Heat Wave

[andyboy!!]

Hi

What's the best way to cool your aquarium down during these hot day's. Add cold water\leave lid off\turn light off?

Is this necessary?

My temperature has gone slightly above the green band (27-28 degrees).

Cheers
Andy.

 

[PaulEbs]

• Very Regular Water Changes
• Frequent replacement of ice packs floating in bags on surface
• Moving fish tank to cooler area [downstairs]
• Using a fan to ripple the water surface
• Creating better circulation in the room
• Minimise lighting usage
• Keep Aquarium lid open [with jumpy fish, cover with net]
• Place all filter outlets on water surface
• Use an air pump with a large stone
• Move to a colder climate

 

[speedingorange]

what about fot a pond? lol

 

[PaulEbs]

• Put large screens up to shade the water
• Float buckets of ice on the surface
• Use fountains to create surface tension
• Top up evaporated water frequently

Goldies and Koi are pretty hardy anyway.

 

[The-Wolf]

another good way for those that use external cannisters is to place the cannister in a bucket and fill the bucket with ice/coldwater.
this will reduce the temp of the water in the cannister and it will flow into the tank cooler than it came out (make sense?)

be careful that you keep all electrical leads out of the water, and it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyways) do not submerge the top part of the cannister

 

[andyboy!!]

Thank you

I've started to take a few of these steps. Great idea about the ice.

How quickly can you cool the water down? Does it 'shock' the fish if it drops down too quickly.

Also, I'm not sure what you mean by placing filter outlets near the surface.

Thanks for your help

Andy.

 

[PaulEbs]

You need to regularly change the melted ice for new ice during the day to stop the temp. from fluctuating too much.

What type of filter do you have?

..Where the water pours out of the filter, have it above the water surface, so that it breaks it and creates more aggitation and bubbles..

 

[BigIan]

what will really hurt your fish is the fact that when water warms up the amount of oxygen it holds is considerably less... (even if it only raises a degree or two) oxygen exchange takes place at the surface of the water so the more the surface of the water is agitated the more surface area the more o2 can enter the watter. aswell as the fact that the filter outlet near the surface "rotates" the water around the tank more so the fish at the bottome get some air too.

 

[Qays]

• Very Regular Water Changes
• Frequent replacement of ice packs floating in bags on surface
  
  [*]Moving fish tank to cooler area [downstairs]
• Using a fan to ripple the water surface
• Creating better circulation in the room
  
  [*]Minimise lighting usage
• Keep Aquarium lid open [with jumpy fish, cover with net]
• Place all filter outlets on water surface
• Use an air pump with a large stone
  
  [*]Move to a colder climate

The ones in bold are, imo, inappropriate. But the rest sound good.

You could freeze a large block of ice and put it in a bag.

A large block will melt slower.

 

[PaulEbs]

Not having the lights on for the whole day has considerably reduced the heat in our tanks.

I admit, moving the tank, or your family, is not recommended just because of the heat.

 

[Qays]

Turning out aquarium lights will affect possible plants.

 

[PaulEbs]

Although keeping the lights to a minimum won't kill them off.

And what would you rather keep alive.. Plants or Fish?

 

[Qays]

Actually, fish will not die at a temprature of 27-28.

minimising lighting has hardly any effect on reducing heat, fluroecent lights produce minimal heat anyway. There really isnt any point of switching it off unless its Extreme.

 

[PaulEbs]

I disagree..

..I noticed atleast a degree difference once the lights had been cut down to minimal usage..