A heatwave is here!

We are currently going through a crappy heatwave and what I would like to know is, when trying to keep tanks cool, is it best to try to leave them be(like if the temps are above what you normally keep them) so there is not a lot of temperature fluctuations or should one try to cool the tanks down as much as possible?

I know my betta can handle warmer water(82F or a bit higher) but I don't know if it's good to keep my guppies and endler's in those temperatures.

What do you all think?

 

Not sure about that but drastic temp changes do really stress the fish. You can keep them cool by using plastic water bottles 3/4's full and freeze them over night and put them in the tank during the hottest part of the day. I think one of the mods had to do this a while back. But again if the tank is too small it may cool the water too fast and you don't want that either. So is up to you. Hope this helps giving you an idea on how to do it if you need to.

 

Thank you. I have used ice in freezer bags for my betta without problems but I don't know if it would be a good idea to do that with guppies and endler's. The last thing I want is for them to get the shimmies because of a sudden change in the temperature. The guppies and endler's are in a 20 gallon long and my betta is in a 10g.

The water temps weren't sudden. They were gradual over a day or so. Right now, the tanks are both at 80F and that could be because I had a fan on all night and I'm keeping the windows and doors in the house closed to keep the heat out.

 

Another thing that might help it to turn the tank lights off. I have a 20L planted and I made the hood out of Lexan and a hinge and I noticed a lot of condensation in the middle of the day and temp raised a lot so I turned the lights off over mid day and turn them on again in the afternoon.

 

I could give that a try. If it helps to keep the tanks cool a bit then it's worth a shot!

x

 

sorry I'm from ireland, "whats a heatwave????" lol

 

sorry I'm from ireland, "whats a heatwave????" lol

I heatwave is a period of very hot, humid weather. The temperatures are above normal during that time and it makes you feel miserable unless you like that kind of . Obviously, I don't! LOL It tends to last a week but sometimes, it can go on for longer.

Right now, the temperatures here are 31C but it feels more like 40C.

Since you didn't know what it was, I take it you never experience it in Ireland. Consider yourself lucky.

 

we have /are in a heat wave also..the frozen water bottles will do well in a 20L tank...it won't cool it down too fast....and with guppies/endlers, just add an extra air stone for more oxygen...they are fine with the temps rising

 

we have /are in a heat wave also..the frozen water bottles will do well in a 20L tank...it won't cool it down too fast....and with guppies/endlers, just add an extra air stone for more oxygen...they are fine with the temps rising

That's good to know. So the warmer water won't affect their health in anyway? Will it only speed up their lifespan if you intentionally keep the tank very warm?

 

That's good to know. So the warmer water won't affect their health in anyway? Will it only speed up their lifespan if you intentionally keep the tank very warm?

you don't have a lifetime of heatwaves so for the short time you do, adding the water bottles and extra air stones, will help them get through it....NO ONE can say it won't effect them in anyway....and no one should intentionally keep the tank warm if something as cheap as an airstone and frozen water bottles can help ...that's what I do for all my tanks during the summer and it seems to have no ill effects short term (the summer months)

 

you don't have a lifetime of heatwaves so for the short time you do, adding the water bottles and extra air stones, will help them get through it....NO ONE can say it won't effect them in anyway....and no one should intentionally keep the tank warm if something as cheap as an airstone and frozen water bottles can help ...that's what I do for all my tanks during the summer and it seems to have no ill effects short term (the summer months)

I knew it was you that used the iced bottles before but I wasn't sure.

 

I heatwave is a period of very hot, humid weather. The temperatures are above normal during that time and it makes you feel miserable unless you like that kind of . Obviously, I don't! LOL It tends to last a week but sometimes, it can go on for longer.

Right now, the temperatures here are 31C but it feels more like 40C.

Since you didn't know what it was, I take it you never experience it in Ireland. Consider yourself lucky.

I'm aware of what a heatwave is!! I was just being sarcastic as we rarely get them...

 

Most tropical fish can tolerate short periods [2-3 days] of temps up to 30C (86F).

Some will become a little lethargic in warmer temps (as some humans do ) but I personally wouldn't panic too much unless temps start to rise above 30C.

The addition of an air stone is a great idea, and strongly recommended.

And I just had a thought, not sure if it has merit, but if fish are a little lethargic, reducing the amount of food could also be beneficial [open to comments]

 

I'm aware of what a heatwave is!! I was just being sarcastic as we rarely get them...

Well I'd hate to break this to you my dear but when speaking to others with just text, it's quite difficult to tell if a person is being serious or not since you cannot see their body language and especially, their tone of voice. That is why it is so easy to misunderstand others on forums.

When people are being sarcastic online, this is what they often use at the end of the sentence:

/sarcasm

Take a mental note of that for next time.

ryanr,

The past couple of days, the tanks have been reaching up to 86F. They normally cool down to 84F during the nighttime. I'm about to try a block of ice(no where near the size of a water bottle) to see if that might help any. I don't have any empty water bottles around since I hardly ever drink bottled water anymore.

I do have an airstone in there though that I normally put in at night because I had seen one of them at the surface and I don't know if they were gasping or not. I hope not.

 

Was it your betta that was at the surface? Bettas are a labyrinth fish, meaning they can (and will) breath air as well as getting oxygen from the water.

Still a good idea to use the airstone though, better to be safe than sorry.

My only 'criticisms' of the ice-block method is that unless you can be there to constantly swap them over, it is very easy to end up with a tank that has continual temperature changes.

Where is your heater set? I would consider lowering the temp on the heater to allow the water to potentially cool a little more over night, giving you a lower starting point when it starts to get warm. (I can't remember who suggested this method on FL, but it was a good one)

ie. If your water has the potential to cool down to around 80 over-night, and your heater is set at 84, the water will never reach 80. Dropping the heater setting to say 78, will mean that the water must cool down to 78 before the heater comes on.
Then, if you're starting at 80 in the morning, the water may only heat up to 84 during the day.

Hope that makes some sort of sense

BTW - I'm not suggesting a heater can cool the water, I'm merely reducing the chance of it coming on and trying to maintain a higher temp.

 

I'd like to just say to all you people "up north", welcome to what we southerners experience from May to October. Our avg. temp is 91 from june through august with heat index always near or above 100. We just had 15 straight days of 92 degrees or higher with 4 days above 97. I love AC. But to add to your topic, I have used gallon jugs for larger aquariums and water bottles for 30 or less gallons.

alex

 

you think this is bad the past three weeks we have been in the high 90s and today we hit 104 with a head index of 107

 

My sympathies go out to alexizhere23 and brokenwing. How do you get through it without going insane? I wish autumn would get here already.

ryanr,

It was my endlers and guppies that were piping. My betta was fine and it didn't even seem to affect him in the slightest.

I keep the heaters set at 78F and it's been about a week since either one of them have turned on because of the high temps. At night, I put a fan in my window and that draws in the cool air from outside so the water drops down to either 84F(if it was really hot out like yesterday) or down to 82F.