Hi, I have a 600L tank (not mine originally but having to take care of it) . Can't afford an aquarium chiller. The temperature here is rising sky high recently. It's around 46°C outside but I'm trying to maintina aquarium temperature at 30°C. I have a powerful fan running, 2 filters (one cannister and one powerhead) I've removed sunlight exposure and kept he curtains drawn in the day. Also trying to put ice packs and ice bottles but obviously they only work a bit. Any other suggestions?this really stresses me out every summer. I just want the little babies to be okay and I want to do my best. I have 4 goldfish and 12 black skirt tetras so it's not even overcrowded.
High temperature in summers! What to do?
- Thread starter Shruti
- Start date
It's a real battle, and it's going to get worse with climate changes. All you can do is what you're doing, unless you can get air conditioning. That can be expensive, depending on where you are.
Keep the water moving to increase oxygen exchange.
Keep the water moving to increase oxygen exchange.
Thank you so much! Yes I'm doing everything possible. It just sucks. The person before this never thought of all this before installing such a big aquarium. It is so cruel to do this just cause you want to show off... What about the poor fish!
madmark285
Fishaholic
For us Americans, thats 114F which for us is unbearable hot. For you and your fish, get a window AC unit. Just keeping one room at 26°C (80°F) may be the best option. Managed properly, you can keep your electric cost low.
Long term, I would start looking for fish that like warm water. Highly biased here but I suggest a Mbuna tank. They thrive in 25°C water and can tolerate higher temperatures during heat waves.
I believe growing plants in warm water is difficult (I'm not a plant expert) so a tank filled with just rocks & Mbunas may work well for you. And it would be a great display tank!
They will be fine as long as the filter and tank/ gravel is cleaned regularly, and there is plenty of oxygen in the water. My tanks would sit on 30-34C all summer and the fish were fine. The main thing is clean water and maximising the oxygen level in the water. Warm water holds less oxygen than cool water so you need lots of aeration.
Goldfish can tolerate 30C and they live in local waterways here that regularly hit 30C in summer. Just give them a cool period over winter and they will be fine, same deal with the tetras. Set the heater to 16C if you can and let the water drop to that during winter.
Plants are fine in warm water. You have to remember that most of the fish you buy at pet shops (including coldwater fishes like goldfish) come from tropical Asia where it sits on 30-34C all day every day. The plants and fish are born there and grow up there. A couple of months of 30C water shouldn't harm healthy fish as long as the temperature goes up over a period of time and not suddenly overnight.
Goldfish can tolerate 30C and they live in local waterways here that regularly hit 30C in summer. Just give them a cool period over winter and they will be fine, same deal with the tetras. Set the heater to 16C if you can and let the water drop to that during winter.
Plants are fine in warm water. You have to remember that most of the fish you buy at pet shops (including coldwater fishes like goldfish) come from tropical Asia where it sits on 30-34C all day every day. The plants and fish are born there and grow up there. A couple of months of 30C water shouldn't harm healthy fish as long as the temperature goes up over a period of time and not suddenly overnight.
Welcome to our forum to start with...
Actually, you've already mentioned yourself what to do about it. But yes, the frustration is more that it can still be insufficient. In this case, a daily cold water change could also be added to the cooling effort.
Overhere, when the temperatures rise that much, I also have to try to keep those temperatures down as much as possible and I'm doing the same thing as you're doing right now. We've got a flat roof and that can be a real buffer for hot air. Although, our roof is insulated, which sould be sufficient but once the heat is in the room, it can be dramatic overhere.
TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
While out home has central air, out second building where I also have fish does notl it it two rooms, One huge and another smaller one where I have a number of tanks. The heating is central. But my tanks inthat room are always between about 82 F and 86F and warmer if I am soding a dry/rain season. simulation.There is central heat comwing into the space with the fish but no A/C. The space has two big windows. So, we repved a window, put in a tenp wall and small A/C unti through that temp wall. When I no longer have fish there, I still have the window read to go back in.
