Chilling suggestions...

[mdjxt39]

Ok I just realized this I am going to be out of town for 4 days later this month, which means I am going to have to turn off the AC for those days.

This leaves me worried because today was insanely warm I turned off my AC at 9 AM came back to 8 PM tonight and the tank went from 76 to 80 degrees. If those days I am gone are anywhere near today's temperatures I can't imagine what the temperature of the tank will be after 4 full days of no AC.

I checked out tank chillers they are all way out of the budget, are there any other practical things I can do to minimize the temperature raise besides just saying w/e and leaving the AC on the whole time.

 

[Guest]

Yes, I run fans across my water, and in my canopy when it is very hot, and you woukd be surpsrised how much it will cool a tank down. You can use regular fans if you have nothing else.

I used something like this

http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18362/si1383360/cl0/coralifeaqualightcoolingfankit318

 

[tecwzrd]

Losing your tank could cost more then the slight savings of not running your AC for 4 days.

Rapid fluctuations in temperature can cause sickness/death in many fish/inverts and it’s better to set your heater higher i.e. 80-82 degrees to keep fluctuations down during the night if running without AC. Any temperature higher then 85 degrees is pushing it IMO.

You don’t list any fish/inverts in your “my info” and if you still don’t have any then it’s not as critical to maintain temperature.

If you do have fish/inverts then I’d run your tank without lights during the 4 days gone and keep your AC set slightly higher like around 80 to maintain a constant temp. As Mike mentioned fans help greatly to keep the temps down but will do little to help if the room is 90+.

 

[Tex]

I have a clip on fan attached to wood canopy. Works great, agitates the water but unfortunately speeds up evaporation. I also have the fan plugged into the same timer as the lights so it doesn't run at night

Assuming you have central air and not a window unit, a programmable thermostat is great to have. They are readily available a t Lowes or Home Depot for about $50. I have mine programmed to keep the house at 82° max in the hot afternoon when I'm at work. Should you decide to go that route I can walk you through selecting one and wiring it up.

 

[Guest]

Losing your tank could cost more then the slight savings of not running your AC for 4 days.

Good Point.

I run my AC everyday while I am at work on low. The electric bill shows but in New Engand I only have to do it for about 3 months.

 

[Tex]

I might add, a programable t-stat works in the winter on the furnace as well. In fact, I love mine. It reminds me when to change the filter, shows my daily, weekly and monthly energy usage, has a vacation mode and has a Timex Indiglo backlight among other things. It's probably saved me several hundred dollars in the 2 years I've had it.