Keeping the tank cool

[traversediscus]

Anyone got anygood tips on how to keep the tank cool?

I only have ever had this problem before in San Diego and that was with a puffer fish. he could handle the temp changes.

Thanks in advance

[Ed13]

If humidity in the environment is not that high you could try evaporative cooling. Blow a fan across the waters surface. Lights and heat so reduce photoperiod. Leave open the aquarium, if afraid of jumpers cover with eggcrate. If sunlight shines the tank prevent it;)...if you've got money to spare, get a chiller:D

[traversediscus]

Yeah chiller is a very last resort. No direct sunlight. Just so bloody warm today. The tank has raised itself 6 degrees in temp. Where the bloody snow gone :D

I have put a tower fan in the room shut windows and doors

[Eddie]

Dude, will it get that hot?

[Ed13]

Yeah chiller is a very last resort. No direct sunlight. Just so bloody warm today. The tank has raised itself 6 degrees in temp. Where the bloody snow gone :D

I have put a tower fan in the room shut windows and doors

What's this snow stuff you talk about...:inquisitive: LOL
Anyways shutting the windows and doors in the room, unless running air conditioning, may actually help keep the heat in as it doesn't allow fresh air to circulate.

[traversediscus]

Dude, will it get that hot?


It is today. It was 95 earlier (not the tank). It was snowing not that long ago lol

[traversediscus]

What's this snow stuff you talk about...:inquisitive: LOL
Anyways shutting the windows and doors in the room, unless running air conditioning, may actually help keep the heat in as it doesn't allow fresh air to circulate.

Snow you know . what Santa rides his sled on. He comes on a sled not a surf board:D

[Ed13]

Snow you know . what Santa rides his sled on. He comes on a sled not a surf board:D
He rides a Jet ski to PR, lol
Anyways, this a discus tank? Because I don't think you are in an emergency yet, unless the tanks water is 95F

[Eddie]

It is today. It was 95 earlier (not the tank). It was snowing not that long ago lol

I mean shutting off the heater should suffice unless you keep your tanks outside in the sun.

Eddie

[traversediscus]

He rides a Jet ski to PR, lol
Anyways, this a discus tank? Because I don't think you are in an emergency yet, unless the tanks water is 95F

Yes Discus

[traversediscus]

I mean shutting off the heater should suffice unless you keep your tanks outside in the sun.

Eddie

I wouldnt want shut the heater off yet. It gets cold at night

[Roxanne]

Fill a plastic bag or water bottle with ice and let it float/sink/whatever....or you could use the fridge ice cooly packs

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

What does the tank temp get too during the day?

-Ryan

[DiscusKeeper403]

As Roxanne said. You can always float some ice in a Tupperware container.

[traversediscus]

What does the tank temp get too during the day?

-Ryan


I dont know. Today was the hottest day and i wasnt here it was at 90 at about 7pm

[Roxanne]

wow...90 at 7pm...Heatwave in the US or what?


why does your avatar have a Brit flag if you are in Missourri???

[Wahter]

I dont know. Today was the hottest day and i wasnt here it was at 90 at about 7pm

You don't have a thermometer on your aquarium tank? The water in aquariums are often a couple of degrees cooler than the room temp. If the water's around 86ºF, you're fine. Keep in mind that in many fish farms in Asia, the air temperature is around 88+ºF and they raise fish in tanks just fine.

I've been up to Traverse City before AND attended the cherry festival. I've also been to Cadillac, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and Petoskey.

Why is your room temp 90ºF? Is your aquarium in a screened in porch or a sun room?



Walter

[traversediscus]

wow...90 at 7pm...Heatwave in the US or what?


why does your avatar have a Brit flag if you are in Missourri???

Yeah in northern Aamerica aswell

[traversediscus]

Yeah in northern Aamerica aswell

America i mean. Right now its 9.20pm and im sweating my dogs dangellies off:D

Sorry

[traversediscus]

You don't have a thermometer on your aquarium tank? The water in aquariums are often a couple of degrees cooler than the room temp. If the water's around 86ºF, you're fine. Keep in mind that in many fish farms in Asia, the air temperature is around 88+ºF and they raise fish in tanks just fine.

I've been up to Traverse City before AND attended the cherry festival. I've also been to Cadillac, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and Petoskey.

Why is your room temp 90ºF? Is your aquarium in a screened in porch or a sun room?



Walter

Yes i have a thermometer its at 90 still. The tank is in my bedroom

[Roxanne]

Maybe that's why it's so hot lol

[traversediscus]

Maybe that's why it's so hot lol

How Rude :D

[Roxanne]

sorry...forgot you were Amish:D

[traversediscus]

sorry...forgot you were Amish:D


Hamish? im english not that Scotish lot :D

[Roxanne]

Amish....like as in....oh forget it:D

[traversediscus]

Amish....like as in....oh forget it:D


Oh you mean like you Ozzies are the same as Kiwis :D

[Roxanne]

No...that's not it...LMAO

[traversediscus]

No...that's not it...LMAO

I have made that mistake before. Like here in the states i have been ACCUSED of being from , Oz, NZ, south Africa. In california even when i told them im from england they have asked me what language i speak. I swear on my Daughters life that true

[gotfish?]

yea it does get really hot here in southern california. my tank goes from 85 to 90 in a few hours. i take glass lid off and open all the windows

[traversediscus]

yea it does get really hot here in southern california. my tank goes from 85 to 90 in a few hours. i take glass lid off and open all the windows


In El Cajon (east SD) at 4pm the tank would rise to nearly 100

[Roxanne]

I believe you...I grew up on the West Coast, so people think I sound like a pommie compared to the Eastern States Twang...

asking an English person what language they speak is funny....stuff em right up and tell them your language is 'Australian' lol

[Scribbles]

95 degrees in May? Tons of snow in the winter. Time to pack up and move to western Washington my friend. Nice mild weather.

