theyellowdartmti

Well, its that time of year again! The heat is back and my tank is getting hotter than it was last year. The fluorescent lights I have on in my room all day probably aren't helping, but you could always blame global warming. (jk)
Is there some kind of simple way I could cool down my tank? (5 gal.) I was thinking about putting an ice pack around it for a minute or two, but then I realised the temperature would stay cold on one side and hot on another.

I really don't want to buy a chiller...

Thanks for any ideas!
-Matt

FishFolk

Does your home have AC? What temp do you keep your house in the day? Can you cool the room,? fan to circulate warm air in your room with cooler air in other rooms? lower wattage lightbulbs in your room? turn off your lights when you don't absolutely need them to read, write, etc. shades on the window? Sunfilter film on the windows? open the room door to enhance air flow (if that would help regulate room temp) Is the tank in the line of direct sum at anypoint in the day? if so, moving it from the direct sun would help.

Good luck.

ThisGuy

i have heard that people in hotter climates freeze watter bottles and drop them in now and then, when the temperature gets to high don't know with a small tank but i am sure it is still the same principal. Ceiling fans work wonders for cooling a room, they don't cost much much money, i have picked them up for $30 it helps ya sleep at night too.

theyellowdartmti

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, I have AC and a fan.
I'm growing carnivorous plants under the lights, so it is absolutely necessary for them to be on all day. I have plants in the window too, so that keep me from closing the shades, but I'll try to move them to another room.
Thanks for the ideas though.
The good news is the temp isn't rising any higher than 83 or 84.
I think I'm going to try wrapping an ice pack around the tank for a minute or so.

Edit: and no, the tank is not in direct light. It gets dim shade from the windows at best.

FishFolk

Checked back in to see how it is going. Cool that you are growing carnivorous plants!

theyellowdartmti

Thanks for looking out for me! Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I haven't been on for awhile...

Since the house just kept getting hotter and hotter we turned up the AC and everything appears to be ok. The temps in the tank are back to normal.

And for anyone that would like to know, the ice pack method for cooling a tank works very well. I left a long ice pack wrapped around the tank for about a minute and the temperature went down by around 3 degrees; but then again, it's only a 5 gallon tank. More ice packs would probably be needed for a larger tank.
I highly reccomend this for "emergency" cooling.

Thanks everyone

And yes, carnivorous plants are awsome. If anyone wants the link to a great forum dedicated to them, let me know.

-Matt