Methods For Cooling Tanks?

I live pretty much in the middle of the desert and it is getting HOT here. We're not even close to midsummer, either, so it'll only get worse. Do you guys have any ideas for cooling a 10 and a 2.5 gallon tank? I have a few water bottles in my freezer, but isn't that too much for a 2.5? Too much for a 10? The heater for the 2.5 is wacky, too, so I don't know if it can keep my tank steady with a water bottle in there. Help?

 

I wouldnt do the water bottles, that will cause to drastic of a temperature change that will shock your fish. I would buy a little clip on fan and blow it across the top of your aquarium.

 

Will that cool the tank? I keep my tanks at 77F, and it gets so hot it the tank's temperature will leap to 85F, and at night it'll go back down. Would ice cubes in a net suffice?

 

If you're doing ice cubes, do them in a plastic bag instead of a net, like a ziplock bag. That way the untreated water won't get into the tank. As to the water bottle, I think it would be too much for a 2.5, but you could try it in the 10 on a day that you're home and monitor it closely to see how much it impacts the tank. A baggie full of ice, for my 10s, melts in about 10 minutes if the tank temp is that high and only brings the temp down maybe half a degree.

Blowing the fan across the water will increase surface agitation and help cool as well.

If they have lids on them, if you don't have anyone who will get out of the tank, take the lid off.

Swap around the lighting cycle in the tank if you can, so that they still have a day/night cycle, but that the lights are on when it's cooler out.

Do you have AC and can you keep the home at a cooler temp during the day? Or could you get a little one room AC unit and hook it up in the room with the tanks? Those need a window to expel the air. There are tank chillers that can be purchased as well, but those are about the same cost as the single room AC units...

My betta did just recently survive about 4 days at 86 due to our AC being out.

 

You can get solid state aquarium chiller

 

I turn my lights off during the hottest part of the day and it truly helps.

 

Thx guys! I have an AC, yes, and I'm using it today, but when my dad comes home he'll want it off to save money and any other excuses he can find (WHYYYYY DAD). I'll try first with turning on the lights. If I it doesn't work well enough, I'll try the ice cubes.

 

Are other areas of the home cooler than the room with the tanks? In our days without AC, the apt complex gave us a little one room AC unit to use. I literally set up a box fan chain to move as much of the air into the room with the tanks as I could.

Also, turn off any electronics in the room when you aren't using them to help keep the temp down.

 

The tanks are upstairs in my room, and I have to keep the door closed due to curious cats (And I have an allergy so I try to keep furry animals out of my rooms) and the tanks are lidless.