hound96 Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 its summer now and i just cant keep the temp in my tank low it sits at 82 during the day and about 79 in the evening any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegrandpoohbah Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 Blow a fan across the surface of the water to facilitate evaporative cooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stribbelldk Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 central air worked for me!!! You can look into water chillers but cost the same as central air :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted June 20, 2008 Report Share Posted June 20, 2008 Keep the lights turned off if it isn't a planted tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishkabod Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Ice cubes of tank water added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
African_Fever Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 Why are you worried about those temps? I'd just unplug the heater and make sure it isn't making things worse, but otherwise you're fine. Malawi gets smoking hot in the summer, so the fish can take some heat (I think the warmest I had was close to 90-95F, and I know it was 76F at 76 feet down!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairdeal Posted June 21, 2008 Report Share Posted June 21, 2008 I unplug most if not all of my heaters in the summer - keeps the tanks @ 76 to 78F. Nothing wrong with that - fish don't seem stressed or concerned. I used to watch them like a hawk and now never even look to see how they are doing as I have done this every summer for at least the past 10 years. All my tanks are downstairs and out of direct sunlight but the room still gets warmer than in the winter. I would estimate that the average temperature goes up 3 to 4 degrees if the heaters are left plugged in. You will notice that if the temperature gets too much warmer than normal the fish will eat more as it tends to speed up their metabolism. Eating more produces more waste which means bigger or more frequent water changes, etc and it becomes a little berserk. Much easier to just drop the temperature and no added work or concerns. I try to keep the water at 82 for the fry tanks and 78 to 80 for the adults and larger fry and have not had a problem. I keep african cichlids though. Some keep theirs at higher or lower temperatures and it will vary for different species. Best to know what ranges yours will tolerate as nonbreeding , shortened life spans and a whole lot of other complications arise if the water is too high or low for your particular fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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