View Full Version : Tank to hot
acidburn470
10-10-2005, 4:28 PM
Im having trouble getting my tanks temperature to go below 80 and i was wondering if there is something that you can use to cool down a tanks temperature.
DeLgAdO
10-10-2005, 4:35 PM
eithr alot of ice or you could buy a chiller
how bigs the tank?
joeytoe
10-10-2005, 5:14 PM
What are your heaters set for, how many heaters an how many watts? You may just need to turn them down a bit.
acidburn470
10-10-2005, 5:19 PM
I only have one heater and its set at 75 so it never even turns on. THe tank is only a 20 gallon.
HarleyK
10-10-2005, 5:27 PM
Howdy,
why is it so hot? Weather? Crank up the a/c or find a better spot for the tank.
Or is it the light? What lighting do you have? Does it get hot?
HarleyK
joeytoe
10-10-2005, 5:29 PM
I only have one heater and its set at 75 so it never even turns on. THe tank is only a 20 gallon.
You may not even need the heater, since the waters already that warm, What heat sources are near the tank?
acidburn470
10-10-2005, 6:21 PM
The tank is about 2 feet from a boiler, and i cant adjust much cause unfortunatly i live in an old dorm. But it never seems to be on so I dont know. I use a basic flourescent light and it doesnt feel like it gets to hot.
elevatethis
10-10-2005, 7:09 PM
Some powerheads can really heat up a tank...are you using one?
joeytoe
10-10-2005, 9:20 PM
flourescent lights Can generate a fair amount of heat, But it pretty much gets disipated threw the Hood an air, that shouldnt make any diff though. Id say move it a few feet away from the heater (just to make sure) Dorm room heat usually comes on at night.
Most tropicals will do just fine in the low 80s so it should not be a problem.
sohfatfish
10-11-2005, 8:33 AM
Just use a small computer fan to blow at the water surface and it should cool the tank by about 2 to 3degrees celcius depending on the ambient temperature.
enjoi_madness
10-11-2005, 11:33 AM
I have a large salt water tank and it gets too hot sometimes, so i float frozen 2litre bottles that have been filled with water. So you can float them in your tank(or sump in my case). This has worked for me so much, for me i was more woried about changing the salt content of my water. I'm sure you dont have to worry about it since it's freshwater but it may work for you.
HarleyK
10-11-2005, 1:12 PM
Howdy,
Stupid question: What's your room temp? Also, you may want to try to put a simple piece of cardboard between the boiler and your tank. Prop the lights up a bit by setting them on pencils (depending on your hood, I don't know if that's possible). Also, if you tank is real tightly closed, try to prop the lid up a bit (except if you have hatchets or other jumpers).
Good luck,
HarleyK
acidburn470
10-11-2005, 3:58 PM
I have no idea what my room temp is since we have no thermostats in our rooms. I'll try moving it away farther from the boiler. How would I lift my light up do i need a special hood for that?
HarleyK
10-11-2005, 5:23 PM
Howdy,
I have no idea what my room temp is
Get the thermometer out of your tank and put it on your desk. You'll soon find out ;)
How would I lift my light up do i need a special hood for that?
It depends what your hood looks like. If the lights and the hood are one piece, then try to prop it up by putting rubber tubing across each corner. If the lights are a separate unit, then just have them rest on a couple of pencils.
If your room temp, however, is 80 F, then all of this won't help...
HarleyK
Cuba_Libra
10-12-2005, 3:15 AM
Don,
Since you have that seperate plexiglass piece on your tank, just try and prop that open to disperse the heat, most of your fish just chill on the bottom, and its not like Cuba is gonna jump out, and i'm not sure i'd be sad if he did :wink: but see if that messes with the temp.
I dont think your tank is close enough to the heater unit in our dorms to make a difference, the pillows on my bed dont get hot, and they are lcoser to it than your tank is.
acidburn470
10-12-2005, 3:56 PM
So room temp with window open is around 76 so my guess is that it just might be a little to hot to do anything to cool it down below 80. SO would I be able to get something like a chiller?
HarleyK
10-12-2005, 4:03 PM
Howdy,
A chiller might be overkill - also financially. As guppy said: Most fish will be fine. What do you have in your tank? Also, if it's a dorm room, chances are it cools down again when the seasons change.
HarleyK
Fish_are_fishfood
10-12-2005, 4:10 PM
Ha, not really helpful, but my tank last night was so cold on its own. The termometer goes as low at 66F and the temp wasnt registering on it. I stuck my finger in it and it felt freezing. I wish I could spread a little cool your way...but if your fish can survive in the 80's than it shouldn't be a problem, as guppy said. I don't have any experience with a chiller, but I think they can get pretty expensive...In the summer, I buy a bunch of ice cube trays, about 8, and just pop em in. I also have water bottles that I fill with water and freeze and let those float in there as well.