Condensation in fish tank?

[tianh]

Just had my fish tank running for about 3 days now and the top of the tank(gap between water level and hood) is really fogging up with some water droplets on it which I am assuming is from condensation. Someone told me that this is from the fluorescent lamp which is causing too much heat heating up the water?

Anyone know what I should do? I need the lamp for some of my live plants inside.

 

[Shizeric]

what is the temp of the water? If it's cold enough for the axolotl, then it's fine.

 

[tianh]

what is the temp of the water? If it's cold enough for the axolotl, then it's fine.

My stick on thermometer is telling me 27 C or 80 F..Wow that is high. What should I do the lower the temp?


Got the temp down to 23 after a water change with some cold water, but I will turn back the lamp and see what happens..

 

[sek]

What kind of bulb do you have in there?
Your tank should not be reaching those temperatures. Is your tank in direct sunlight?

You will need to put a bottle of frozen water floating on the water (don't put the ice directly in your tank, just leave it in the bottle) to lower it below 20 C... 20 C is the max for an axolotl.

But I'm not sure if this tank is for fish or axolotls? Sorry if I am confused. Either way, if your fish are cold water fish you will still need to lower it a bit.

 

[Skunk]

The bottle of ice water is a good idea, though remember that axies do not like bright light, so maybe remove a bulb to lower the light? Condensation itself is not a problem, as long as you top up the water when you do a water change.

 

[tianh]

Hey guys, sorry for any confusion, but I just got my tank, the axxies are NOT in there yet. I know that its recommended 16-18, but I am going to AIM for 19 since 16 seems just unreachable right now.


I think the best bet is to try to incorporate LED lighting somehow, but it seems hard since I want to keep my lid and hood fixture that came with that tank..(not using a screen lid etc)


THank you for clearing up the confusion with condensation too btw!

 

[Skunk]

Well, how many tubes have you got in your hood? If you have more than 1, taking the other out could be worthwhile to reduce the temperature.

 

[tianh]

My fluorescent lamp is placed at 17w for my 10 gallon tank which I don;t think is much at all. Is it safe to say that I can leave my lamp on 24/7 without much of a temp change?

I really like the look of the light when its on.

 

[tianh]

Well, how many tubes have you got in your hood? If you have more than 1, taking the other out could be worthwhile to reduce the temperature.

I have only one tube unfortunately

 

[Skunk]

Hmm, depending on your power unit, you may be able to change it for a smaller wattage? Not too sure on this though, maybe even a different colour might help?

 

[Shizeric]

Don't leave the light on 24/7...Axolotls do not like bright light...6-8 hrs/day is appropriate.

 

[dragonlady]

Is there a particular reason why you don't want to remove your hood? Removing it alone would help with the temp. Adding cold water is only temporary and will be difficult to maintain. The same can be said for frozen bottles. Either method, if not done properly, can cause a temp fluctuation which could cause your axolotl to become stressed.

If you have to keep the hood on for whatever reason, you may want to consider a chiller (expensive but effective unless you build your own.). Please have a look out here for some ideas - Cooling

 

[tianh]

The hood attaches on to the lighting which came with my tank starter kit. The lighting is needed for my plants at 6-8 hours a day.


I can try to try running the tank without the hood for a few days and just use the fluorescent light which is above my tank attached to my cabinet, but I dont know if its adequate enough for the plants.

 

[Skunk]

Give it a go You can always try adding things like easycarbo (liquid CO2) that can help with your plants growth and condition, but I don't know what effect this has on axies.

I used a liquid aquarium plant fertiliser by Tetra, in with my Ranchus (fancy goldfish), but always halve the recommended dose, as there are also apple snails in there, and I'm not sure about the effect on them.

 

[Ken Worthington]

I wouldn't consider adding anything for the plants at the moment. The key issue here is to get the temp lowered and stable.

Plants such as Java moss, Java Fern and Anubias do well in lower light conditions.

The addition of floating plants is something to consider in this situation.

I have a 15w flourescent over a 15 (UK) gallon tank (13on/11off) and they're all thriving.

Hope this helps :happy:

 

[MereB]

My fluorescent lamp is placed at 17w for my 10 gallon tank which I don;t think is much at all. Is it safe to say that I can leave my lamp on 24/7 without much of a temp change?

I really like the look of the light when its on.

The lamp will be contributing significantly when it's on and will be the primary cause of the condensation as it heats the top of the water to the point of evaporation then it collects on the glass.
Why would you want it on 24/7 I assume you sleep at some point and wouldn't be looking at it during that time, besides it's not good for plants to be under lights 24 hours a day, they need the dark as well. Having it on for 6-8 hours should be plenty (you can buy a timer for it)
If you let the water conditions, light restrictions and temperature be your guiding factors in choosing your plants they will do MUCH better and look better for longer. There are MANY plants that will thrive on low light in cold water so you should do some research and track down cold water species. Trying to grow plants that prefer a tropical environment in an axie tank will only lead to heart break and scraggly/rotting plants.
The Java's are good as are Vallis (most species), most swords plants including the pigmy chain, Hygropilla will also thrive once it adjusts to the conditions, Hydrilla is fantastic in the cold/low light/hard water.
Generally speaking you will want to avoid anything with red on it's leaves as in general they require more light and are quite demanding in regards to nutrients.
Likewise you will want to look for plants that are true aquatics a LOT of plants that are on sale in aquarium stores and pet shops will sell semi aquatic plants for the aquarium, these tend to drop their leaves,rot off at the sand level and bolt for the surface which can make them look very messy/straggly.

This is an AMAZING plant guide to use. Click on the plant you want to know about (it's alphabetical) and it will give you it's temp/light/pH/family/size/region/ how demanding it is.
Look for ones that like 14-20 degrees, slightly more acidic and harder water with LOW light and that are low on the demanding scale so you won't need to fertilize them.

You don't want to be adding fertilizers to the water, they aren't good for human skin and I can only imagine what it would do to the MUCH more sensitive and porous skin of an axolotl.