FishProfiles.com Message Forums

It's gotten really hot the past few days. I don't have A/C and the water temp in my 10G is soaring. How can I lower the water temperature without stressing out my fish???

Thanks!

You can always unplug your heater and get a chiller. Chillers may be expensive but it could save your fish. What kind of fish do you have and what temps can the tolerate?

Chris

If you have a small fan, you can place it near the tank and by opening the top or removing it the air moving across the surface will cause evaporation, which in turn helps to cool the tank water. You'll have to top off the water more often, but it does help to drop the temperature a few degrees.

Jim

---

Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

If you have incandescent bulbs in the hood switch to the screw in compact fluorescent bulbs. The incandescent bulbs give off a lot of heat.

Yeah, keep the lights off and consider a chiller.

Find the worlds best aquarium sites at www.FantasticAquatics.com

I'm with OldTimer on this one... You should be able to lower the temp by blowing a fan across the top of the water. I assume you have tropical fish? If so, then the temps in their natural environment go way up in the summer for them as well, so they'll survive as long as your temps don't get too much above the high-eighties. What happens is that their metabolism will speed way up, though, so you may consider several very small feedings throughout the day instead of one or two large ones.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

when you do water changes just add cooler water, and do the fan idea. Dont go with a chiller, they are like $500.

Fans won't cause that much of a rapid temp flux or change in the water temp.

Also, don't unplug the heater. If you forget to plug back in and the room temp does plunge during the night that can cause a chilling especially in smaller tanks.

personaly wouldnt bother unlees the fish look sick or stressed, melb summers sees tanks at 33-34 degrees

fish dont mind, whatthey do mind aparantly is major water change (though in winter i chane my tanks with 16-17 degree water lowering tank temp up to 6-7 degrees, they dont mind and usualy spawn following a change)

essentialy its about stability, keep things stable unless you have some seriously fussy fish (discus, wild caught stuff...)

def dont unplug the heater if the tanks that hot it wont go on anyway.

i didnt see any of my heater on from dec-mar (now there on all the time!! stupid winter!!)

i would put a fan over the tank, not to lower the temp, but to increase surface agitation, as the dissolved oxygen can get pretty low in high temps

If you have incandescent lighting, upgrade to fluorescent. If you have older fluorescents, upgrade to newer slimline bulbs, or at least swap out the old lead ballasts for new electronic ones. The effect will be much less waste heat and a savings on your electic bill.
Also try increasing the distance from your light source to the top of your tank. A few inches can mean a few degrees, especially when using a fan.