The room with the fish is amll and has a low sceiling,]. The tanks and the eequipment cause the room temp to rise. Without the small room A/C unit it would likely be a suana. I kep the A/C set at 78F. Much of the year I also block the single heater vent in the rooom which is in the floor under a rack of 2 x 33Ls. It will heat the tank if left open. Hwever, we can get under 20F herein winter and have even seen 0. I open the vent block for such temps.
Thew worst part of it is when It is maint. day for those tanks I need to cool the room to a working 73F or so. Boy, is that A/C a blessing in summer. But it will also warm in winter because the heat bleeds in from the other rooms and the tanks are still heating everything.
The A/C is on the smallsize as it is not a big room It cost me about $150 and I paid a carpenter to do the install. I could have done it when younger, but I was able to afford what it cost to get somebody else to do it. It only took a few hours. That A/C was out in over a dozen years ago and still runs fine today.
I am lucky in one respecy with all ov this. I ikepp a lot of tanks for breeding and growing out Hypamcistrus plecos from the Rio Xingu. I have gad the fish in 92F water at the peal of a dry season simulation. I have had a heater fail and warm a tank to 104F and the only fish that survived were the L450 plecos which I was growing out. They spawned a few weeks later.
Decades ago when I shared a home with 3ofr the other owner of a sound company, we had a community tank in the living room. We had no A/C. What we dis wast to remove two quart sized rectangular containers of water from the tank (which we then replaced) and we froze them both. We would use a bit of warm water on the container to get the block of ice out and put inro rhe tank. At the same time we also refilled the container with tank water. So, we always had an iceberg we could use to cool the tank. We did not have to worry about dechlor etc, in the ice since it was water from the tank.
For many summers I used to set up tanks otdoors on a terrace which has ceens for 3/4 walls. It was pretty well shaded but still exposed to temps intothe 90s. I never di anything to kepe them cool. They never got above a worrst of about 88 and the fish could handle that. The bigger issue was at the start and the end of the season when the overnight temps began to drop into the mid 50s or lower. That was the real battle. Most of the tanks had about 17.5 - 20 wpg of heaters for that.
The room with the fish is amll and has a low sceiling,]. The tanks and the eequipment cause the room temp to rise. Without the small room A/C unit it would likely be a suana. I kep the A/C set at 78F. Much of the year I also block the single heater vent in the rooom which is in the floor under a rack of 2 x 33Ls. It will heat the tank if left open. Hwever, we can get under 20F herein winter and have even seen 0. I open the vent block for such temps.
Thew worst part of it is when It is maint. day for those tanks I need to cool the room to a working 73F or so. Boy, is that A/C a blessing in summer. But it will also warm in winter because the heat bleeds in from the other rooms and the tanks are still heating everything.
The A/C is on the smallsize as it is not a big room It cost me about $150 and I paid a carpenter to do the install. I could have done it when younger, but I was able to afford what it cost to get somebody else to do it. It only took a few hours. That A/C was out in over a dozen years ago and still runs fine today.
I am lucky in one respecy with all ov this. I ikepp a lot of tanks for breeding and growing out Hypamcistrus plecos from the Rio Xingu. I have gad the fish in 92F water at the peal of a dry season simulation. I have had a heater fail and warm a tank to 104F and the only fish that survived were the L450 plecos which I was growing out. They spawned a few weeks later.
Decades ago when I shared a home with 3ofr the other owner of a sound company, we had a community tank in the living room. We had no A/C. What we dis wast to remove two quart sized rectangular containers of water from the tank (which we then replaced) and we froze them both. We would use a bit of warm water on the container to get the block of ice out and put inro rhe tank. At the same time we also refilled the container with tank water. So, we always had an iceberg we could use to cool the tank. We did not have to worry about dechlor etc, in the ice since it was water from the tank.
