Heat Problem !

[niels]

Hello !
I have a problem with my filter,it is producing some heat and now the watertemperature is 24 c -
I would like to keep the filter but is there a way to lower the temperature in the water ? One of my newts(firebelly)used to be in the water but now it has gone on dry land.Thanks -Niels

 

[jake.]

Try putting a frozen water bottle in the tank and if you have a screen top put a bottle on it. I did this and got the temp from 20c to 12c

 

[niels]

That sounds like a great idea !Thanks-

 

[niels]

well it doesnt lower the temperature more than a couple of degrees -is there maybe another solution-some equipment that could do it ?
Niels

 

[kaysie]

A couple of degrees is good. You could try this in conjunction with a fan blowing over the top of the tank.

Equipment used to chill aquariums often run in the thousands of dollars range and are not an option for casual hobbyists (or even sometimes professional breeders)

 

[nic]

Here's one that runs just a tad over 100 dollars
and is supposed to take f temps down ten degrees
from ambient temps, even more than that if you find
a way to insulate the tank (like styrofoam around
the sides and bottom).

http://www.reefchiller.com/

 

[kaysie]

I've never used these, as my basement stays a balmy 60F all year long, but from what I hear, these are fairly ineffective for the cost. Also, if you read the specs for it, the site states "In typical aquariums, one IceProbe can reduce the temperature of 10 gallons of water 6 to 8 °F, 20 gallons of water 3 to 4 °F, and 40 gallons of water 1 to 2 °F." so if you have a 40 gallon aquarium, you'll need 10 of these to lower the temperature by 10 or 20 degrees. thats $1000! On a smaller scale, if you have a 20 gallon aquarium, and you want to lower the tempurature by 10 degrees, you'll still need 3, at $300.

(Message edited by kaysie on July 22, 2004)

 

[nic]

That is true, but I had heard of a grade school project that used one of these on an insulated 20 gallon tank
for salmon eggs and managed to get the temps from 70 to 55 because it was insulated. Meaning, placed
insulation board on the side and bottom, an extra
piece of plexi on the front viewing window with a quarter inch space in between, and plexi spacing on the top allowing air in enough for good ventilation.
I haven't tried it myself yet, but plan on it.
I think if you read about it, it also states that a totally enclosed ten gallon cooler will drop forty degrees using one device.

 

[niels]

Thank u guys for the response- what about the light-source , I use a neon tube for reptiles, I thought maybe changing that(but the plants still need the light!)and use something cooler.And i want to change the filter and use a canister filter instead. Has anyone else tried the reefchiller ?
thank you -Niels

 

[clarence]

I use a regular one-room airconditioner. Bring down the ambient temp enough and the added heat from the pump won't be that much of a matter.

 

[mark]

Another note about that chiller. True, it would take a lot of those to cool down say a 40 gallon aquarium. But on the other hand, if we are talking about firebellies, it would probably only be half full or so, so thats 20 gallons. In that case, two could be good enough to get you down 6 or 8 deg. F....Most likely we are talking about a 20 gallon or so anyway, so one may be sufficient.