Frozen bottles/ice packs/ice cubes.

[Erinony]

Well it's that time of year. This will be my first summer with my newt and I'm wondering about the whole 'using frozen bottles' situation to keep the tank cool. Is it really safe to use a regular old frozen bottle filled with filtered water in the tank? Is it a lot of work with upkeep, having to replace the bottles all the time so the temp doesn't fluctuate too much? I have a few small feeder fish in the tank, will the frozen bottles effect them?
Thank you.

 

[Jan]

It is safe if the bottles are clean and free of detergents/chemicals and filled with dechlorinated tap water. See this article for this and other cooling methods: Caudata Culture Articles - Cooling

Regarding feeder fish, this is generally a poor choice as food as they offer little in the way of nutritional value and can pose problems for the caudate: Caudata Culture Articles - Fish with Caudates

 

[Erinony]

Thank you. I realize this is a poor choice but we are having major issues trying to get him to eat right now and we've been trying to get different things to see if he'll eat anything. Check my T. granulosa problem? Feed.