Psychlist1972

I have three goldfish I'm going to move to a 55g tank in the next month or so (picking up the 55g tomorrow).

Our house is fairly warm year-round.

I'll keep the tank out of sunlight and away from heat/AC registers, but I was curious if anyone here does anything to cool the water? I've seen plenty of tank heaters, but I've never seen a tank cooler.

Pete

WolfPack21

You can find tank coolers but they are very expensive from what I have seen. What are the temps on your tanks now? I am sure someone else will have more input from you...

MaddieLynn

About what temperature does your house stay at in the summer?

Psychlist1972

House is kept around 75 +/- year-round, sometimes a little warmer if the kids have been in and out of the door and we turn the AC off.

During winter, we have oil heat which tends to blast hot for a bit then cool off, but I doubt the water would react fast enough for that to be an issue.

I figured the goldfish would be happier in < 70 degree water, but that's not happening without some sort of cooling.

I was curious what folks do in even warmer parts of the country, or in places without AC.

@WolfPack21 thanks. If expensive, I'll need to pass.

Pete

CHoffman

They are crazy expensive, too bad though. I know of some people who float frozen bottles of water in the tank to cool it off. With goldies they like cool water so it wouldn't be a bad idea. In a 55gallon the water wouldn't change to fast so I think it would work. I'm sure other members will have some more ideas for you as well.

Chrisson

I read in a book you can get ice cubes and put them in a ziplock bag but it melts too fast. I also read that you can get a bottle and freeze it halfway with ice and add the other half with water then add it in the aquarium. I never tried the bottle thing but the ziplock bag filled with a whole tray of ice can only bring my 5 gallon aquarium down by 2 degrees or so. You may want to try the bottle idea but i'd wait if someone will post a better idea. If you are doing the bottle idea then I don't recommened using glass bottle because they can shatter and some plastic bottles with a certain recycle number at the bottom because when the plastic heats up it leaches off harmful chemicals, you probably heard about this a few years ago on the news about the baby bottles.

zowie717

I see your in maryland, I live in pa. my temp in my house flucuates alot also. these are the things i do and I have not had a problem.

1. tempurature strips on the tanks which i check daily when feeding.
2. when i am not home i leave the ac set to 72 to 75 when its gonna be hot.
3. when it is really hot out.....i turn down the tank heater, but that has only been a few times...for winter months you will want to adjust the tempurature slowly and turn it down a few degrees which will help your tank stay more stablized tempurature during winter.
4. you can use a fan across the top of the tank
5. the tank lights off will keep tempurature down in the tank which you can use a light timer. i use that and have it off during the hot times of the day and it comes back on later.

our climates are similar and i really dont think you need a cooler for goldfish. what else do you plan to stock in the 55 gallon?

Psychlist1972

FWIW, I just searched for tank coolers and found they were about $700. No way that would pass the wife test

@Zowie

I read here that folks recommend not having heaters in goldfish tanks. Are you using it just to keep consistent low temp in winter?

I'll keep the lights off during hot days as well. Not a bad idea. I also think I'll keep that tank down here in my basement office, which is usually a few degrees cooler than the rest of the house. Just need to rearrange some things to fit that 55g in here. heh.

BTW, I was in Pittsburgh a few months ago to speak at a group. Beautiful place, loved all the bridges and the "big reveal" when you come out of the tunnel.

Pete

CHoffman

Moving the tank to the basement is a great idea. I know my basement is much cooler then the upstairs. Goldfish are a cold water fish and they actually like the water temp to vary to a certain degree so a heater really isn't recommended unless it just gets too cold which normally isn't the case if the tank is in a house.

zowie717

i didnt even think you probably didnt have a heater for the goldfish...duhhh... the only days i noticed in winter when tempurature gets hot is when we run the house heat alot cause its really cold out. my tanks require heaters since i have cichlids and tropical fish. but i know my temp in the house changes alot. for my cichlids i can adjust the temp to similuate there rainy season.

i would say moving it to the basement would help, along with lights and fish are remarkable adaptable and i would think as long as its only a few degrees flucuation the goldfish would be okay. it is going to adjust slowly in the tank anyway and will not be a rapid change, they are tough fish. they say an average temp for them is 73 degrees. but everyone has their opinion. just monitor them and temp. and be careful in the winter on those really cold days. we just want to prevent freezing them or boiling them. i dont know how cold your basement gets in winter but assume its finished so shouldnt get that cold.

i think they will be okay since you are in maryland. now if in Ca...that would be a different story i think..

