winter tank storage in below freezing tempertures?

[KittenFishMom]

Winter is coming and the garage, where I have my tanks, gets well below freezing.  What is the best way to store my 120 gallon glass tank over the winter. I plan to take all living things out of the tank. I think I should take the water out.  I have been told that freezing temperatures will damage the seals of the tank.  Is this true?

I think keeping water in the tank with a heater will burn out the heater quickly when the garage gets below 20f , -7c..

I could try wrapping the tank with insulation, which will be a lot of work because it in on a large stand, with no insulation between the tank and stand.

Note: We are retired and my husband and I can not lift the tank.

I looked on youtube and googled a lot of related terms, but I can not find anything on this topic.

Thanks,

KittenFishMom

 

 

[StevesFishTanks]

I wonder if you can fill the tank and then use a pond/stocktank de-icer.

They keep ponds from freezing over so it should be more than enough for your tank.

 

They turn on near freezing temps and only heat to the mid 40s I think.

 

I would then wrap the tank to further insulate it. Make sure that you have a heavy duty cord and even better would be a dedicated outlet/circuit for the heater.  At 1500 watts its very important not to overload the cord.  Treat it like an oil filled heater.

[Flumpweesel]

I'd empty it and  just protect it from being knocked.  I think silicone is freeze /thaw stable but more research is probably an idea.

I would disconnect filters and heaters wrap them and place them on the bottom of the tank mainly so it's better to set back up but so they can't drop or move and cause damage.

[Andy's Fish Den]

I am not sure how true the silicone being affected by cold statemenmt is. I kept severl tanks in a storage unit that was not climate controlled for a couple years, and when I set them back up I have not had any issues with leaks etc. Now, the biggest tank was a 55 gallon and mainly 10-40 gallons each. 

[lefty o]

ive stored them for years in an out door shed, and it gets cold here in mn. get the water out, and store it where it wont get damaged from other objects.

[Tanked]

Silicone is commonly used for outdoor applications, and can be applied at temperatures well below freezing.  'Your aquarium seals are already fully 'cured', so they should be fine.