Chris

[traversediscus]

I believe you...I grew up on the West Coast, so people think I sound like a pommie compared to the Eastern States Twang...

asking an English person what language they speak is funny....stuff em right up and tell them your language is 'Australian' lol

People thing that Ozzies soumd like english...Granted Londoners sound Ozzie but i sound posh English lol

[traversediscus]

95 degrees in May? Tons of snow in the winter. Time to pack up and move to western Washington my friend. Nice mild weather.

Chris

I know its crazy. We have had hardly any rain after one of the worst snowfalls in history now its crazy hot for here.

I cant move anymore. In three years i have moved from England to San Diego from San Diego to San Francisco and the drove from San FRan to Northern Michigan. I am DONE :D

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

At those high temps you biggest concern will be dissolved oxygen (DO) levels. At 90F, the saturation level of DO is around 7.3 mg/L....this is well above the oxygen threshold for almost all aquarium fish. Even at 97 degrees, the DO saturation level is 6.8 mg/L. Still above the safety zone. However, that DO is not only used for the respiration/metabolism but also for your nitrifying bacteria (aerobic process) and even more so, your dissolved organic's in the water (heterotrophic bacteria). When all of these things combine, they compete for that little bit of DO in the water and they do it rather quickly.....not leaving much for the fish themselves. Best way to make sure the fish stay alive and healthy is to keep the tank as clean as possible through frequent water changes and keeping the filters clean as well. This will minimize your DOC's in the tank and making as much DO available to your biofilter and fish. Of course supplemental aeration in the tank is always a good idea to maintain DO to saturation levels.

-Ryan

[traversediscus]

At those high temps you biggest concern will be dissolved oxygen (DO) levels. At 90F, the saturation level of DO is around 7.3 mg/L....this is well above the oxygen threshold for almost all aquarium fish. Even at 97 degrees, the DO saturation level is 6.8 mg/L. Still above the safety zone. However, that DO is not only used for the respiration/metabolism but also for your nitrifying bacteria (aerobic process) and even more so, your dissolved organic's in the water (heterotrophic bacteria). When all of these things combine, they compete for that little bit of DO in the water and they do it rather quickly.....not leaving much for the fish themselves. Best way to make sure the fish stay alive and healthy is to keep the tank as clean as possible through frequent water changes and keeping the filters clean as well. This will minimize your DOC's in the tank and making as much DO available to your biofilter and fish. Of course supplemental aeration in the tank is always a good idea to maintain DO to saturation levels.

-Ryan

I swear to God people on here should be running the country. You guys are our saviour to us less knowledgeable

Thanks. I will add an airstone if it continues to stay high

[traversediscus]

wow...90 at 7pm...Heatwave in the US or what?


why does your avatar have a Brit flag if you are in Missourri???

Im in Michigan but i am English. I would have the English flag up but no one knows what it is.

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

I would put an airstone in the tank regardless....it is always a good idea to get as much oxygen into the water as possible regardless of temp. This is even more important if you have a heavily stocked tank.

-Ryan

[Roxanne]

Looks like a Union Jack in your avatar to me....;)

Ryan, I was reading about over oxygenation the other day and I was wondering, how do we strike the balance? I realise higher heat needs more air, but how do we know if we can't measure it ourselves? By fishes behaviour only? Is there a rule I haven't heard of like how many air stones per gallon:D

Roxanne

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

Looks like a Union Jack in your avatar to me....;)

Ryan, I was reading about over oxygenation the other day and I was wondering, how do we strike the balance? I realise higher heat needs more air, but how do we know if we can't measure it ourselves? By fishes behaviour only? Is there a rule I haven't heard of like how many air stones per gallon:D

Roxanne

Well that is a good question Roxanne....there are a few ways to determine how much DO a system needs. But it involves lots of calculus based math (eww...). The best way to determine DO levels is of course a DO meter. They are typically very expensive ($500 USD+) but are very accurate and quick. They do make chemical test kits for DO and they work for well for baseline numbers. But keep in mind that the chemical based tests are only approximate and may be off by a full 1 mg/L or more.

Higher temps does not mean they need more oxygen to survive....it means that there is less oxygen to work with. At 90F, 7.4 mg/L is how much the water COULD hold, not how much it does hold. How much it does hold goes back to testing the water. What effects how much the water holds is greatly dependent on stocking density, leftover foods, waste, temp, salinity, and altitude. Most tanks run around the minimum safe baseline DO number (5 mg/L) for the most part and when you increase the temp, there is even less oxygen in the water (assuming all else remains the same) and this will begin to show itself as either stressed fish, or reduced biological capacities (ammonia spikes for example), or worse...dead fish. As the temp goes up, so does the use of DO (fish respiration/metabolism, bacterial activity, etc). So DO becomes even more of a concern if you dont have supplemental aeration in the tank. I always recommend airstones in all tanks regardless of temp and filtration....it is good insurance and will ensure decent DO levels in your tank(s). So keeping your tank clean and your filters cleaner is extremely important in maintaining DO levels near saturation. When the time comes that your tank temp may spike for whatever reason, you wont have any worries about the higher temps.

-Ryan

[Diamond Discus]

Fill a plastic bag or water bottle with ice and let it float/sink/whatever....or you could use the fridge ice cooly packsThat is exactly what I was going to say.

[traversediscus]

Thank for all your suggestions. Its been a great help