For many summers I used to set up tanks otdoors on a terrace which has ceens for 3/4 walls. It was pretty well shaded but still exposed to temps intothe 90s. I never di anything to kepe them cool. They never got above a worrst of about 88 and the fish could handle that. The bigger issue was at the start and the end of the season when the overnight temps began to drop into the mid 50s or lower. That was the real battle. Most of the tanks had about 17.5 - 20 wpg of heaters for that.
The water is boiling here too! So everytime the aquarium cools down through evaporation I have to add the hot tap waterWelcome to our forum to start with...
Actually, you've already mentioned yourself what to do about it. But yes, the frustration is more that it can still be insufficient. In this case, a daily cold water change could also be added to the colling effort.
Overhere, when the temperatures rise that much, I also have to try to keep those temperatures down as much as possible and I'm doing the same thing as you're doing right now. We've got a flat roof and that can be a real buffer for hot air. Although, our roof is insulated, which sould be sufficient but once the heat is in the room, it can be dramatic overhere.
it's such a vicious cycle! It touched 48°C here today!The water is boiling here too! So everytime the aquarium cools down through evaporation I have to add the hot tap waterWelcome to our forum to start with...
Actually, you've already mentioned yourself what to do about it. But yes, the frustration is more that it can still be insufficient. In this case, a daily cold water change could also be added to the colling effort.
Overhere, when the temperatures rise that much, I also have to try to keep those temperatures down as much as possible and I'm doing the same thing as you're doing right now. We've got a flat roof and that can be a real buffer for hot air. Although, our roof is insulated, which sould be sufficient but once the heat is in the room, it can be dramatic overhere.
it's such a vicious cycle! It touched 48°C here today! These aren't even the months it's the hottest here so it's just going to get worse! Oh gosh. I used to feel so relaxed looking at aquariums before as a kid and now all I feel is stress.This gives me some relief! Thank you! The problem is I'm also struggling to do water changes due to the source water being super hot. But yes keeping the sponge filters clean as possible.
We can have such different conditions. In winter, I want as much light as I can get in the fish area, but now that summer is coming, I have planted heavily outside the window with giant sunflowers, to try to filter the sunlight. And that's because 25 degrees in the fishroom seems overly hot!
I can't imagine 48. The warmest I have ever been in was 45, and that for one day in 65 years of living. I hope this works for you and your fish - they shouldn't be a source of stress.
I can't imagine 48. The warmest I have ever been in was 45, and that for one day in 65 years of living. I hope this works for you and your fish - they shouldn't be a source of stress.
TNG
Fishaholic
Why is your source water super hot, does it come from a holding tank sitting on your roof exposed to the sun?
Yes! It's a big tank that has water. The thing is I don't have much control over certain parts of the house. So I do the best with what I can. Also, Gary, those sunflowers sound so Wonderful!
Yes, the aquarium temp is being maintained at 31°C but I think because it's so insanely hot outside I just feel the fish must be boiling too. I mean 31 is still quite high but this is the best one can do and they don't seem to be stressed or anything. I think I'm too stressed on their behalf hahaha. Honestly goldfish just swim into your hearts. I have a really friendly chubby one that I absolutely adore and it truly brings so much happiness in my life. I've had it for almost 4 years and it's the sweetest one out of all of them!
Get tap water into the same room as the tank and put it in a holding tank/ container. Wait until the temperatures are the same, then do the water change.
If you could put some shade cloth over the water tank, it would be a bit cooler.
TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
I spent a bit over 18 ,months working in Saudi Arabia in the late 1970s. I experienced 130F (54.4F) in the shade. This was in the summer on the Gulf side. I was then transferred to Jeddah. There I met one of the workers from Scotland. He was a fish keeper. He built a tank for SW fish, and then collected the fish from the Red Sea to stock it. The fish looked fine when I saw them, Unfortunately, some time later the seals on the tank let go., and that was the end of that
And I am not so sure that fish which did not develop over time to deal with very warm water are not at all harmed when their water is on the too warm side. Metabolism changes with temperature. So it is not a big leap to assume that while keeping goldies in overly warm water may not kill them, but I would bet it does shorten their lifespan if the water is warm enough for long enough.
