Help keeping the tank cool!

[heather]

I feel like a horrible newt owner. I rescued my male c. orientalis in the fall of last year so I've never went through the warm seasons and the stress of keeping them cool. Since spring has started I've been having a HORRIBLE time trying to keep the temp at ATLEAST 70F. I put about 20 ice cubes in there many times a day and it's getting to the point that they don't even seem to cool the tank anymore. I have a screen lid, it's not getting direct sunlight and it's not by a heater vent, yet the temp is still about 78F. I'm so afraid Fargus will end up dying but I'm trying as hard as I can to keep the temp down and I don't know what else to do. His appetite is decreasing (he went on a 1.5 week fast when he normally eats every 3rd day) and has been spending most of his time on a large rock I have for him that sits out of the water. I've been researching aquarium chillers but I'm all new to this and I'm not sure how to set one up in a 10 gallon newt tank (plus I don't know if a drop in or in line would be better?). The cheapest one I've found was also $104 and I'm never going to keep newts again after Fargus passes away.. so a very very expensive (over $150) chiller is simply not doable. Is there any other cheap temperature regulator out there I can use or are the very complicated chillers it? Also, how do you keep your tanks at a low temp during the hot months? Ice cubes aren't working, I don't have a seperate room to put in a window AC unit and my room is upstairs.. Fargus can't reside in the basement (cats) or downstairs because there is no room. I just need some help. I'm so upset that I can't provide what Fargus needs..

 

[ethan]

I keep my stuff in the basement with the cats. Just buy some clips for the screen of your tank at any pet store to secure the lids and try as they might those cats will never get in. Set the tank on the floor for maximum coolness and to avoid any knocking over.

 

[jennifer]

There is a list of suggestions in the FAQ at Caudata Culture. Things like a screen lid and putting the tank on the floor can make several degrees of difference. What make/model of filter does the tank have? Some produce a lot of heat. Using simple measures, you should be able to keep the tank water at least a couple of degrees cooler than the air in the room. Does the room/house have AC, and what's the usual summer indoor temp? I have kept some sensitive species in a house with a summer thermostat setting of 78F.

I wouldn't be too hung up on the idea of "below 70F". That is surely the safest temperature, but they can survive into the upper 70s. This assumes that the newt is well-acclimated and eats well regularly.

 

[heather]

I don't think the basement has any outlets for the filter. It's a Whisper filter.. 10i or something (I'm at my dad's house and Fargus is at my mom's now so I don't have the filter box to look it up). I don't think it creates any heat actually. The tank cannot safely be set on the floor because my cat will lay on the top and it's a slotted plastic lid that could never hold his weight (he's 15 lbs). The lid did set securely into the 10 gallon but I couldn't run the filter cord through the top so I flipped it over and cut out a U shape in one of the sides (hard to explain). Right now we don't have the AC on so the temp in the house is usually about 78-80.. about 76 in the summer (which I am going to set the tank right by the AC vent so it keeps cooler). I hate to keep dumping ice cubes in there because the temperature fluctuates so much and I'm afraid it's stressing him out even more. I have to dump cubes in about every 4 hours. I was thinking of clipping a fan on my mirror and having it blow on low setting so it doesn't disturb the water too much into the tank to cool the water (atleast that's the plan). Will that work? Also, will the water stay cooler if there's about 6-7 inches vs 4-5?

 

[jennifer]

All electrically-driven filters produce some heat, especially the fully submersible filters. If you are careful about cleaning up uneaten food and poo, you can do without the filter (try and see if the water stays cooler w/o it). The fan will help a little bit.

I'm not sure what to say about the ice; I'm not sure if temp fluctuations are harmful. When I kept newts in a hot room, I put frozen bottles in only at night, the logic being that temperatures normally drop at night outdoors. This never seemed to bother them.

 

[danny]

I used the fluval 2 submersible filter and it raises the temp in a 20gal tank by 3C. When I removed the fluval two and went to a air stone corner filter, that temp dropped the 3C. Like Jen, I to use the refreeze able ice packs and add them when I get home everyday after work. In the summer time I also use a big 18inch fan and I place it in front of the four tanks to blow cool air over all of them.

 

[brandon]

a suggestion that i saw on here that worked for me is to use a water bottle that is full of ice and set it in the tank, it melts slower so it keeps the tank cool for longer, and it will stop the fluctuating if u rotate with two bottles. i live in san antonio texas and it gets plenty hot, and this works for me

 

[TJ]

Heather, what I used to do though is to run a small fan over the surface of the water, which lowered the temperature by a few degrees. I don't know for sure, but I was told that it is more effective to do it this way than to have the breeze hitting just the side of the tank.

Still, for the sake of the newt, if you conclude that you can't adequately care for it given your circumstances, you might want to start thinking about giving it away to somebody who you think could provide it with the conditions it needs, rather than let it suffer and die

Committed hobbyists with some modest means might want to shop around for a wine cooler for use over the hotter months with terrestrial species and with delicate larvae and morphs. I'm presently eyeing a reasonably priced one at my local Costco for keeping my Onychodactylus japonicus (Japanese clawed salamander) nice n' cool this summer.

Sure, aquarium cooling devices are also available (I have one -- not in use), but be forewarned that they cool the target tank but heat up the room for any other tanks that may also be in there.

I now rely on a cost-effective inverter air conditioner in a room with good insulation and no windows except for a pair of sliding doors with double-sheeted glass.

(Message edited by TJ on April 13, 2005)

 

[heather]

I'm going to go to Walmart tonight for a small clip fan. I worry about it drying him out when he goes on land so I'll cover the rock a little more with water. The tank does feel a somewhat humid when I open the lid (even with a slotted lid!) so I think the fan might really help. I'm definately going to try the water bottle idea instead of just the ice cubes. I'll end up having 3-4 bottles and rotating them out instead of 2. Thanks so much everyone!

 

[john]

Heather, I used a small computer fan set on top of my tank. I simply conected the wires from the fan to a power supply such as one that you would plug your phone into to charge it up. This kept my tank 2 degrees cooler than normal. The only problem was it brought in alot of dust. So once or twice a week I had to do a little water change. Not much though.

 

[heather]

I'm sad to say Fargus died last night. I didn't think I'd be this upset over it because I wasn't really attached (or so I thought) to him but everytime I walked by the tank he'd swim up to the glass as fast as he could and blow bubbles at me. I miss him.. but no more newts. When I came back from my college assessment test I walked in my room to check on him and I noticed he was between his favorite rock and the glass (he loved how cold the rock was and always wedged himself between the glass and one side) but not on the usual side. I always made sure that one side was tight against the glass so he COULDN'T get between there but somehow he squeezed himself and I imagine couldn't get back out.

I hardly slept a wink last night without his filter running so I think I'll get a few goldfish to put in there. Sigh. I'm burying him today after school (where I am now). You will be greatly missed Fargus. Swim your little heart out in newt heaven.