Keeping tank water temperature down in summer

[newhobbist]

It's getting pretty hot and spending $300-400 for a chiller is not an option for now. Is there any other way it can be done?
Also, what is the maximum acceptable water temperature for a community tank?

 

[talloulou]

Here is an article that may help....
http://www.aquariumhobbyist.com/articles/TankTemperatureControl.html

 

[LindsayB]

I would suggest keeping the tank away from direct sunlight perhaps against a wall. That has worked for me in the past. Good luck!

 

[greenmaji]

window AC units for the room that the tank is in are not too expensive, much less than a chiller.. make sure its not a wiring issue before you go get one though...

 

[mumrah]

well, getting your water cooler than ambiant room temperature can be less than easy.

But if your water is more than, say 2-3*C above the air temp you could run your return line through a radiator. Perhaps a similar setup to a water cooling system for a computer.

http://www.frozencpu.com/scan/se=Water Cooling/se=Radiators/mp=menu_search.html
plus 2 80mm fans mounted somewhere on the back of your stand.

Also, you could possibly build a watercooling block with some cooper plates a thermoelectric cooler. But that's a little hardcore DIY.

GL,
David

 

[greenmaji]

mumrah...
Im thinking a window air conditioning unit would be cheaper and work better.. JMHO though..

that and the water in your tank has a large surface area to cool down already..ie the surface water.. using a fan to cool the surface will work well..

 

[severum mama]

I've heard of people who use a clean pop/water bottle, like the 20 oz. size or so, to fill with water and freeze, then float it in the tank. Don't know if this is a good idea though, never tried it myself. :?

 

[FMJnaX]

well, getting your water cooler than ambiant room temperature can be less than easy.

But if your water is more than, say 2-3*C above the air temp you could run your return line through a radiator. Perhaps a similar setup to a water cooling system for a computer.

http://www.frozencpu.com/scan/se=Water Cooling/se=Radiators/mp=menu_search.html
plus 2 80mm fans mounted somewhere on the back of your stand.

Also, you could possibly build a watercooling block with some cooper plates a thermoelectric cooler. But that's a little hardcore DIY.

GL,
David

Ha! That's funny you mentioned it because that's exactly what I'm working on. I've got a goldfish (coldwater fish) and his temps are reaching 80F. He's used to 78F, but I'm going to try and get it lower.

I'm using a dual Chevette heater core (2 x120mm fans). I'm running it with a Hydor L45 pump and it's all going to be situated inside my stand. I've also got a resevior that I can drop small pieces of ice in to melt in.

The parts I'm using now are from my old PC. It was able to cool a processor from 65C to 30C under full load. It's fairly loud, but I don't expect to run it 24/7. I've got a temp probe that I'm going to try and wire up to a timer or something so that I can keep a constant temp. I'm working with an old thermostat from our air conditioner/heater. I'll just have to run a bunch of tests first to make sure it works.

A window A/C unit may be better, but it's out of the question for me.

 

[BillD]

Using a rad, you will not be able to get it lower than the air temp. You would be better to run the water through the reservoir and put the frozen pop bottle in it to cool the water.

 

[FMJnaX]

Using a rad, you will not be able to get it lower than the air temp. You would be better to run the water through the reservoir and put the frozen pop bottle in it to cool the water.

Correct. I've been watercooling my PC's for about 4 years now. Best I can do is 1C above ambient, without additions. I'm not expecting (or wanting) to get this low (20C). I just need to drop roughly 5C down to 22C, which is more than possible with my heatercore. Using a car heatercore is much more efficient than a commercial radiator of the same size. It's been proven over and over again in the PC watercooling world.

Anyway, I'm going to run the resevoir with the iced bottle. Very nice idea! I'm also going to keep the heater core in place. Maybe I'll just go with passive cooling on it though. This way it will drop at least a little bit of heat before hitting the resevoir.

 

[Guest]

How can it be that hot in New York? I live in Florida and have never had an issue with water temperature.

 

[Mazdaman]

I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and my tank is already above 80deg. It has gone up to 81 but no higher. It does drop down to about 78.5 at night so it isn't too drastic of a change. I have tried the ice cubes in a bag method and it didn't really work to well. Must have needed more ice cubes for a 75gal. I am going to try the frozen water bottle as the ice will get denser in the bottle and melt slower. So I do see how it can hot anywhere.

 

[newhobbist]

Since the room temperature is 87 degrees and I can drop it to only 82 with AC, I would have to keep AC working 24/7 and still water wouldn't be cool enough (the water got to 84 overnight with no appliances working, except a power filter, which does not generate much of heat at all). I try ice bags, and they can lower the temperature by about 2 degrees, but they are foating at the surface and reduce surface area used for C2 exchange
I'm ordering a chiller. Since it will be used only 2 month per year, it should last a long time. Today I spent about two hours of my work time worring about the fish and thinking how to resolve this problem. I figured out that in long run, this investment will save my time that I spend on checking the fish and running aroung my apartment with ice bags, save money on lost fish, and will give me peace of mind. I told my girlfriend that it cost only $200 (in real, $399 plus water pump and plumbing). Hopefully, it will arrive before any fish dies.

 

[Guest]

Im sorry, I was just wondering why so many people up north have this problem, i guess its because you don't use the airconditioning like we do down here in Florida, I keep my thermostat at 75 and my room temperature is never above 80.. i don't think i could stand it if it was! Most people down here leave their air conditioning on and set with a thermostat 24/7. So i actually have to use a heater to keep my tank at 78.

 

[mr86mister]

yeah pretty much up here ashley we use a/c for 2 months a year...so not all of us have central air just the window ones...i live upstairs and i have a problem in my room of getting to hot....i do the ice in the bags and it seems to work fine. My question is though, what if i took water put conditioner in it and froze it, could i just put the cubes in my tank?

 

[greenmaji]

It sounds like your A/C unit needs maintainance. It could be dirty or needs recharged
or both.

 

[ChileRelleno]

Things you can try...
Leave the AC on, but set at 80'. (strike that in your case)
Turn off aquarium heaters.
Run a fan over the water surface.
Leave the hood open, but some type of cover to prevent jumping.
Turn of lights.
Buy a chiller.

Don't forget higher temps mean lower oxygen levels.
Add extra aeration/gas exchange/surface disturbance via air pump, lower water to cause more filter splash, ect..

 

[Bendy82]

I read about the iced bottle somewhere too?
I remember a couple of years back we had a record hot summer, the highest temp was 37C (100F approx) which is something for the UK.
My tank temp shot up to about 28C so I tried ice packs floated on the surface with no ill affects.

 

[africamonk]

i'm in NY and having the same problems ..... the water gets 84F - 87F ..... i have the front of the canopy open, a fan blowing over the water, floating bags and bottles of ice ..... but it seems like its not helping much, since i'm not home the whole time to keep changing the ice ...... so i've been doing small
PWC with cold tap water once or twice a day, but am worried about it changing the water quality ....... are there any better solutions? ... other than buying a chiller ? ....... i've lost 4 newly acquired albino cories .... and would hate to see more die ......!

 

[greenmaji]

When was the last time you guys had your AC looked at?