Temperature

[Fins]

I'd be curious what you folks do to cool down tanks in the summer. My 20 gallon is in a room that gets hot in the summer and thus the tank gets warmer than I would like it (Goldfish). I'm gone during the day so there's not much I can do except try and cool it down some when I get home.

Last year I took reusable ice cubes, put them in a freezer bag and put that in the tank and it did drop the water a couple degrees.

I just got a Eheim 2213 earlier this month. Thought I could set that in a bucked of ice. I suppose I could also do a small water change with cooler water.

I do leave the light off in the warmer months.

There must be some better ideas out there. Thanks.

[korith]

Get a fan and have it blow across the water. That can cool down the tank a few degrees at least, it'll also increase evaporation rate though. You can get a clip on fan for a few dollars at walmart and put it on the side of the tank.

Anything you can do to lower the temp in the room would help, close the blinds/curtains on the window, try to increase air circulation in the room too.

I'm gonna have to start doing some of these things soon again, I really don't like leaving the air conditioner running when I'm not home.

Guess as a last resort you could always consider investing in a chiller. Though they are a fair bit costly.

[mommy1]

since i work nights and sleep days my bedroon windows are completely blacked out. i have cardboard over them and dark thick curtains over that. my bedroon is always several degrees cooler than the rest of the apartment.

[Fishguy2727]

How high does it get?

Do they show any signs of stress?

If not as long as you have a good air pump and stone they should be fine. They may just need more water changes because of the extra waste.

[robflanker]

How high does it get?

Do they show any signs of stress?

If not as long as you have a good air pump and stone they should be fine. They may just need more water changes because of the extra waste.

With a 20g tho, the water is much more likely to fluctuate than a bigger tank.

Chillers are way to expensive ($300>) for a 20g, I don't think its worth it. I'd do the low budget options of fans, water changes, ice cubes.

I've also been contemplating rigging up some kind of system involving running tubing in the tank and devising my own way of making a pump and pump ice water through the tubing.

[MrJim]

With a 20g tho, the water is much more likely to fluctuate than a bigger tank.

Chillers are way to expensive ($300>) for a 20g, I don't think its worth it. I'd do the low budget options of fans, water changes, ice cubes.

I've also been contemplating rigging up some kind of system involving running tubing in the tank and devising my own way of making a pump and pump ice water through the tubing.

How would you keep the water cold? Maybe someone has a DIY chiller out there..

[robflanker]

How would you keep the water cold? Maybe someone has a DIY chiller out there..

There are DIY involving drilling a hole in the fridge but I don't feel like doing that.
I figure just getting ice-water should cool it for a little while. Don't have to worry about ice-bags leak or anything like that.
It's not fully thought-through yet, but it's got my brain ticking

[robflanker]

How about this crude 15sec idea? click on it to get larger i think
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fishpictures/data/823/thumbs/example1.jpg (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fishpictures/showphoto.php?photo=12181)

Now this requires some explanation;
You'd need a filter (something small, 10g filter would prob be ok but not sure), a container, and air line hosing or similar.

The idea is that you'd have a container of anti-freeze that you could put in the freezer. It wouldn't freeze but would obviously be 0 degrees but in liquid form (i suppose anything that doesn't freeze would work, like rubbing alcohol). You'd have to figure a way of connecting the air line hose to the intake valve of the filter. This way the suction would go through the hosing and into the container of antifreeze. The tubing runs through the tank to cool it, and then the antifreeze returns to the filter and gets returned to the container to be re-sucked up by the intake. Obv you'd have to remove the filter cartridges from the filter

It'd be very cheap, might work, and if you put it all in a cooler, it'd slow the warming process up.
Might work to cool it a little - ideas? thoughts? improvements?

[Kaz]

Here's my Idea (shamelessly based on Rob's):

The Idea is that you use a siphon rather than a filter and just water with some Ice in it for cooling. You put ice in it whenever needed and the siphon puts the water back into the bucket (or cooler).

It's super simple and cheap.

[robflanker]

I'm claiming idea-infringement!

If you use a liquid that you can cool to lower than 0 degrees while it still is in liquid form you can have a more effective cooling system

[Fishguy2727]

What temp does it get up to?

[Kaz]

I'm claiming idea-infringement!

If you use a liquid that you can cool to lower than 0 degrees while it still is in liquid form you can have a more effective cooling system

Actually it was supposed to be an improvement on your Idea so I guess I should have worded it differently. (I know you were joking but still)

I don't think the temperature needs to be lower than 0 to be an efective cooler, Plus water would be easier to cool and if you ever have a problem with the siphon and the water leaks you're not majorly poisoning your fish. just throw a dechlorinater in the bucket and you're safe!

Water would also be cheaper, you could even use old tank water!

You know, I've heard of a home-made air conditioner that works the same way...
just have the siphon around a fan and you cool the air around the fan and it blows that air around!

[AABatteries]

Liquid nitrogen... :hmm3grin2orange:

Yeah, I'm having the same problem, also in a 20g. No fish though. I guess my hermits and snails will just have to adapt to the changes of the seasons.

I would draw up a DIY chiller idea but, I'm at school. Could do it on paint in 2 min and email it to myself. But, yeah, I'll do it when I get home.

[Fins]

Thanks for all the great ideas.

Really enjoy the AC. I seem to be spending a lot of time here.

[Kaz]

Thanks for all the great ideas.

Really enjoy the AC. I seem to be spending a lot of time here.

People here claim to have MTS, but I'm addicted to the 'New posts' button.

[terrapin24h]

I think there are a number of liquid based coolers for pc's. I haven't looked at one in years, but i wonder if one could be adapted to work in an aquarium. Hmm....

--chris

[Venus]

This is a big problem for goldfish keepers. Larger bodies of water maintain temperatures for longer periods of time, and yet another reason to increase your tank size.

Also, feed much less; toxins are much more dangerous in warmer water temps. When temperatures rise, I feed nothing but peas which contain no protein, keeping nitrate levels low.

Even though my tank is 120 gallons I still have problems in the Spring; hate to crank on the air; so I place a fan in front of the tank with a couple of water filled and frozen pop bottles; makes a big difference.

Goldfish that suffer from too high of temps may lose their appetites, bottom sit, and have raised scales or pine coning.

Stay cool, Venus

[KatzeSlaugen]

to take car of my 29 gallon i just pop 3 ice cubes infront of the filter and because of the way the water forms an eddy they just sit there and melt. if the temp hasnt changed i put a few more in till it drops a degree or two.

what im thinking of doing this summer is taking the old mini fridge and drilling 2 holes in it, running tubing, and sealing them and just run the tubing through my tank

[Fins]

to take car of my 29 gallon i just pop 3 ice cubes infront of the filter and because of the way the water forms an eddy they just sit there and melt. if the temp hasnt changed i put a few more in till it drops a degree or two.

So are you freezing conditioned water or just using plain tap water. I suppose that little bit (chlorine) might not hurt anything.

[Little Embers]

When I have to use ice cubes, I always put them in a little sip/snap lock plastic baggie and float them. I would get a bit paranoid of even a tiny bit of chlorine getting into the tank.

[KatzeSlaugen]

i have well water so i just use tap water and freeze it