Aquarium temperature wont go down?
So summer is really really hot so I set my heater to the lowest which is 70F but my tank’s temperature right now is raging up to 90F. (Im using Marineland Stealth Pro) What I did was I removed the thermometer and test it with cold water. (The temp went down so the thermometer is not the problem). Next was I removed about 5 gallon of water and changed it to cold water. So the temperature in the tank will go down. (It did but after 24 hours it went back to 90F) So I repeat changing 5 gallon of water to a cold water but I turned off my heater this time. My thermometer is reading 84F right now. Should I leave my heater off? Is it stressful for my fish when I’m adding cold water in my 55 gal tank?
btw my heater and thermometer is really accurate not until this summer! >.<
Other articles you might like;
- Is These Pellets Healthy + More Qs-?
- Would This Hurt The Guppy Fry?
- 90g Reef Aquarium Setup Day 5
- Ideas On Fish For Freshwater Community Aquarium?
- Work Experience Melbourne 2011?
My husband used to add ice to the tank. It’s more efficient for cooling than just cold water. We moved into our house in the summer and didn’t think it through when we set up the tank by the wood stove. Eventually we moved the tank, but the ice worked that first winter.
Ziploc baggies of ice.
STOP changing your water and leave your heater off.
Where do you have the tank sitting?( not near the window I hope) Place the tank where there is shade and cover it with a black towel. If it has a light turn it off at all times. Fish don’t need to see they will adjust.
ok leave the heater out your only suppose to put it in if the water is cold also try some ice cubes your going to need a lot since 1 brings it down about .2 degrees how many gallons is your tank?
I’m having this problem with my 10 gallon in my bedroom, it keeps going above the digital readings on the thermometer. I’ve found keeping the fan running in the bedroom pointed at the tank when we’re not in the room has been helping. I don’t have A/C in my house so that wasn’t an option.
When it comes to overheating there are two good ways to deal with:
1: remove the lid and run a fan over it. This will help dispel some of the heat.
2: Provide lots of aeration. As water gets warmer it has more trouble holding oxygen, so the most important aspect of this is keeping the water moving and the surface turbulent. You can use air stones, powerheads, or both to achieve this.
Since fish are cold blooded they rely on their environment. Every time the water temperature changes they must attempt to adjust and readjust their entire systems to it, and this stress take its toll on their health and makes them susceptible to disease. Since you can’t stand there all day adding ice or cold water, the endeaver would be pointless anyway.
A heater is clearly pointless, so you may as well unplug it – at this point if it works, it would never come on anyway.
Put ziploc bags filled with ice in your tank. Also, put an airstone in your tank to put more oxygen in the water. The heat takes out the oxygen in the water. Don’t change the water all the time because it will stress out your fish. When you put cold water in there, your fish have to get used to the new temperature and if the temperature changes to fast, it might kill your fish from stress. You can also take off the lid (if you can) and put a fan over the top of the tank. 72-82F is the normal temperature for tropical fish. 90F is way too hot and its definetly going to affect your fish. When the ice melts, put more in. Good Luck.
Fan does work, also dark curtains to block out the sun. Reducing the water level to airate the water better. Some also have suggested running a sprinkler outside the room where the fish are kept, having the water spray the house and windows, this too can cool down a room, if small enough
Leave the lid off your tank, if you have jumpers perhaps a mesh lid.
Reduce the hours the light in the tank is on.
Partial water changes, 3 times weekly, letting the water be 2-3 degrees cooler then normal
Some people do add icecubes, slowly don’t dump a tray in and I suggest when you make a tray treat it with dechlorinator.
Bubblers
Some have also used icepacks, and slipped them into their filter to help cool down a tank in an emergency.
Personally for me I myself would use the frequent water changes.
If your air conditioning in your home is insufficient to keep your tank at a reasonable temp, you may need to consider investing in a small aquarium chiller.
ice cubes, and keep it away from any other heat source besides the one for the tank,
if youre jeeping it at seventy maybe just turn the heater off
just be careful and watch the temperature
frequently add ice cubes, distilled water. or put them in a bag with air and let them float towards the side of the tank.
good luck
Thermostats in aquarium heaters fail. They are usually bimetallic and so there is a tiny spark when the parts break or start the circuit. Eventually that spark will weld the two parts together and from then on the heater is stuck in on position. You can either discard the heater, or get a heater controller to take over the broken thermostat’s job. They are electronic and so more dependable than the technology most heaters use. For now, just leave the heater unplugged. It’s summer and depending on where you live it may be over a hundred outside.
Invest in a small chiller system, or those tiny fans which you can place on top of tanks. Also make sure it is well aerated because warmer water holds less oxygen.