Homebuilt cooling system

[zje]

I'm a huge fan of DYI projects. I am not, however, a very good biologist
I've had a FBN newt for roughly 2 1/2 years and every summer his water temperature is around 80F, which I realize probably doesn't make him too happy. I keep him in a 10 gallon tank. In the past, I've take ice packs and put them against the walls of the tank, but I would like to make a better system. I have read the article on this website.

I'm debating two ideas right now:
One is buying a peltier cooler or two such as this one (probably a lower power one, but I have to see the best spare power supply that I have): http://www.virtualvillage.com/sku00...aseusa&utm_medium=shopping&CAWELAID=218072179 and sandwiching it between a spare heatsink and I have and the wall of my tank near the submersible water filter. I'm not sure about how effective this would be.

The other is buying a pump and running some tubing through an ice bath (much like the website suggests). I don't know what the maximum flow I can safely use is, and also what kind of screen/guard I should be use to protect my pet.


Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[vistajpdf]

I don't know, I'm right there with you, wondering what to do for the hot summer months here in S. FL. Last season, the newts were in a different room that stays cooler. At Christmas, my oldest son moved into his own room and took the newts with him. That room gets more afternoon sun and is noticeably warmer, so I've been concerned, though the fact that the newts have 30+ babies tells me they can't be that unhappy.

After reading here somewhere on the caresheets, I tried frozen ice with dechlorinated water but then was told it wasn't safe when I posted about it. It didn't seem to have much impact on the tank's temperature. Then, I put in frozen bottles of water along the side of the tank, towards the land part that they never use. It significantly had an effect, but that, too, was frowned upon here when I wrote about it. I'm not sure if there are concerns about the chemicals in the plastic bottle or what. Strapping those blue ice packs to the side and insulating with styrofoam was then suggested. I did it for a few days, but the results were not as good as the bottle inside. I'll go back and check my old post and see if anything else was suggested that I missed. It was about a month ago.

I keep the A/C at about 74 rather than 78 during the times we're out all day for the children's side of the house. I hope that helps. Can you leave yours on in the newt room?

Jenn wrote that in mid-summer, well-established tanks can be OK creeping above the 72 mark up to 74, I think. My tank usually isn't higher than 70 or 72. I believe above 74 is cause for concern, so at 80, you have to do something. Fungal infections and disease as well as stress will be major worries for you. I checked out your link and it seems pretty promising about the cooler though I worry about how much control you have over the temperature. If it works, I'll have 5 tanks soon to worry about w/ all these larva!

Good luck and let me know what you find,
Dana

 

[vistajpdf]

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=60992s This the link to my post on cooling. Seems like there is controversy on what is OK. I don't know what to do!

Dana

 

[SludgeMunkey]

DIY Peltier cooling is an expensivef effort and waste of good computer parts. I have experimented with it in the past and the number and size of plates needed far out wieghs the cooling achieved. The other problem with Peltier cooling that most everyone forgets about is this generates excess heat in large amounts. You end up having to cool you cooling system!

I am a big fan of the "tubing through ice" method. As for flow, I use the smallest fountain pump I could find ( 2.5 gph). For protective mesh I use the plastic needlepoint sheets found at craft stores cut to the size needed. Actual through put should not be an issue if you keep the pump at 5gph or smaller. If there is a bit too much current, a cleverly placed rock rectifies the situation very effectively. I have found that 3/8 or 5/8 diameter tubing makes the most efficient cooling coils. Avoid using nylon or PTFE tubing. Nylon absorbs water and fails over time. PTFE insulates and prevents efficient thermal transfer. Urethane tubing works best in my opinion. You can get Food Grade Urethane at any big DIY store in the plumbing and/or appliances department.