Summertime heat and cooling???

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
MonkeyMonk86

MonkeyMonk86

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
Messages
758
Location
Chicago, Il.
Without purchasing a chiller, what does everyone do about summertime heat?

I ask b/c I'm already having a problem. Condo is 77 degrees, heaters are unplugged, one tank with LED Lights (8 hr on) is registering 80 degrees.

I'm about to set up my 10 gallon with a fluorescent light in the hood, which I'm sure will generate some heat. ( discontinued Marineland eclipse 12 setup)

I have 1 thru wall a/c to cool 3 rooms plus basement where 10 gallon and me will be. So, we're gonna be hot.

How does everyone handle summer heat? Can I float ice bags on the top of the water?
 
I personally have never had this problem but in the spirit of trying to help, If you cannot purchase a chiller I would look into some freeze dried ice you could double bag it and set it in the tank water I do not imagine it would be harmful to the fish and would last much longer than standard ice.
 
Without a cooling system or technique, the aquarium cannot be cooler than the room it is in.

From an engineering standpoint, your time would be better spent trying to cool the basement than cooling an aquarium in the basement. This has the added benefit of making you comfortable as well as dehumidifying the basement air.

I would be cautious about introducing frozen objects into the aquarium. If a fish touches a frozen object, it could be seriously injured. (Frostbite) You should keep your heater plugged in if you try this route to avoid inadvertently chilling the fish.

Although laborious, you could always change out warm water with cool, conditioned tap.
 
Yeah, that's a good option, too. Drain part of the tank and drip feed refrigerated water. I haven been able to locate small water control valves, just a air control valves.

I've been here 20+ years and I do have a new thru the wall basement unit which operates through a long shaft to the ground surface. My future son-in-law, who's a HVAC man picked it out and installed it. The depth dimensions, because of the shaft were the problem. Bottom line, it doesn't help. The basement temp stays the same whether I run it or turn it off. I wish I could get good air down here, but not physically possible.

Does anyone know where I can get small water control valves? I think a slow drip of refrigerated conditioned ice water sounds the best. I can make a bunch of conditioned icecubes and just keep adding the to the pitcher. ( I'm going to have to run a test b/c I add small amt of salt to my water. Idk how much that changes freezing point of water. I know it raises boiling point)

I'm really grateful for all the help and ideas. I know I can't put aquariums upstairs b/c I got an the typical old lady condo with 20+ yr old carpeting that needs to be replaced and unit painted. I hope to accomplish that in the next 5 years.
 
You could get the accumulation kit from Dr fosters and smith I used them on my big tank two years ago during a heat wave.
 
Mifsud said:
Without a cooling system or technique, the aquarium cannot be cooler than the room it is in.

From an engineering standpoint, your time would be better spent trying to cool the basement than cooling an aquarium in the basement. This has the added benefit of making you comfortable as well as dehumidifying the basement air.

I would be cautious about introducing frozen objects into the aquarium. If a fish touches a frozen object, it could be seriously injured. (Frostbite) You should keep your heater plugged in if you try this route to avoid inadvertently chilling the fish.

Although laborious, you could always change out warm water with cool, conditioned tap.
Click to expand...

I agree with you about cooling the room rather than the aquarium. It just makes more sense. Especially because chillers run $300+ they make air conditioners with a vent line that runs to the window rather than the whole unit sitting in the window. It might be worth looking into.

Fish getting frostbite from touching a frozen object just isn't going to happen though (unless its dry ice) I used frozen 2 liters to get my tanks through the heat wave last summer and the entire tank full of fish swam around the bottles pecking at them. The tank was running about 85 - 90 degrees at that point.
 
That would work upstairs, but not in the basement. As stated, I am completely underground with a narrow window well and my future son in law, an HVAC man by trade, picked a $700 air conditioner that does nothing as far as cooling the basement. I'm the same temp with unit on or off. He was limited in options b/c of the depth the unit could be and the window well that was framed out for an air conditioner which is opposite a 15ft bar, not the basement couch/tv area. Further, in a condo you are very limited as to allotted power for your unit. ( you can't just add another switch and line ) Thus, an additional air conditioner is not an option available to me. I wish it was. I'm regretting I ever started fish. I've spent a fortune on stuff.

My best air comes from the frontroom air conditioner above the spiral staircase to the basement.

BTW. There is no location upstairs for the tanks. Mother knocks into everything with her rollator and no out of line of traffic floor space is available.
 
There is a very cool DIY method where you can buy a mini fridge. Run around 100-200 feet of garden hose inside of it and connect the ends to a power head. As the water passes through the fridge it will chill it. So basically your making around a 70$ chiller instead of a 400$ one. There is a video on YouTube. I'll put the link once I find it.
 
Yeah! That is a cool video, Chichlid.Keeper! I think for chillers that is the way to go.

For me to do that I would really have to find one that used very very little power and a handy man to make it for me. Over time, it would possibly be possible, but I'd need an electrician to do the math and possibly reconfigure my own in condo circuit lines. ( I wanted a freezer, b4 I started fish, for add'l food storage and that was a no go; Not enough alloted power. )

But, I loved that video and I think it will help a lot of people to cool their tanks. And, it's a great parent & son/daughter project!

Thank you, too, JessiNoel, I was looking in the wrong section. I think getting one is a great idea! It's got multipurpose uses. Thanks!
 
MonkeyMonk86 said:
Yeah! That is a cool video, Chichlid.Keeper! I think for chillers that is the way to go.

For me to do that I would really have to find one that used very very little power and a handy man to make it for me. Over time, it would possibly be possible, but I'd need an electrician to do the math and possibly reconfigure my own in condo circuit lines. ( I wanted a freezer, b4 I started fish, for add'l food storage and that was a no go; Not enough alloted power. )

But, I loved that video and I think it will help a lot of people to cool their tanks. And, it's a great parent & son/daughter project!

Thank you, too, JessiNoel, I was looking in the wrong section. I think getting one is a great idea! It's got multipurpose uses. Thanks!
Click to expand...


Definitely an easy build though if you have it a try :)
 
The cheapest and easiest way to remove heat from a tank is a fan. The evaporating water will cool the tank but you will go through a lot of water topping off. Might be worth a look. Also, remove hoods and replace them with screens.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Tank overheating and I dont know why
Replies
4
Views
592
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
F
Aquarium Rack - Heating and Filtration Advice
Replies
2
Views
3K
Foisy Aquatics
F
3
Correct water temp and heater wattage question
Replies
7
Views
3K
Leeatl
L
T
Why does svery Tetra I buy die and all my other fish live? Help!
Replies
2
Views
4K
charliebankston
charliebankston
P
A few questions regarding preparation
Replies
6
Views
341
Primordialsoup
P

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom