My fish tank is too hot. Is there a way to cool it off?
by Aquaboy on Monday, May 31st, 2010 | 11 Comments
My 29 gallon fish tank is up to about 85 degrees. I’ve lost some fish and I think it’s due to the hot temp. Is there a way to cool it off? Can I add ice to it if the chemicals weren’t removed? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Yes, fill it with ice cubes
Ice cubes or frozen bottles of water.
Lower the room temperature.
Yes, you can put ice in it.
you could get an aquarium chiller
Lower the room temperature with 24/7 air conditioning. That’s the main way. I picked my current home because it has central air, making it much more affordable than running a box air conditioner in the windows of the rooms with tanks.
If your fish are not jumpers, you can remove the lid, and put a box fan blowing directly onto the tank for a degree or two of help.
If you have the money, you can get a cooler. But they’re like $300+ for reef setups that require heavy lighting.
If this is like a one time thing, you can put ice in it to help out. The chlorine in it isn’t goign to be a big deal. A frozen water bottle would be fine also.
The problem with using ice is that the temperature shift can shock the fish, and its a temporary solution that will not last if you don’t fix the underlying problem causing the tank to overheat. That & measuring it. How will you know when you have enough ice in the tank, but not so much that it will not chill the tank below room temperature.
Turn off lights and use a fan on the surface of the water. Ice for emergencies slowly (over hours).
I’ve had the same problem. I lost about 5 guppies due to 86 degree water… and it took me a while to learn how to cool it down.
My suggestion is to NOT use ice cubes. Its impossible to remove the chemicals since they’re frozen, and what is safe for humans is surely not safe for fish.
The only way to use ice cubes would be to melt them first… which would probably defeat the purpose. =)
It will also only cool off the surface of the water rather than the entire tank. This difference of temperature is usually hard on fish; especially with the foreign chemicals in the cubes.
The first thing you should do is move the tank out of sunlight. Even if it is /near/ a window, it should be moved. My problem was the blinds covering my balcony door would sway, allowing beams of light to hit the tank about 3 hours a day. It was enough to raise the temperature. Check to make sure light isn’t touching the tank.
Next, remove the lid and turn off the tank lights. If you fed your fish less than an hour ago, you’ll need to wait about another hour before turning off their lights. Differences in light (especially as rapid as what a bulb does) upsets the fish, though only slightly. Its also the signal for the fish to begin to rest, which disrupts the digestion process.
After the lid has been removed, place a fan over the tank and let it run. Do not put it too close as to completely disrupt the water… but enough for the tank to get air.
You should also lower the room temperature in the room or turn on any other available fans, just to help the room itself. Eventually the temperature should fall.
If it doesn’t… it may be time to move the entire tank to a different, colder room.
Good luck! =D
There are a few ways one would be AC lower the room temp and the tank will lower in temp as well. You can float capped water bottles that are frozen do not just add Ice that hasnt ben treated with dechlorinator. If you have an external filter you can also try wrapping the canister filter in ice packs. You may also want to use a fan to blow air across the top of the water surface to allow more oxygen exchange in the tank and will help the water cool. If the tank is large and none of these things seem to work you may find that an aquarium chiller may be the only way to go. I always try to make that a last resort due to the price and size of them.
Any chemicals aside, have seen how fast ice melts in a glass in hot room temps? Ice isn’t not going to make a dent in the temperature of your tank. And, any localized cold spot, such as a frozen water bottle, is going to cause uneven temperatures and shock. There are chillers, which are very expensive. There are DIY chillers you can make where you buy one of those small fridges, then drill an “in” and “out” hole, then thread a long section of plastic tubing through the holes, leaving a large coiling of tubing inside the fridge, seal the tubing holes with silicone glue and then, using a water pump, pump the water out of your tank, through the tubing. It goes through the fridge, gets cooled, then runs out the other end back into your tank. Not as expensive as a chiller, not as pretty, but does the job.
Yes there is a way to if you have a fan on it nere the fish tank?
Or if you have a air condisiner then you should on it to cold?
It the tank is in the sun move it to a cool place?
Or you just on the light to much?