I am having problems with excessive water temp...85!! I live in the Chicago area and the heat this summer has been brutal. Unfortunately, I have not been keeping an eye on the temp (shame on me) and my short sightedness has become apparent. I purchased a leather coral at the LFS and within 36 hrs it had completely disintigrated. That same night I lost 3 fish. My home is air conditioned and I never anticipated this. This all occurred within last 24 hrs. My water parameters are all good and always have been. I dropped a digital thermometer in the water and found it to be 85.4 degrees. I have been putting ice packs in my sump to cool the water as I am balking at dropping big $$$ on a chiller. Are there any other methods to cool without a chiller??? Please help!!!
Temp. Problems
- Thread starter pawmjw
- Start date
I would suggest also putting an oscillating fan in the sump. What type of lighting are you using and if so are you using fans of any kind on your canopy? Any fan placement that removes warmer air is best. Computer fans, clip on fans...
I am sure others will add to this as well.
Cheers!
I am sure others will add to this as well.
Cheers!
Canopy fans and sump fan(s) will do a great job at lowering the water temp. Just remember that the water evaporates as it cools thus you will need to top off more frequently. Clean all power heads & pumps and plumbing also. A dirty ph/pump has to work harder (gets hotter) to move water.
The disentigrating leather will have polluted your water. Keep a close check on the ammonia and nitrite levels. The rotting coral would have also put a huge demand on oxygen, which at 85 degrees is already in short supply. Aim your power heads towards the surface of the water to create more of an air exchange.
Good luck and keep us posted.
The disentigrating leather will have polluted your water. Keep a close check on the ammonia and nitrite levels. The rotting coral would have also put a huge demand on oxygen, which at 85 degrees is already in short supply. Aim your power heads towards the surface of the water to create more of an air exchange.
Good luck and keep us posted.
The only fans I have running are on the power compact fixture that sits right on top of the tank. Are fans a long term solution or only temporary? I checked at several LFS in the area and they are all sold out of chillers...I guess I'm not the only one having problems. Any recommendations as to which online supplier has quality equipment?
I would like to replace my sump fan with a a chiller but I have no room! I have successfully used fans to cool the water for several years.... so the fans for me are a long term solution.
Check out our sponsors and also our 'for sale' forum.
but I have no room! I have successfully used fans to cool the water for several years.... so the fans for me are a long term solution. Check out our sponsors and also our 'for sale' forum.
The small IceCap fan I use is not visible from any angle and is very quiet. Not silent, but definitely less sound than the normal tank gurlges. It has a temperature probe that speeds up the fan when things are hot and slows down when things cool -- But does not turn off.
I have frozen water in a 2 liter Coke bottle and floated that in my sump when times were tough.
One advantage to living in San Francisco is we RARELY have hot weather.
Good luck.
I have frozen water in a 2 liter Coke bottle and floated that in my sump when times were tough.
One advantage to living in San Francisco is we RARELY have hot weather.
Good luck.
sandman3467
Member
If you've got an old dorm fridge you can DIY a chiller instead of spending big bucks.
I live in the chicago area also we keep the A/C at 72 - 73 and the blinds closed during they day in the room the tank is in and have not had a problem yet this summer tank is a little warm at 80 degrees. I had a problem in april when it warmed up enough to turn off the heat but was not warm enough to turn on the A/C
Warnberg
Well-Known Member
I would not suggest a DYI chiller, the issue with it is you have a hard time controlling the temp. A good online source for a Quality Chiller is http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=04-1512-1
I just purchased a 1/3 horse for my tank and couldn't be happier.
Good luck,
I just purchased a 1/3 horse for my tank and couldn't be happier.
Good luck,
i just installed 2 6" fans on my tank, 1 on the sump and 1 blowing air inside the canopy and it dropped my temp by 4-5 degrees 
i was actually considering a chiller before i bought the fans for $5 each. this is probably the best bang for the buck i have in my whole system. i recommend anyone with temp problems give it a try before buying a chiller. unless you just have money to burn
tmc
i was actually considering a chiller before i bought the fans for $5 each. this is probably the best bang for the buck i have in my whole system. i recommend anyone with temp problems give it a try before buying a chiller. unless you just have money to burn
tmc
Witfull
Well-Known Member
fans are great, but i love my chiller. i run the house A/C at 75* during the day and 72* at night. running triple 250 halides and all the pumps and such is more that fans can handle on my monster. also smaller tanks with high lighting may have fluxuations.
every tank is different, therefore its needs are different also. its not burning money if the owner feels the needs warrent it.
every tank is different, therefore its needs are different also. its not burning money if the owner feels the needs warrent it.
I agree with baja_01 something is wrong if the ambient is in the 70's I don't see such a drastic increase with only PC's.
Is your stand and canopy completely closed ? If you have central air and use fans then it should work well unless your using MH's.
My tank has reached 86 degrees several times this summer because I don't have central air and none of my soft corals including several leathers have been affected yet, but did had an Acro bleach on me, can't wait for the cool weather to arrive
Is your stand and canopy completely closed ? If you have central air and use fans then it should work well unless your using MH's.
My tank has reached 86 degrees several times this summer because I don't have central air and none of my soft corals including several leathers have been affected yet, but did had an Acro bleach on me, can't wait for the cool weather to arrive
mattie
RS Sponsor
if you are running powercompacts and your having the temp problem something is fishy.
Do you have the legs on the on pc lighting fixture. becouse if the light is too close that will cause the the tank to warm up.
now i recently had my a/c go out and the warranty place for the central a/c in my couldn't come for three days and my tanks got up to 86 and 88 degrees and nothing died. so i am thinking death at 85 would mean there were other stress factors as well i.e. water quality
but seriously if the tank is more than 5 degrees warmer than the room something is strange esp. for your lighting consider a fan and check you heater it may have gone bad..
Do you have the legs on the on pc lighting fixture. becouse if the light is too close that will cause the the tank to warm up.
now i recently had my a/c go out and the warranty place for the central a/c in my couldn't come for three days and my tanks got up to 86 and 88 degrees and nothing died. so i am thinking death at 85 would mean there were other stress factors as well i.e. water quality
but seriously if the tank is more than 5 degrees warmer than the room something is strange esp. for your lighting consider a fan and check you heater it may have gone bad..
I had all the same thoughts regarding the increase in temp. I believed that the water temp. would follow the ambient temp but it didn't. Because I wasn't monitoring the tank temp. it is possible that the temp in the tank had been 85 for a month or longer. Shameful, I know. I did cool it down with ice in ziploc bags then got a pacific coast 1/4 chiller from premium aquatics. Now the temp is 75 all the time. Of course, now it is in the low 80's here. I am running pc lights and they sit right on the glass. I have a 55g tank with a matching stand and canopy. I can't use the stand offs for the light because a 48" light won't fit in the canopy, so I am using a 36" light. Water parameters are all within normal ranges and have been for quite some time. My best guess is if the temp had been elevated to 85 for an extended time then the aquatic life in the tank slowly suffocated due to drastically decreased dissolved oxygen. Tough way to learn a lesson and expensive.