My fish are hot!

[Zic]

I live in central Illinois and it's quite warm here. Today, it's one hundred degrees. My fishtank has risen to 78-80 degrees. Should I be worried about this? I put a fan in front of the tank, in effort to cool it, but it hasn't helped much.

I really don't want to buy a chiller. They're expensive and I could use that money on a bigger tank! Plus, it's only really hot here for a month or two at the most.

If I lived in Arizona, I would have bought one already, but I can't really justify spending that much money on something I will only use for a month or so out of the year.

My only other thought was that I could do a water change. I could put the fresh water in the fridge for ten to fifteen minutes. I would then check it's temp to make sure it's not too cold (So I don't shock the fish) Is this a good idea or not?

If not, what would you suggest?

 

[d9hp]

I think 80 is fine. The only thing you dont want is drastic changes. If you are really worried you could take a bucket of water out, put some ice in the bucket. Take some airline tubing and let it drip (1-3 drips a second) into your HOB filter. This would work but may be a little overkill

 

[Allivymar]

Depends on what type of fish you keep. As d9hp said, 80 can be fine, especially for most tropical fish; its drastic changes that are a problem and can kill fish.

From all the reading I've done, it seems the most effective way to lower tank temps is a fan; specifically a small one that is directed to the top of the tank so the air hits the water. If you remember high school science, evaporation causes temperatures to drop. Thing is, you need to keep an eye on your water levels, so this won't work if you are going away for a few days.

 

[Zic]

I made a mistake. The temp is normally 78-80 degrees. Now it's up to 88 degrees. I could put a fan so it hits the water and see how that works.

PS I have mollies, tetras, platies and an angelfish

 

[cdawson]

I found my temp at 85 last night and the tank I have (a 135g brackish) is usually at 78-80. It fried my figure eight, I'm hoping my other fish and tanks aren't getting affected by it.

 

[Black Sails]

Read this thread: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=4822

There are a few good suggestions there. Hope it helps.

 

[Zic]

Sure does. Thanks.