Question: How can I cool down the water?

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Backkarurosu

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Hi everybody, I wanted to know and effective way to make the water of my tank cooler in order to drop it to 20ºC without a chiller or fans.
Is there any way I can do it and keep that temperature constant?
 
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I haven't tried it myself, but some people use iced bottles. You have to be careful though, because it can cause the watertemperature to fluctuate quite a bit and that could stress out your axolotl.
Another thing you can try is little ice cubes (dechlorinated) or frequent water changes (with slightly colder water). again, have not tried any of these myself yet.

Myself I prefer fans because they don't tend to let the water temperature drop too fast or too much. But is if you don't want to use a fan you can try one of the above. :p
 
The best way is to use a chiller. That way the temperature won't fluctuate and the temperature always stays perfect for axies. The downside is that they cost a lot.
Second option is to use fans. Those can bring the temperature down by a couple of degrees depending on the humidity and temperature of the air etc. If you have air conditioning in your house you could also place the aquarium right under the vent.
You can also use icebottles or icecubes. But those you need to change often to keep the temperature stable. If the temperature changes too suddenly it will stress the axolotl. Water changes will also work, but you need to be careful with those too.
 
I was thinking to save up for a chiller, but they are too expensive...
I wanted to try the ice bottles but I have read that they can change very fast the temperature and can stress the axis, and I dont really want that. :/
So the only way I can do in my home is buying a pair of fans.

If you have any other idea, or a home made solution wich isn't the ice bottled water, it would be nice to be shared here!
 
You could try getting an insulated box, cutting a hole for a fan on top (has to be tight fitted) and smaller holes in the bottom. Then fill it with icebottles and have it on top of your tank blowing in the water. I've used one like that during summer and managed to bring the temperature down a few extra degrees. You'll still need to change the ice but not as often and the temperature changes aren't as sudden as they would be if you put the bottles in the water. It looks ugly though.
 
An air stone or something to agitate the surface of the water will also help, goes well combined with fans over the tank.
 
so i watched some youtube videos on how to make a cheap chiller that works well. it costs pretty much less than 100 bucks if u are lucky which is much much cheaper than a real chiller. so ill give a brief over view and if u want u can look up more videos on it

you need a functional mini fridge. i would buy it off of craigslist or any other 2nd hand places. i have seen some as low as 25 bucks or as high as 60, many still in real good condition. then u get gardening hoes and keep them wrapped in a circle and put them in the mini fridge. u drill 2 holes on the side of the minii fridge and run one end of the hoes through each side. one end will become ur intake and the other your output. u plug in the fridge and set it to desired temperature and then u got a nice cheap funtional chiller. people buy little parts you add to the intake side of the hose to make it suck the water. i cant remember wht they are called. it is definitely possible to do it for about 100 bucks. the only downside i see is its kinda bulky bc its a mini fridge... but u could use the top to keep all ur axie and water supplies and the inside to store ur earthworms or whtever so its not too bad :) u dont need to much technical skill to do it either. just a drill big enough for the size of the hose etc.

good luck! post some pics if u do end up using this method
 
This last solution is pretty interesting but I think I will be doing the one of the fans with the ice, just because i think it's easier to do than the one you tell me, but still a nice think people should try to do!
 
Remember to keep several bottles of frozen water or plenty of dechlorinated ice. I've read it melts quickly so you might have to change the bottles or add more ice cubes frequently.
 
I've heard about the fridge thing too. But a guy that knows that kinds of stuff said that there could be some parts even inside the door that you really don't want to go drilling into. So be careful if you're going to do that.
 
keiko said:
I've heard about the fridge thing too. But a guy that knows that kinds of stuff said that there could be some parts even inside the door that you really don't want to go drilling into. So be careful if you're going to do that.
Click to expand...

yeah thts why i think they drill in the side and not the door but im sure if u are carefull tht would be an option too. with the water bottles i suggest if u have another empty tank laying around or a large bucket of some sort first u test out how often to replace the bottle and how to make sure so tht the water temp doesnt fluctuate alot, so like a trial in a sense.

or maybe see if u can find people who do this method with the same size tank as urs and how many bottle and how often they replace them. in the pet keeping hobby it seems like nothing beats experience and trials to get things right
 
axys said:
yeah thts why i think they drill in the side and not the door but im sure if u are carefull tht would be an option too. with the water bottles i suggest if u have another empty tank laying around or a large bucket of some sort first u test out how often to replace the bottle and how to make sure so tht the water temp doesnt fluctuate alot, so like a trial in a sense.

or maybe see if u can find people who do this method with the same size tank as urs and how many bottle and how often they replace them. in the pet keeping hobby it seems like nothing beats experience and trials to get things right
Click to expand...

I think the bottles might need to be replaced once the ice has melted. I tried the frozen water bottle thing but here in Florida it's so hot that I would have needed a whole 2nd freeze for the water bottles to be able to swap that often, or it would end up fluctuating too much. I opted for the screen top and fan and the tank is under an AC vent now.
 
How many degrees do you need to reduce the temps by (C or F)? Fan evaporation can only get you so far.

Insulating some of the sides, bottom of the tank can reduce the amount the tank is warmed by the room.

Can you keep your house cooler, or relocate the tank to a cooler part of the house?
 
axys said:
yeah thts why i think they drill in the side and not the door but im sure if u are carefull tht would be an option too.
Click to expand...

The sides could have some wiring etc too. So where ever you're going to go drilling I'd suggest being careful.
 
I can't relocate the tank because it is already in the coolest place of the house wich is my room.
I will try to get some fans and put them on the top of the tank in a 45º inclination (aprox lol).
Does natural plant help the temperature to fall down?
 
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