it might not take any air conditioning or coolers. If winter temperature get down much below 30 degrees for extended periods then some heating may be needed. Otherwise a tank heater, space heater, or even just a incand light bulb may keep it warm enough. After all some corals are collected in 40 degree water.
I'de tell him to start say in spring, give it a try. And use lotsa plant life, some simple circulation say a powerhead or two, and see what happens.

 

[007]

there is, or at least was, a member here whose tank was outdoors . . . . it looked ok . . but very different than the tanks that can be created indoors.
look here

 

[robchuck]

I've read about several amateur coral farmers in CA that have outdoor prop. setups. A good Google search might provide more insight.

 

[purity]

hmmm. so it does sound like it could be a winner. i'm suprised that corals & fish aren't as temperature sensative as i thought.
so you think i should have him fuge it out too bob? is that cool for a brand new tank?
btw, is there any good threads that outline the basics of starting up a tank? i've never started one from scratch before.

 

[beaslbob]

For starting a brand new tank and with the opportunity to plan ahead something like this in tank refugium sure would be a winner: https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/101556/in-tank-back-wall-refugium. the idea is you can simply use a thicker tank and have this replace any external sump/refugium. And that way have as much or more free space for corals or fish. With an outdoor tank the plant side might even be on the sun side so the macros could provide shading from the more direct sunlight.
make sure you use some calcium carbonate based rocks or substraite and there is water flowing around it. Aragonite sand, crushed coral, crushed oyster shells, dolomit, Etc, Etc. And even an undergravel filter to unsure water is flowing through it. That buffers calcium and ph.
Starting: add filters/circulation, add substrait, add saltwater, add plant life. fill to top.
run system for a week.
then do the rest.
rest would probably be add rocks. run for three weeks. (lets parasites die off). Add 1 male molly/20 gallons. Dont feed for a week. use light feeding for two more weeks.
then slowly stock the system as you desire.
recommendations: don't do water changes just replace evap water. use tap water. Don't use skimmers. protect the plant life and insure it is thriving. Don't add cleaner crews. testing optional. let the tank tell you what the status is.

 

[birdy]

I disagree with Bob recommendations, to me they are just a bad idea.
With a cool chiller and temperater controller, I don't think there will be any fluctuations in temp. If it is under a covered patio then you won't have the problems with rain run off either. I think it can be done. The only other issue I can think of is if it is under a patio, how much sun if any will be reaching the tank. If it is just for fish not as big of a deal if he wants corals then it makes a difference.

 

[purity]

well the initial gameplan is to also use p/c lighting just like an indoor one.

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by Purity
well the initial gameplan is to also use p/c lighting just like an indoor one.
If it is outdoors The lights would be just so you could see the fish and corals at night. Sunlight would completely swamp out pc or mh lighting and therefore be the main source.

 

[beaslbob]

also. if you are worried about cooling down the tank in summer, one poster used a small fridg to cool down tank water. Just basically ran some plumbing through the frid and pumped tank water through that. Fridg cost about $160 or so. Just a thought.

 

[purity]

yeah that's true. i'm gonna swing by there in a few days to see just how enclosed this patio is. i know that he lives in a condo complex so this patio doesn't get AS much direct sunlight as the backyard of a single family residence.
i'm thinking that maybe having the a couple P/C's turn on at 5pm and go off at 9 or so. he said that only in the morning will the tank get direct exposure to the sun. so that would be
4 hours of direct sunlight
5 hours of indirect sunlight
4 hours of direct P/C light
how's that sound?

 

[birdy]

If you are putting a tank outside, I would go for a large professionally made chiller, a homemade one would be too scary for me. I don't think those refrigerater ones cool a tank down very much, and if you are putting a tank outside in Southern CA you will want to spend the money on the good chiller.
If the tank is under a covered patio Bob then how is the sunlight going to get to the tank. I agree with the use of pc lights. But it all depends on how much sunlight would be reaching the tank.

 

[purity]

Originally posted by beaslbob
also. if you are worried about cooling down the tank in summer, one poster used a small fridg to cool down tank water. Just basically ran some plumbing through the frid and pumped tank water through that. Fridg cost about $160 or so. Just a thought.
it's southern cali and he lives a block from the beach. outdoor heat will probably become an issue. but how'd the dude do that trick?? did he drill a hole through the fridge door?

 

[birdy]

I believe he used the cooling coils and basically ran the tank water over them (some type of sump system). Anyhow that is the one that I saw. I don't think they drop the temp in a tank very much and I wouldn't rely on it for an outdoor tank in California.

 

[beaslbob]

sounds great. Especially if it ony gets direct sunlight in the morning. the main worry i would have is high temps as those drive the gasses out fo the water.
And I still I don't think the pc are needed. NOs should be fine.
if the pattio is sourounded by walls on three sides then the tank should be relatively protected and perhaps the temperature much more stable then otherwise.
You could try setting up the system or even just a small tank, putting in some macros to check out what the temperature variation is.

 

[purity]

Originally posted by Birdy
If you are putting a tank outside, I would go for a large professionally made chiller, a homemade one would be too scary for me. I don't think those refrigerater ones cool a tank down very much, and if you are putting a tank outside in Southern CA you will want to spend the money on the good chiller.

yeah i think we'll probably have to gear towards a chiller cause i think a fridge won't really have the greatest looks out there.

 

[birdy]

Unless you are going for the hillbilly saltwater tank. you could throw some spare tires around and put a bunch of plants in the tank.
just joking bob