Amnagrla

I keep my tank at 78-80oF. Now that it's summer... and we're starting a heat wave, I've noticed that the tank is getting hotter... I need to get a better thermometer but the one that I have now is the little sticky one you put on the outside and it tells you approximately what it is. It looks like it's between 85-90o.

Should I turn down the heater? or what if I dropped an ice cube in the filter every once in a while? Or I was thinking putting cool water in a bag and floating it?

I know there are like $300 coolers out there but I just can't deal with that! Are my ideas really bad? lol. I just don't want my fishies to boil!

sgould

Turning your heater down will not help...it should be turning itself off when the temp gets above whatever you have it set for. Your ideas for cooling the tank are not bad. Maybe combine them and put the ice in a bag and float that periodically. Other things you can do is leave your hood open to accellerate evaporation. You will have to add water more often, but evaporation has a cooling effect. You could also blow a fan across the surface to increase the effect.

nicole

During the warmer months where i live it get's really hot 40+degrees,I find for me the best way to keep water temp to where it should be is to turn the heaters down,I just turn them back up in the cooler seasons.

plecolover

is your tank right by a window? if so I would move it and put it in a cooler room in the house. then when its summer the water is cooler and when its winter you can turn your heater up if the water gets to cold . hope my advice is right and helps you out

Amnagrla

lol well to tell you the truth, you're a little late!! But thanks!!

It is indeed in front of a window but there really isn't another good place to put it. (I will be moving it back to school with me in september)...

I covered the back and keep the window shade shut. Also, when I posted this, our central air conditioner for the house was broken so it was ridiculously hot!! It has since been fixed and my water hasn't fluctuated since...

Thanks for the advice!

Also... dropping a few ice cubes into the filter unit helped... along with a small, sealed bag of ice floated in the water helped to cool it down. Just make sure you do a little at a time so you don't over do it.

cuteusagi

My fish tank is also around the 85 degree mark, and I worry that it is a bit hot for the fish. I will try putting an ice cube in a bag, but does anyone have any other ideas? It is not under a window and doesn't really get any natural sunlight (only a wee little bit from other windows in the room). Are there any signs in the fish's behavior to indicate over heating or being "hot"? Just curious!! Thanks!

M

Maybe I missed it in the reading, but I don't think it would be good to put ice cubes directly in the aquarium because the water from the ice hasn't been declorinated. I think the idea of putting it in a plastic bag and floating it is great! I might have to try that one--our heat index today was 110 degrees

-M