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It's been very hot here in Sydney since January. The tank's heaters never need to turn on, it's so hot. I've been watching the temp, & it's usally a bit on the high side, but still ok. But for the 2nd day in a row now, the thermometer in the tank is telling me the water is 32 degrees celcius (89.6F) I don't have a chiller & by what I've been told of prices, I can't afford one either. Does anyone have any suggestion of how I can bring the temperature in the tank down? The tank has guppies & playts & is well planted. Fish seem okay, but I do think the playts seem slower than usual. What can I do?

Cheers
TW

You could try doing a water change of 25%-50% and put cold water back into the tank. But do it slowly so they don't get shock.


Milkyboy

Do you have an oscillating fan? Leave the tank lid open a bit and direct the fan so that as it swings around it passes by the tank, the evaporation will help to cool the tank a bit and will do it gradually enough to not cause shock. Keep an eye on the thermometer to know when to stop.

I know I live in the frozen north in Canada but we get some heat, for a few days anyway!

"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus

thanks, I'll try a water change - but I think that the may only last a short while, as yesterday was the weekly water change day & by the afternoon, the temp was up (it was the first time I actually saw it that high). I might have to buy a fan, as I don't have one.

I'd also thought I could keep an ice tray cube filled with tank water in the freezer & pop a cube in when temp gets too high. Would that work at all? What do you think?

Cheers
TW

How big is the tank? The larger the volume of water, the more ice it would take it to cool the tank and you would wind up with uneven cold spots. Your best bet is to try the water change and get a fan. You live in Sydney without one? It gets too hot here in the summer for me to live without my fans, one in each room!

"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus

Don't put ice in your tank! That is a great way to your fish to go into shock...I would suggest the fan! The water change is not a good solution, IMO. It would only change the temp for a short time and you could cause cold spots that shock your fish

-Josh

I thought that might have been the case with the ice - it was just a thought. The tank is 43.5G.

We have fixed ceiling fans in each bedroom, but no air conditioning & no freestanding fans at all (& no heater in winter either - the joys of being married to an accountant who watches the electricity bill like a hawk).

I'll do the water change & see if I have to do some fancy talking about the fans !!!

Edit: jmara - too late for the water change, I'd already done a very, very small water change before I read your post.

Cheers
TW

Hi Robyn,

I have the same problem here in Brisbane. It's even worse with smaller tanks. My 15g desktop tank can go up more than 5C during the day. I actually lost a few fish from the heat when I was on vacation. I have to resort to turning the A/C on automatically during the day now. Another solution (besides the fan idea & having lid off) is to have the lights on at night instead of during the day. Since nightime temp is usually cooler, the heating would only be from the lights (instead of both lights AND outside temp).

HTH!

-P

upikabu

I'll change my timers to run for 10 hours from say 11pm to 9am. That's a good idea.

Currently, the lid and light are both off to help it cool down.

Cheers
TW

If you can't afford a purpose-made chiller, you can rig up an emergency one of your own from some spare parts.

What you need is:

A spare powerhead;

A spare small aquarium (say, 12" x 8" x 8" ;

30 feet or so of plastic tubing.

First of all, arrange a location for the small aquarium within easy reach of your main aquarium. Then, measure the distance. This will help you decide how much plastic siphon tubing you need.

Next, coil the plastic tubing so that you have numerous coils that can be immersed in the small aquarium. Fix coils in place with cable ties.

Next, attach powerhead to one end of the tubing. Use various adapters to make the tubing fit if need be. Attaching the tubing to the exit vent of the powerhead is the best bet.

Next, fix the other end of the tubing so that it directs water back into the main aquarium.

Next, site the powerhead in the main aquarium where it can take water from the main aquarium and feed it into the coiled tube.

Next, add cold water to the small aquarium, and if you can, ice from the freezer.

Next, start up the powerhead.

Voila! Heath Robinson chiller that should keep your aquarium temperature within manageable limits, provided you remember to top up the small aquarium with ice periodically.




Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thank you to everyone for the advice, especially such detail from Calilasseia.

Just wondering if there other any other Aussies (other than you upikabu - who already gave me some good ideas, re the lighting change ) who have found this summer's heat such a problem, and how you handle it?

Cheers
TW

Hi Tankwatcher

I'm in Sydney and my tanks are around the 30 degrees mark at the moment. I close the blinds during the day to try to keep the flat as cool as possible and only have the lights coming on at 5pm so not to give added heat during the day. The fish do seem a little slower than normal but other than that they seem ok. I was advised to put bottles of frozen water in the top of the aquarium which lowers the temp for a short while but it soon creeps up so I've stopped doing that. The high temps use to worry me but unless you can invest in some fancy equipment I think you just have to grin and bear it.

I hope that helps. Good luck.

