DIY tank cooling

[wesa]

I really need to cool my tank down. Its getting about 85 F every day. Would mounting a computer fan or fans underneath the hood cool it off well? Or could i somehow use old fridge parts to do it(if i could, how would i control it, and would it be very safe)? This is sort of an emergency, i don't know how much longer my fish can take it w/o buying one of those expensive tank coolers

 

[Jen]

What about freezing some pop bottles (the 2 litre ones) and floating them in there?

 

[wesa]

yeah, i've done that too but it just doesn't seem to make any difference. It works in my 10 gal but not very well in my 29 gallon tank

 

[garbodude]

i have thought about this once an an idea i had is to use an old fridge- have it next to the tank, then buy some flexible metal pipe- it would probably have to be stainless, have this pipe attached to a pump with a themostat. so the water will be pumped though the fridge or freezer and back into the tank. the thermostat u can set to the right temp so that when the tank is cool enough it turns off. to get it into the fridge u just drill holes in the side and silicone it up.

 

[Yano]

You could buy some cheap clip fans from walmart and clip them on the side of your tank and have them blow on the surface of the water.

 

[Stryker]

If you agitate your water surface and have a fan blowing onto the agitation then a cooling effect will occure. However the cooling effect is the result of evapouration so wether you want that in your room (esp if its closed up) is up to you. The effect has the potential to cool several degrees below ambient. Its a method used in some computer cooling setups called "evapourative cooling" or google for "computer cooling towers" to see some real impressive examples.

 

[Bangin]

Do you have an air conditioner? That's how I keep my tank at 80 degrees in Texas. Room temperature is a huge factor.

 

[fish_r_great]

You could get a chiller although they can be spendy.