# Is an open window next to a tank ok?



## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

I set up a 29 gallon tank in front of the window in my bedroom early this summer and its doing beautifully.  However, now that its cooling off I'm worried that my need for fresh air at night is going to be a problem. The tank is less than a foot from where the window opens (the window opens from side to side and is 4 ft tall by 5 ft wide). The colder it is, the less I open the window. Warm night - 6 to 8 inches, cool night - 1 to 3 inches, cold night - 1/4 to 1/2 inch, frigid night - closed. Should I cover the tank to help keep the draft from it and the heat in?  I dont have another window I could move the tank to, so that's out and I can't even move it to the other end of the window due to the setup of the room. Any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated, but I admit I'd truly love to hear I can just toss a blanket over the tank and everything will be fine.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I don't see anything wrong with putting a blanket over the tank at night. Tuck the little fishies in.  

I assume that you have a heater and thermometer to monitor the situation?


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

I have a nano in a window, I had no problems this year when the window was open and the outside temp in the morning was 48 Degrees F. it was kinda cool watching the tank send up little wisps of steam. the tank is about 2" from the window screen and the window was open all the way. as long as you have enough heater to maintain the temp you should be fine.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

dwalsted, all my tanks have heaters (that are set near 76) and thermometers. I keep my house at about 65 degrees during the day in the winter and 55 at night and I know that would be too cold. I was just afraid of the draft of cold air causing a problem - I'm a bit of a worrier.

Thanks for the reassurance bpimm, I usually go for a little stronger heater than recommended because of the coolness of my house in winter. In my 44 gal I keep 2 heaters to more evenly distribute the heat. 

I'll sleep easier knowing I'm not harming my tank. Thank you!


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## bpimm (Jun 12, 2006)

cs_gardener said:


> I usually go for a little stronger heater than recommended because of the coolness of my house in winter. In my 44 gal I keep 2 heaters to more evenly distribute the heat.


I know what you mean, I usually over size the heater also. the 2 Gal Nano has 50 Watts.  mainly because that was the only heater that was small enough to fit.


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## JERP (Feb 4, 2003)

some plants even do better with seasonal cooling. Your tank is big enough that day/night coolingh may be minimal. esp with a vinyl pull down shade.

Just remember to keep an eye on temps in the summer too. That can be even worse than low temp.


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## lailastar (Aug 28, 2006)

In nature water gets drafts and fish are okay- why is it that in a tank fish are so sensitive to temp. fluctuation?


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## JERP (Feb 4, 2003)

Lailastar,
Lakes and streams are much larger than any aquarium. Temperature can fluctuate much more rapidly in an aquarium than a lake.


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## onemyndseye (May 12, 2006)

JERP is correct ....

It also has to do with where in the world our little tank inhabitants come from. Most of them come from places with tropical climates that dont know what winter is 

On the other hand.... My native fish tanks (sunfish, etc) could care less if its 50degrees in the house 

Take Care,
-Justin
One Mynds Eye


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

JERP, I am very careful about watching the temperature in summer. When I lived in an apartment years ago, the place turned into an oven and I had cooked fish. Now I have a house with good insulation. I also have venetian blinds and I angle them so that the sun does not come in but I still get some light. I also always close my windows in the morning of days that are supposed to be hot. When it reached the upper 90's for a few days, my house gradually heated to 85, but my tanks stayed a few degrees cooler because it would cool off at night and I'd open all the windows to let the cool air in.  To minimize day/night temp fluctuations I kept my tanks around 79 to 80 during the summer.

In a way its fortunate that I'm rather lazy as I've chosen plants and fish that are not demanding and they can handle the summer/winter temp change. This also means I don't have to worry about CO2, dosing fertilizer or fussing endlessly. Normally, I can just sit back and enjoy my jungles. Until I scare myself, or mess up by not cleaning the filters promptly, or overfeed, or - well you know, the possible ways to mess up are nearly endless.


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