Heat Waves And Cooling Water

[RobRocksFishTank]

In light of the unusually high temperatures in the UK, there are a number of threads asking about cooling fish tanks. Instead of responding to every one, I've decided to start one with my advice about the topic because, some people here are a bit sensitive and get offended by my direct approach.
 
I've lived in southern New England, US all my life and we deal with heat waves almost every year. Around here a heat wave is defined as three or more days in a row with a high temperature of 90 degrees F (32.2C). Every tank I've had has survived a number of heat waves despite not having air conditioning (AC) for most of them. I've been in the top floor of a few apartments for some of those. As I was growing up, AC was a luxury we could not afford and my mother knew how to keep a place cool without it. Her place felt like it had AC. Simple things like blocking as much sunlight as possible with the use of blackout curtains and shades and keeping exterior doors closed can do wonders. Also, taking advantage of cooler PM temps to remove as much excess heat as possible was key. In fact, as I am typing this, I'm having trouble resisting the urge to turn on my lights because I have all the curtains and shades drawn in the middle of the afternoon.
 
I think most of us will agree that most healthy tanks and fish can take three or more days of higher than recommended temperatures. Even cold water systems. The exceptions being sick fish, reef tanks, tanks and some more sensitive species. The smart recommendation around here is not to directly cool the water but to cool the room. If the water gets a bit warm the temperature swings are less dramatic and it is usually easier than trying to cool the water directly. The only tanks I've seen utilizing chillers to cool the water are reef tanks and other extremely high end saltwater tanks. In fact, more fish are killed by unnecessarily trying to cool water in a way that is hard to control than are killed by the excess heat. The use of electric coolers is a way to cool the water in a controlled fashion and they are used for those high end tanks, but their use is self contradicting for the average hobbyist because the unit is usually in the same space as the tank. They work by removing heat from the water. Guess where that heat goes. Right back into the room plus some more that for the work the unit is doing in order to function, making it even warmer in that room. In turn, rewarming the tank and making the cooler work that much harder. That's why cooling the room is the smart move and is often cheaper.
 
Another thing to consider is that the warmer the water is, the less capable it is to contain dissolved oxygen. That is why fish hang out near the top when the water is warm. The water at the lower levels does not have enough oxygen. It's not because they cannot handle the temperature. The carbon dioxide/oxygen exchange happens at the surface. A very good way to alleviate hovering at the surface is to increase water circulation. Increasing circulation gets more water to the surface, faster. As long as they are not bouncing off the walls or ornamentation, even fish that prefer slower moving waters will benefit from increased circulation in higher than normal temperatures. I prefer to increase filtration instead of just adding water movers like airstones, powerheads, and wavemakers. My philosophy is: If you are going to move the water, why not filter it? Just put a sponge on it. (I love sponge filters.)
 
Hope that helps. Good day and good fish. This is Rob, signing off.

 

[nic1]

Great advice thanks a lot...
I think the UK are just not prepared for it! We spend most of the year in the shadows of grey cloud and when the weather finally graces us with a bit of sun (usually three weeksof it- and not on a consistent basis) we literally go into melt down!

 

[Ch4rlie]

Pretty good advice RRF.
 
All good tips for those who are wondering about this sort of thing.
 
I have heard of folks putting in bottles of iced water directly into the fish tank, now the idea is not bad but this as RRF say, can flucuate the water temp as the ice melts, the tank water will rise again. This is worse for the stocking than if it was a steady, albeit warmer temp throughout.
 
Cooling fans above the tank and directed at the water surface is a better idea as this will help agitate the water surface which does two things, helps cool the water very slightly and increases air circilation in the tank. The big danger is not enough dissolved oxygen, which the fish do actually need. Then again, if the room is warm then all the fan does is circulate warm air around.
 
Wrapping a heatproof sheet around the tank and may have merit in its idea but am unsure if this actually works, I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has heard or tried this method.
 
Simple things like switching off the tank lights may help in reducng the water temperature, particularly those who have tube bulbs as these can get very warm when switched on.
 
There are lots more theories and idea that may or may not be beneficial to keeping tank temps lowered during heatwaves, the best thing to do is, to be prepared and plan ahead just in case.
 
Having a plan that has been reseached is much better than trying all sorts of ideas that may not work and make matters worse possibly.

 

[brownie17]

Thanks, great advice, Rob. You talk so warmly about your mother and her ways of cooling the room without AC.
It's nice to hear. When I escape from the heat with my air conditioning, I always think how people used to live before without technology, which provides us with comfort in our days. And they managed to live happily with almost no attention to the discomfort or coming up with some of their own ways, as your mother did.
But I had another problem with the air conditioning. It is located in the same room as the aquarium. And, somehow, I came from a run (kept the air conditioner on, because of the heat), and the room was too cold as in the freezer! The fish swam sluggish, as if preparing for eternal sleep. I quickly turned off the aircon and called the air conditioning repair servicing.
They came and fixed all the AC problems. I have very expensive, rare species of fish that need to be very carefully maintained. So, I had to change their water for little warmer. In this case, too, you need to be careful, because a sharp change in water temperature can also harm them. It's good that I quickly noticed the problem. Since then, before going out, I always turn off my air conditioning. Although, the guys from the service said that there was just a sensor flew and ,most probably, it won't happen again.

 

[FishGuest5123]

This thread is 4 years old.

 

[subsubcool]

Thanks, great advice, Rob. You talk so warmly about your mother and her ways of cooling the room without AC.
It's nice to hear. When I escape from the heat with my air conditioning, I always think how people used to live before without technology, which provides us with comfort in our days. And they managed to live happily with almost no attention to the discomfort or coming up with some of their own ways, as your mother did.
But I had another problem with the air conditioning. It is located in the same room as the aquarium. And, somehow, I came from a run (kept the air conditioner on, because of the heat), and the room was too cold as in the freezer! The fish swam sluggish, as if preparing for eternal sleep. I quickly turned off the aircon and called the the repair service.
They came and fixed all the AC problems. I have very expensive, rare species of fish that need to be very carefully maintained. So, I had to change their water for little warmer. In this case, too, you need to be careful, because a sharp change in water temperature can also harm them. It's good that I quickly noticed the problem. Since then, before going out, I always turn off my air conditioning. Although, the guys from the service said that there was just a sensor flew and ,most probably, it won't happen again.

Oh wow thanks for the information, I think that the aircon would be of a good solution as well as I read up on some articles that stated it helps with owners that have pets and everything.

 

[Lkbros]

Yes it is really important to keep your fish tanks at a certain temperature as your fish may not be able to acclimatise to summer or winter weather. I highly recommend getting an AC or any tank cooling device to do so. I read up on some articles here. Do check them out.

 

[mbsqw1d]

This thread is 4 years old.

this thread is 5 years old