Cooling down a tropical tank

[RussellEnglish]

Hi,

My tank normally sits at 26 DegC but due to the really hot weather at the moment it hs risen to 30.

The light is Fluorescent & the tank is out of the sun all day.

Any ideas???

Thanks

 

[Cichlid-Man]

do some Water changes every so often with cooler water. This should cool it down.

 

[RussellEnglish]

I could do, but I'm at work all day & the room where the tank is gets the afternoon sun.

But how much water will I have to change to make a difference?

 

[Balance]

a few people have suggested taking 2 or 3 liter soda bottles and filling them water, then freezing them.
then you can toss them into the tank

that way you lower the temp without having to add/remove water from the tank.

I haven't had to do this yet, but it seems like the best idea i've heard so far. pretty much like adding those Igloo freezable ice cubes to your fish tank!

 

[gscorvette]

I usually leave my light off during the day to combat the same problem. It has worked very well.

Gretchen

 

[Gomer]

Change your lighting cycle so that it isn't on during the heat of the day. I also had to elevate my lights about 1.5" off of the glass since I don't have any fans on. Fine w/o the lift in thewinter, but not summer. Convection cooling is just fine now

 

[janene]

I've also opened the top panels and put a screened panel over it to help dissipate the heat. I do have to add water more often when I do this.

 

[RussellEnglish]

The light isn't the problem as it's off at the moment, 10:40 Uk time & the temp is already up to 30!

What's it going to be like this afternoon when the sun is on the back of the house!

Russ

[heads off to try to cool the PC down as well...]

 

[Fishy-Fish]

I run into the same problem.

I live in Arizona and... well, let's just say that as we speak the temperature is 94F/34C and it's going to be 110F/43C... which is normal at this time of the year.

I've used the "ice cubes" technique and it has worked fine... just DO NOT drop ice cubes directly in the water... not only does it shock the fish but it also upsets the water's chemistry. It's better to put them in a plastic bag and float them back and forth until they melt.

Another solution: I have three Blue Gel Ice Packs that I use to keep my lunches cool, and I take two of them and put them on a plastic bag and float them on the water... they're great to lower the temperature and yuo can re-freeze them.

I haven't tried the "leaving the light off during the day" part just yet, will have to try that (thanks Gretchen).

 

[Davy]

Get a small fan and turn it on facing the tank. I also live in Arizona and it droped my tank 3 degrees during the hottest part of the day.