Best Thermometer

[Retired Viking]

Depends on how cold it gets in your house, I live where the winters get pretty cold. Having two also puts less strain on each heater. You could set it up where the temp is lower than the other one so it only turns on if the other one is not working. But it does add wires and more stuff in the tank. I have a UGF so I just put them next to my up lift tubes.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Why do you guys need fans?

 

[styla12]

Depends on how cold it gets in your house, I live where the winters get pretty cold. Having two also puts less strain on each heater. You could set it up where the temp is lower than the other one so it only turns on if the other one is not working. But it does add wires and more stuff in the tank. I have a UGF so I just put them next to my up lift tubes.

Ah right makes sense.

My house is always around 20 degrees so no issue for me. Will stick to one with the inkbird system and keep a spare handy.

 

[styla12]

Why do you guys need fans?

In giving it a miss. Don't think I need it tbh as London hardly has heat lol

What is the best plan if there was to be a heatwave and aquarium temperature rises?

 

[Retired Viking]

It is always good to have a spare ready. In over 30 years I can remember having at least 2 heaters die and one had a turtle crack the glass.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Geeze, I have central air/heat in Texas so it’s always about 72F inside. I guess I don’t need a fan. I do worry about hurricanes and no power though. I have battery air pumps. Guess it would be that and lids off tanks. I’ll be spending lots of time changing water to hold temps though. Doesn’t sound fun with 13 tanks. I know it will happen eventually. Please not this year. I’ve had all the fun I can stand already.

 

[styla12]

Geeze, I have central air/heat in Texas so it’s always about 72F inside. I guess I don’t need a fan. I do worry about hurricanes and no power though. I have battery air pumps. Guess it would be that and lids off tanks. I’ll be spending lots of time changing water to hold temps though. Doesn’t sound fun with 13 tanks. I know it will happen eventually. Please not this year. I’ve had all the fun I can stand already.

Haha that would be chaos. My python no spill would come in handy for sure if I had to keep changing water easy in and out haha.

Where have you fit 13 tanks!? I have one 63 gallon tank and seems like a full time job lol!

 

[FishGuest5123]

Haha that would be chaos. My python no spill would come in handy for sure if I had to keep changing water easy in and out haha.

Where have you fit 13 tanks!? I have one 63 gallon tank and seems like a full time job lol!

I recently turned an extra bedroom into a fish room.

 

[howard_hopkinson]

Why do you guys need fans?

Here in the UK hardly anyone has aircon(my building certainly doesn't)and for me, because I live in an upstairs flat, my flat can reach temperatures well in excess of 30C. Obviously without some kind of cooling this would spell disaster for my fish, hence the need for the fans and whatever else I may end up doing.

 

[Colin_T]

Here in the UK hardly anyone has aircon(my building certainly doesn't)and for me, because I live in an upstairs flat, my flat can reach temperatures well in excess of 30C.

LOL, I always giggle when you lot have 30C temperatures. You bunch of woosies
If I ever find the picture I took some years ago, I will show you how hot it gets in Australia. I took a picture of the thermometer in the games room and I'm pretty sure it was well over 40C in the shade and there was an airconditioner blowing cool air through the room.

It gets so hot here the plants start to cook (60+C in the sun). A couple of minutes in that and you die.

 

[howard_hopkinson]

So, how do you keep your aquarium cool in those insane temperatures Colin?

 

[Colin_T]

We just cool the house and the tanks sit on about 30-32C when it's really hot and the temp drops to the high 20s (28-29C) when its just hot.

Most of my tanks held about 160 litres (40 gallons) of water so the temperature changes were slower than smaller tanks. And if you turn off the electrical appliances in the room, it helps reduce heat. Computers produce a lot of heat, as do refrigerators and televisions.

When it was really hot, I would leave the tank lights off. There was a skylight in the loungeroom where most of the tanks were and that was heaps for the fish. When it cooled down the lights would get turned back on.

I had plastic tubs outside in the shade and they would regularly hit 40C during the day in summer. The tubs had an air operated sponge filter and live plants in. The fish and plants were fine.

 

[seangee]

In giving it a miss. Don't think I need it tbh as London hardly has heat lol

What is the best plan if there was to be a heatwave and aquarium temperature rises?

Easy to say. I don't have fans and for (at least) the last 3 summers my tanks have stayed over 30C for extended periods. Sure its not usually more than 3 or 4 months but is actually a worry. The first year I noticed I was doing regular water changes and floating ice packs. For the past 2 I have just left it. We (mostly) don't have aircon and we do have well insulated houses. Once the room temp passes 30 it takes weeks to come back down, even when the weather does cool.

 

[Colin_T]

For the people in the UK and other cold climates, get a portable airconditioner or evaporative airconditioner and use it to cool the room down with the aquariums in. You don't have to cool it too much but just let it sit in the high 20s C.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Wow! I can’t imagine no A/C. I guess U’m one spoiled old lady.