I love coming out of that tunnel for the reveal.....gets me everytime!!!! ; )

gremlin

You will notice from the box to the left that I am in Phoenix - a DESERT. My goldies are in a pond outside. The temp today is 110* farenheit on our front porch (which is shaded right now). The temp in my pond right now is 90* farenheit. My goldfish are just fine. I don't cool them at all. The waterfall is going which helps to keep it well oxygenated, and the lily plants cover about 2/3 - 3/4 of the water surface which helps to shade the fish. I have never lost a goldie to overheating. They get all excited when I add water - it is slightly cooler and I squirt it in so it makes lots and lots of bubbles for them. With how hot it is right now, and all the evaporation going on, I usually have to add water every 2-3 days. They are still quite active - although they "nap" on the bottom of the pond in the middle of the day. My pond is shaded by the house from about 1:30 pm on and as it gets later, they become more active. They also have quite teh appetite right now. My sister also has an outdoor pond with goldies. Hers have been spawning for the last two months. She just had some more eggs hatch on Tuesday. She doesn't cool her pond either. Goldfish are not necessarily cool water fish so much as temperate water fish as opposed to tropical water fish.

Psychlist1972

@zowie717

As for what else: I have two common plecos that I'm going to separate. They're both in the 20g goldfish tank right now, along with the goldfish. The filter in that tank gets dirty fast. Those fish are all like oscar from the odd couple.

I plan to move one to the 55g that will have the goldfish, and one to my 55g tropical tank once I cycle it.

I've considered adding a couple small fish (maybe cloud minnows or weather loaches) to the GF tank, based on recommendations to others on these forums. Either way, I plan to overfilter this one, probably in the 600gph range.

The move for them is probably about a month off. I'm picking up the tank and stand tomorrow, but will need to get a good location for it and pick up the filters before moving the goldies in.

Pete

Psychlist1972

@gremlin

Hardy fish. I'm impressed they do so well out there. You must take good care of them.

Pete

gremlin

My fish are tough...They get fairly cold in the winter, and quite warm in the summer. Heard on the new the other day that this July had the hottest average high temperature in the history of Phoenix - records that go back to 1890. I think my fish and my birds are surviving the heat better than I am - wish I were a fish and could stay in the pool all day!

yukoandk

Hello everyone, and hello again Pete.

I'd agree with gremlin. Goldfish are not cold water fish but they are temperate water fish. They are born equipped to live through the four seasons and again. Well, some of the fancy varieties, they maybe a little more sensitive.

What we should look out for in a home aquarium set up for goldfish, I think, is the oxygen level as the water temperature goes higher. Warmer water holds less oxygen, but goldfish need a lot of oxygen, way more so then typical tropical fish. Although I may just have made that up because I don't know much about tropical fish, it is a well discussed fact that goldfish need a lot of oxygen.

Here in Seattle, we just experienced an all-time-record-high temperature of 103 degrees last week. During this heat wave--if you could imagine how all the Seattliets complained--my tank water was at around 83 degrees. I did stick an ice pack in it then only because my goldfish are in a less than perfect condition (which I don't want to get into details any more, because I don't want to get yelled at...)

Anyway, important thing is the oxygen level. The temperature does contribute to this, but a tank with large surface area and good surface agitation encourages gas exchange so there will be oxygen getting into the water. As long as goldfish have enough oxygen, they are fine.