Cooling the water without a cooler?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Surface agitation works well for me. I just lower the water level and let the canister output nozzle agitate the surface. Noisy, but it brings the temp down. You can also use a powerhead and/or use a strong air pump.
 
We had to move our tanks to the garage this summer (huge fiasco, don't ask :)) and had significant problems keeping them from hitting and staying in the 90s... What worked for us was taking the tops off our tanks and replacing them with plastic grating that is used to hold of ceiling tiles from home depot. Then during the day we put big box/window fans (our tanks in the garage are 150 and 220 btw) on the grates and turned 'em on over the water. Worked like a charm. Kept both of our big tanks in the green zone, regardless of whether it was 100 degrees out or not.

Now for keeping them warm this winter...oh the joys of being a fish keeper...

Good luck!!!!
 
benzjamin13 said:
Surface agitation works well for me. I just lower the water level and let the canister output nozzle agitate the surface. Noisy, but it brings the temp down. You can also use a powerhead and/or use a strong air pump.
Click to expand...

I have a powerhead filter and an air pump with with a small airstone in the center. Funny I always thought that is actually giving out more heat.
I'm intrested in the this cuz i noticed all my fish keeping to the bottom of the tank an specially in the right side where there is more shade, so I'm thinking the poor fellas r probably feeling too hot.
 
bigcatlover said:
We had to move our tanks to the garage this summer (huge fiasco, don't ask :)) and had significant problems keeping them from hitting and staying in the 90s... What worked for us was taking the tops off our tanks and replacing them with plastic grating that is used to hold of ceiling tiles from home depot. Then during the day we put big box/window fans (our tanks in the garage are 150 and 220 btw) on the grates and turned 'em on over the water. Worked like a charm. Kept both of our big tanks in the green zone, regardless of whether it was 100 degrees out or not.

Now for keeping them warm this winter...oh the joys of being a fish keeper...

Good luck!!!!
Click to expand...

Plastic grating? U mean some kind of plastic slate with holes or openings in it? Cuz I think that might be possible if I find a way to keep the lighting a bit high above the tank, the air from the ac could reach it since it's directly oposite the room
 
alexanian said:
Plastic grating? U mean some kind of plastic slate with holes or openings in it? Cuz I think that might be possible if I find a way to keep the lighting a bit high above the tank, the air from the ac could reach it since it's directly oposite the room
Click to expand...

It is called "light diffuser grating" or something like that, also called "egg-crate". It goes in fluorescent light fixtures. It is lightweight, stiff, and easy to cut, really useful stuff!
 
keep the lights off too, open the top as much as you can and get the air (which is probably cooler than 85) moving over the water. I have seen DIY air conditioner with a small pump in a cooler pumping cold water into copper tubing in front of a fan:

[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR9CA8lJGvs&feature=related[/YT]

I would imagine that you could get away with just running the copper in the tank.

edit: my HTML is weak, and couldn't embed...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR9CA8lJGvs&feature=related is the link
 
85 isn't that bad. 95 is bad. I would just make sure you have plenty of aeration and would install a small fan blowing across the top of the water.
 
I used a 25QT cooler 10 Foot of 5/8ths Tubing and 3 dollar bags of Ice this summer when My AC broke down, I hooked up a unused small cannister filkter and Ran it though the Ice with nothing in the trays
replaced the Ice water every other day or so
 
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