Contemplation Stage: Get an Axolotl?

[NaterPotater]

I've never had an axolotl, but I've done quite a bit of research on them trying to decide whether or not I should get one (or two). I have a few empty 10-gallon fish tanks lying around in the attic (and maybe a 20-gallon. I don't remember for sure).

I live in Missouri, where the winters are cold and the summers are hot. My biggest concern is whether or not I could keep the water cool enough. I found this aquarium fan on Amazon:

Amazon.com : Sanatop Aquarium Cooling System Fan Chiller + AC Adapter (6-Fan) : Pet Supplies

If anyone has any experience with a fan like this, I'd love to know whether they're effective enough.

So yeah, that's my biggest concern. Other than that, I think I would love to be an axolotl owner and that I could take pretty good care of one or two.

 

[vanjaif]

I had one with 3 fans on it, and it could keep my 15gallon tank down with 4 degrees celsius. But they are really noisy!

 

[Astrolotl]

in my opinion fans really just don't work. I would rather drill a hole in my tank and use one of those ice probes, or just go ahead and buy a chiller.
Chillers are expensive, but the peace of mind is worth it! They automatically monitor tank temperature and activate when it gets 3 degrees above the set temperature.
Or, if you have a basement you could keep them down there.

 

[allied123]

Ice probes aren't really the best idea..They're best for tiny tanks (under 10 gallons) and can only cool a 10 gallon tank by a few degrees. Not to mention they're nearly $100. I think fans really depend on the situation.

Fans work to cool tanks by evaporation, as the fan agitates the surface the water is evaporated into the air. But I wouldn't expect them to cool a tank by more than a few degrees in a dry area (I live in florida and it's pretty humid here so there isn't too much evaporation) however some people have reported them working to cool a tank by as much as 10 degrees but that's usually quoted something like "My house is 75 and my tank is 65 with a fan" which doesn't mean too much because the water temperature is usually different from the ambient room temperature. I'd love for someone to step in and say that fans actually did cool their tank by more than a couple degrees though! (summer's coming up and I'd love to buy a $30 fan instead of a $400 chiller...)

 

[ChristineB]

My fans are the 2-fan Sanatop model. I have one each on my covered 5-gallon tanks. They are full to within an inch of the top, and other than a custom rectangular hole that the fan is snugly taped into, there's just a small vent in the cover. I also have a "control" tank with no fan (for a goldfish). So I can definitively say that, running 24/7, they chill the tanks at least 5 degrees. The control tank is low 70s and the cooled tanks stay below 68. My thermometer doesn't register lower than that, but I doubt they're below 65.

In the next month or so I'm upgrading to a 50-gallon (nice step up :grin: ) and will be keeping it in the coldest part of my house with just fans. I am in an area that is 55-75 degrees throughout the year with very few days outside that range, and I have ribbed newts so they are less touchy about temps, so I have less need for a chiller than others. One con is that the fans hum a bit, like a computer fan, but as a positive, the lack of condensation in my tank hoods means they don't get moldy or corroded.

 

[ChristineB]

Just updating now that the 50-gal is up and running. I have it filled to about 2-3 inches from the lid (just enough for water plant clearance), and the fixed acrylic lid has an opening just right for a Fluval hang-on filter and one 2-fan model fan. I think the external filter with water falling a couple inches helps keep things cool, because it's staying 67-68 F, with just one little fan.