Hi fishymama

Things (at least in that tank) are better now. I changed my lighting sequence (turns on around 8.30pm & turn off at 6.30am) - so no lights during the heat of the day. I'm leaving the tank hood off during the day also, to let hot air rise out of the tank. I have never seen my fish jump yet - so I'm hoping that they don't decide that now is the time for fishy olympics. When I got home yesterday, the temp was better. It was only 29 or 30 degress - which was better than 32 the night before. The blinds have always remained closed - so no change there. I'm glad to hear that you are experiencing the same problem, but without any dire results. That's probably just what I needed to hear.

I was advised to put bottles of frozen water in the top of the aquarium

I know you're not doing that anymore, but if you read the earlier replies to this thread, you'll see I asked about doing something similar, and I was told not to do so, as it will cause uneven cold spots and it is a good way to send my fish into shock. Just thought I'd mention that. Thanks heaps for your advice.

Cheers
TW

Hi TankWatcher

I actually lost pretty much a tank of fish on New Years Day. I was away on vacaction and came back to a tank full of dead fish.. i lost 40 baby cories and the parents and 2 siamese algae eaters its was the most horrible site! and my other tank i lost a female cichlid. This hot weather creates havoc with tank temps. If its a hot day i leave my blinds down and switch the lights off on the tank for as long as necessary and put fans on the tanks. if its really bad ill do a water change adding cooler water and occassionally (i know this is bad!) but i throw in a couple of ice cubes...
Ive vistited a couple of LFS and noticed on hot days they have added a frozen coke bottle of water and it just floats in the tank...

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Truth doesn't always win friends but it influences them

Hi carpe_diem

I'm so sorry to hear of your fish loss. What a horrible thing to come home to. New Years Day here in Sydney was unbearable. It was 44 degrees C (114.2 degrees F) here in most parts of Sydney. If you were away & the lights were on timer to turn on during the day, it must have been really hot in the tank.

I've found that no lights during the day yesterday, as well as the lid off during the day, made a difference. (At least it did yesterday - hope it continues). Blinds are always down in that room. I'm watching the temp closely - when I'm at home that is. I don't own a fan, but even if I did - there's no way my hubby would let me leave a fan on unattended in the house during the working day, when no-one is home. That is the time it would be needed most. I could do it on the weekend & in the evening when I get home, to cool it down. I'm working on that issue.

Thanks for your advice. I'm really looking forward to the end of this summer - I don't remember such a hot one for a long time.

Cheers
TW

Hey TankWatcher

i live in melbourne and experienced similar problems. (only got to 42 new years day tho!)

however weater is yet to claim any of my cichlids.

I think it might be because i keep them at the upper limit of their temp range (about 28 degrees) i do it because it seems to increace the frequency of them spawning.

i think that might help when in summer the water temp reaches 32 degrees, because the fish are allready used to high temps, i'm not saying to do this for your guppies (i dont know much about guppies) but its possible that those living in hot areas should put their tank temps at the fishes upper threshold (however where they are still comfortable) and conversly those in cold climates should do the opposite.

just a thought, i'd be intrested to see what others think. as i said i never put the temp up because i live in a hot area, just a coincidence that seems to have helped me come a seriously hot summer.

Im hanging in for winter! This weather has been so crazy lately! At least its easier to make your tank warmer!

Thats a good idea african_man.
I treated my 55g tank (cichlid tank) for ich not long before NY day so was praying they would be used to the high temps as i raised it to kill off the parasite and that must have been why all but 1 (and a couple of fry) died. Unfortuately my 20g is situated upstairs in my room (the hottest of them all!) and there would have been no hope of saving them it would have reached at least 50+ degrees in there. It got so hot that i actually found my rubber and ruler melted into each other!

But it is an interesting theory nonetheless!
anyone else tried this method?

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Truth doesn't always win friends but it influences them

Hey african_man

That sounds like a good theory - it seems to make sense to me.

Cheers
TW

i feel sorry for you lot, having to put up with temperatures in the 40, that must be hard. sorry i'm just moaning causes it's about 6 degrees C here in England i have the problem of keeping tanks warm, heaters are on almost 24/7

try that diy cooler, could work very well, for bigger tanks use bigger diameter piping, just make sure mixed well in the tank, so don't get half tank coller then oter half.

Shekoi

www.blooming-brilliant.co.uk

Cals idea is brilliant, you can also boost things by oxygenating the water well,( your fish will appreciate the increased oxygen at hotter times when oxgen in water is lessened) if you get a venturi nozzle for the filter or buy an aerator like a hydor ario and having the intake pipe for the air lengthened so that it is as close to the floor as possible, the increased gaseous exchange and and the cooler air might help to cool the tank by a couple of degrees. Also having the air routed to the tank without a mechanical airpump will cool it down some.