Most fish do not require an exact temperature to the degree. They have a range in which they will thrive. In most places water temp is not constant 24/7, 365. It changes day to night and back again, it may also change seasonally. I have fish I have to raise the water to over 90 F when simulating a dry/rainy season. For the onset of the rainy I drop the temp from the low 90s into the mid 70s in about 36 hours in two stages. This should trigger them to spawn. This is how it works in nature so the fish are OK with such temps and changes.
So, based on your specific species, you may or may not be in a safe zone for temperature. Here is a research paper which may interest you.
Ford, T. and Beitinger, T.L., 2005. Temperature tolerance in the goldfish, Carassius auratus. Journal of Thermal Biology, 30(2), pp.147-152.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306456504001731
Goldfish obtained from retail pet stores in north Texas were placed in aquaria filled with dechlorinated Denton tap water under a LD 12:12 photoperiod. After attaining the selected acclimation temperature at the rate of 1 °C per day, fish were held for a minimum of 20 days at constant temperatures of 5, 15, 25 and 35 °C.
Basically what the above is saying is that the temperature limits for the fish were partially the result of first acclimating them to a specific higher temperature. That means gradually raising the tremperature so the fish can adapt to it to some extent. That is why the levels for both too cold and too hot, where it becomes fatal, depend on how they were acclimated in advance.
And I am not so sure that fish which did not develop over time to deal with very warm water are not at all harmed when their water is on the too warm side. Metabolism changes with temperature. So it is not a big leap to assume that while keeping goldies in overly warm water may not kill them, but I would bet it does shorten their lifespan if the water is warm enough for long enough.
Most fish do not require an exact temperature to the degree. They have a range in which they will thrive. In most places water temp is not constant 24/7, 365. It changes day to night and back again, it may also change seasonally. I have fish I have to raise the water to over 90 F when simulating a dry/rainy season. For the onset of the rainy I drop the temp from the low 90s into the mid 70s in about 36 hours in two stages. This should trigger them to spawn. This is how it works in nature so the fish are OK with such temps and changes.
So, based on your specific species, you may or may not be in a safe zone for temperature. Here is a research paper which may interest you.
Ford, T. and Beitinger, T.L., 2005. Temperature tolerance in the goldfish, Carassius auratus. Journal of Thermal Biology, 30(2), pp.147-152.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306456504001731
Abstract
- 1. Lower and upper temperature tolerances of 240 goldfish, Carassius auratus, were measured at constant acclimation temperatures of 5, 15, 25 and 35 °C via critical thermal methodology.
- 2. Mean critical thermal minima and maxima ranged from 0.3 to12.6 °C and 30.8 to 43.6 ° C, respectively, and were significantly linearly related to acclimation temperature. Acclimation temperature accounted for approximately 90% of the variance in temperature tolerance. Ultimate critical thermal minimum and maximum equaled 0.3 and 43.6 °C, respectively.
- 3. Integrating the temperature tolerance polygon yielded an area of temperature tolerance of 1429 °C2, which is approximately 17% larger than the polygon measured via the incipient lethal temperature approach. This difference is explained by methodological differences in these two techniques to quantify temperature tolerance.
Goldfish obtained from retail pet stores in north Texas were placed in aquaria filled with dechlorinated Denton tap water under a LD 12:12 photoperiod. After attaining the selected acclimation temperature at the rate of 1 °C per day, fish were held for a minimum of 20 days at constant temperatures of 5, 15, 25 and 35 °C.
Basically what the above is saying is that the temperature limits for the fish were partially the result of first acclimating them to a specific higher temperature. That means gradually raising the tremperature so the fish can adapt to it to some extent. That is why the levels for both too cold and too hot, where it becomes fatal, depend on how they were acclimated in advance.
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