Gouramiguy17

Is it possible to divide a tank and have one side 80f than have the other70f

Chris123

I dont thinks so. What kind of divider are u using

Shawnie

a divider made out of glass, with silicone edges you could

Gouramiguy17

I was planning on buying a piece of glass(or acrilylic) and siliconing it in place like shawnie suggested but I worried that the heat would just pass through the glass.

Shawnie

guess it would depend on the size of the tank? in a smaller tank it might...and maybe eventually in a bigger tank as well ...never thought of that myself LOL

why are you wanting to do that btw? curious

Gouramiguy17

b/c my parents are mean and they wont let me have 2 tanks and i really want a place to put a pair of betta pictas but they require lower temps.
btw it would be a 55 gal long.

Shaina

You'd be best off with a double divider...two glass panes siliconed into place with a small air space between. Would cut down on the temperature gradient across each half

Jaysee

glass will not prevent the heat exchange by itself. glass is not a very good insulater.

if you want to do this, you'll need to have a few layers between. a single pane of glass wont get the job done, but 2 pieces of glass with space between will work far better....3 even moreso. the air (or water) bewteen the pieces of glass also insulates. each medium the heat transfer must cross makes it harder, so if you have 1 piece, it olny has to cross that. 2 seperated pieces means the heat has to cross the glass, THEN whats between the glass, then another piece of glass.

if you divided a tank in thirds and set the one side to 80 and the other to 70, the space in the middle will be 75 (not exactly, but its an example of basic thermodynamics).

so, if you were to use two glass dividers seperated by 1/2 to 1 inch, it will work.


shaina - fellow physicist?

Shaina

The concern I would have with the space between the panes would be biological growth in the space, be it algae, mold, etc. You could attempt to fill it with an inert gas and run a bead of silicon across the top as well to seal it closed...any way to seal moisture out of it...even cleaning the panes thoroughly with acetone, siliconing them in place, and running a bead across the top while it's still at low humidity would be better than nothing most likely...it really depends on your setup.


Nope, just a chemical engineer

Gouramiguy17

I could fill the gap with foam then silicon it in place.

David C

I would also worry that in time, the pressure of the water would push the glass and collapse your gap. You would definitely need an excellent silicone job and probably some braces to help with the pressure. Insulation foam would probably work, but I'm pretty sure this stuff would be toxic to fish so you would have to make sure that no water ever leaked into the center chamber, because then the toxins could leak out. Just a guess though.

Dave

Gouramiguy17

Well in you silicone it like you are siliconing a tank you wouldn't need to worry about leaks wouldn't you?

Shaina

I agree with this -- give the glass a good cleaning and silicon in place with aquarium-safe silicon and give it a chance to cure and you'll be fine

Gouramiguy17

And couldn't I use the foam that is sort of like little spheres all stuck together, styrofoam I think.