High Temp Of Fish Tank

[weary01]

hi all,
In Aus we have been having a few 43 degree celsius days and my fish tank in my room has been getting to 30 degrees, now my fish are coping (at the moment) but i do not like the temperature it is reaching, i have been leaving the lid open on it in hope that it may cool it down (some how). but is there anything i can try? or just let it go?

cheers

 

[Colin_T]

Just increase the surface turbulence/ aeration in the tanks and that will maximise the oxygen in the water. If you have a light above the tank then raise it up a bit so there is more room for air to flow around. Turning the lights off during the day will reduce heat. Close the bedroom curtains during the day to stop heat coming in from outside. Open the windows at night, (unless you live in a bad neighbourhood, then keep them shut). Having an air conditioner in the house will usually cool things down a bit. Turn the computer off because they warm up rooms really well

Most fish are fine at 30C especially if the temp has gone up slowly over the course of a few weeks. Keep the water clean and well aerated, and the feeding down while the temp is really warm and it will help keep the water cleaner.

 

[smegforbrains]

If non of that works, try popping a bag of ice cubes in to float on the top

 

[WILDER]

Don't fetch the temp down by more than two degrees.
Adding ice cubes is a waste of time to be honest.
Fish will get stressed if you keep altering the temp with ice cubes causing desease.
Just increase aeration like colin has said as high temp reduce 02 in the water.

 

[weary01]

sweet, thanks all for that, this is excellent help

 

[Spannaz]

can always get the windows to that room solar filmed. Stops up to 80% of heat penetrating the glass by reflecting it out. IE you can have a black leather sofa in the sun and it doesn't absorb the heat it normally would. Stops 99% of UV light too.

 

[raptorrex]

Don't fetch the temp down by more than two degrees.
Adding ice cubes is a waste of time to be honest.
Fish will get stressed if you keep altering the temp with ice cubes causing desease.
Just increase aeration like colin has said as high temp reduce 02 in the water.

surly increasing surface agitation, will just heat up the tank more,(though the O2 is needed) as it increases the surface area. its the first time i have heard someone say using ice filled containers is a bad idea too. whilst everything needs done carefully, the use of ice and fans can control the aquarium temp, very well, when the ambient temp gets too high. but each to their own i suppose.

 

[WILDER]

My tank temp goes up in the summer months and I just increase aeration and the fish are fine.
Ice cubes melt fast and the temp soon goes back up, it just a waste of time adding ice cubes.
Best to get to the route cause of the high temp or buy one of them cooler units.

 

[smegforbrains]

can always get the windows to that room solar filmed. Stops up to 80% of heat penetrating the glass by reflecting it out. IE you can have a black leather sofa in the sun and it doesn't absorb the heat it normally would. Stops 99% of UV light too.

Do you work for Pilkington or Saint Gobain by any chance?


Those stats are absolute rubbish, sorry.

 

[Colin_T]

I have to agree with Wilder on the ice issue. The fish are better off staying in warm water rather than being in water with a temperature that fluctuates throughout the day. Adding ice cubes, bags of ice, water bottles with frozen water in, etc will drop the temperature but the ice soon melts and the temperature goes back up. If you replace the bottles of ice every hour or so then it will keep the water cooler but it is a lot of work and needs constant maintenance. In the long run it isn't good for the fish having the temperature fluctuating that much that quickly so you’re better off just leaving it.

Fans can be used and work well if the covers are removed and there's lots of surface turbulence. You do however get lots of evaporation and the tank will need topping up.

For everyone who is worried about warm water in their tanks, there is nothing to really worry about unless you keep corals or rift lake cichlids. Corals start to bleach at 30C and many rift lake cichlids start to die at temps above 32C.
For the last few weeks our daytime temp has been above 37C (in the shade) and although my tanks are around the 28-30C mark the fish and corals are still alive and well. Although some of the corals are getting close to their limits none of them have bleached and the fish and shrimp are all fine. This happens every year and as long as the water is kept clean and well oxygenated, the fish will be fine.

If weary01 is really concerned he/she could buy a portable room air conditioner and simply cool the room down. You can even make an evaporative cooler air conditioner out of a fan and a wet tea towel. Simply hang a wet tea towel in front of the fan and the air will cool down as it passes over the wet towel. Just keep the towel damp otherwise it doesn't work.

 

[raptorrex]

i agree, broadly with Wilder and Colin. but if you , initially, test the size and surface area of the container used, its not that hard to ensure a consistent drop in temperature. to keep it there, all you need to do is changer the container of ice, before it is totally melted.