Hot hot hot

[JumperAlex]

My ac died while I was at work today and my tank temp is steady on the rise 81ish at the moment. What can I do to help this? Help fast please!


90g FOWLR
Foxface lo x 1
Ocerllaris clown x2
Blue spotted Toby puffer x1
Tomini tang x1
Flame hawk x1
Red legged hermit crab x 5-10
Snails x 5
Short spine urchin (red) x 1
Conch x 1
Chocolate chip starfish x 2

 

[Rob&Gab]

dont worry 81 is fine the day it got hot in my girls tank it was at 83. its okay but for your info freeze R/O water cubes and dump the whole tray in there and put a big fan pointed at it too cool the tank the air circulation will help with it.

 

[Rob&Gab]

but if i were you i would go buy a new A/c cause the ice cubes thing wont work forever. lol

 

[jdl513]

I have heard a recommendation to freeze a slurry of sawdust and water in freezer bags then float them in the sump.

I would imagine frozen saltwater inside freezer bags will last longer than regular water if you don't have piles of sawdust laying around.
You would need a deep freezer to get that salty water to freeze depending on how salty.

Like using ice melt on your driveway during the winter...but in reverse.

 

[FunkyFish]

I freeze water bottles n toss em in when it gets scorching. When Sandy hit and we were powerless for nine days in 40 degree weather I was boiling water on the stove and pouring it in two liter bottles and putting em in tank. No deaths that week


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[JumperAlex]

Thanks everyone for the speedy responses. I was still at work while all of this was happening, my girlfriend called to tell me the bad news. I had her turn the lights off (4x48in HO T5) not helping with the heat I'm sure. We keep a fan on the sump normally and one on the top of the tank to cool the lights when on, I had her leave all of the fans on. The temp seems to be keeping steady at 80-81. I hope the AC gets fixed tomorrow but if it doesn't I am currently freezing RO ice cubes. Would my fish be okay if I only turn the lights on when I feed in the evening? It is a FOWLR.


90g FOWLR
Foxface lo x 1
Ocerllaris clown x2
Blue spotted Toby puffer x1
Tomini tang x1
Flame hawk x1
Red legged hermit crab x 5-10
Snails x 5
Short spine urchin (red) x 1
Conch x 1
Chocolate chip starfish x 2

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

You will be fine turning the lights off for a couple of days. If the AC is going to be out for awhile, you can consider running the lights at night or early morning when the ambient temperature is going to be the coolest.

 

[JumperAlex]

Good to know, on my normal schedule they are on a timer to only run from 5pm-12am. Trying to find the coolest ambient time in Georgia is a little difficult.


90g FOWLR
Foxface lo x 1
Ocerllaris clown x2
Blue spotted Toby puffer x1
Tomini tang x1
Flame hawk x1
Red legged hermit crab x 5-10
Snails x 5
Short spine urchin (red) x 1
Conch x 1
Chocolate chip starfish x 2

 

[returnofsid]

Get a couple of those 6" clip on fans from Walmart. Clip them to the rim of your tank so they blow across the surface. After an hour or so, your heater will kick on. You'll be amazed how much these fans will drop the water temperature, quickly.

 

[AZDesertRat]

WalMart clip on fans work wonders, you may find it cools it too much and need to place them on a timer and run them on low speed. Evaporation will go up so be prepared. Frozen bottles are not a very viable option due to the small amount of BTU they actually provide and do not last long uinless you have a nano or pico tank.

 

[fishes2889]

There is a lot you can do. Get some sort of fan, turn down the heater, fix the ac(lol), turn off the lights because its FOWLR and fish do not require light, take the glass hood off if you have one, and or the last resort ice cube method.

 

[JumperAlex]

Put the RO cubes in today. Heard from the landlord and she can't get anyone out to the house until Tuesday!!! I picked up some water bottles to freeze and put in the sump. 6 bottles 3 to put in and 3 to keep in the freezer. I am keeping the lights off and using fans. I have an egg crate top so I'm good that way and I'm going to unplug my heater when I get home tonight. Hope all is well until Tuesday, wish me luck!


90g FOWLR
Foxface lo x 1
Ocerllaris clown x2
Blue spotted Toby puffer x1
Tomini tang x1
Flame hawk x1
Red legged hermit crab x 5-10
Snails x 5
Short spine urchin (red) x 1
Conch x 1
Chocolate chip starfish x 2

 

[JumperAlex]

Things not going very well...when I got home yesterday my puffer was stressed on the bottom of the tank, Foxface wouldn't move or come out of "camo" coloring and my Tomini tang was faded and at the bottom of the tank as well. Not happy with my landlord at all right now. I am due for a water change on Sunday but was thinking about doing it tonight to get some of the much hotter water out of there. Thoughts?


90g FOWLR
Foxface lo x 1
Ocerllaris clown x2
Blue spotted Toby puffer x1
Tomini tang x1
Flame hawk x1
Red legged hermit crab x 5-10
Snails x 5
Short spine urchin (red) x 1
Conch x 1
Chocolate chip starfish x 2

 

[Beach Bum]

Freeze plastic soda bottles put them in your tank or sump .

 

[JumperAlex]

Been doing that, I have an egg crate top with fan up there as well as a fan in my sump. But I can't put the frozen bottles in while my girlfriend and I are both at work.


90g FOWLR
Foxface lo x 1
Ocerllaris clown x2
Blue spotted Toby puffer x1
Tomini tang x1
Flame hawk x1
Red legged hermit crab x 5-10
Snails x 5
Short spine urchin (red) x 1
Conch x 1
Chocolate chip starfish x 2

 

[sherita]

You need a redneck chiller............

Get a small cooler (like a beer cooler from the gas station), many feet of black thinwall vinyl tubing, a MJ900 or some such, and a bunch of ice.

Make coils out of the black vinyl tubing (at least 25' or so of it, but the more you get in there, the better) and put in the cooler with the ends sticking out far enough to reach your sump. Put the pump on one end of the tubing, secure the other end in your sump so it can't jump out. Put ice in the cooler (bust the ice up good first), pour salt into the ice as your are dumping it in. cut a coupe notches in the lid of the cooler (so your tubing doesn't get pinched). Put lid on cooler, then cover cooler with sleeping bags or comforters to insulate. Fire up the MJ900, and watch your tank temp start coming down.

A cooler full of ice will last you 8-12 hours, and will keep a 100g system cool even when the ambient temp is pushing 100. Watch out for the temp, in case it drops too low.

I've saved my big tanks like this before, it works. Looks like 9 rows of bad hoeing, but it will keep your temp down.

 

[JumperAlex]

Thinking about the redneck chiller, one of my LFS told me to turn my power heads off. Anyone think this will help?


90g FOWLR
Foxface lo x 1
Ocerllaris clown x2
Blue spotted Toby puffer x1
Tomini tang x1
Flame hawk x1
Red legged hermit crab x 5-10
Snails x 5
Short spine urchin (red) x 1
Conch x 1
Chocolate chip starfish x 2

 

[Liquid360]

Powerheads generate a little heat but very little. You might could squeeze a degree out of pumps.

 

[Liquid360]

+1 on the aptly named "redneck chiller" lol. It's not pretty but others the job done in a pinch. Long term if you can get one I recommend a probe chiller rather than an inline. It's MUCH easier for seasonal use.

 

[JumperAlex]

What's the cost like on a probe chiller?


90g FOWLR
Foxface lo x 1
Ocerllaris clown x2
Blue spotted Toby puffer x1
Tomini tang x1
Flame hawk x1
Red legged hermit crab x 5-10
Snails x 5
Short spine urchin (red) x 1
Conch x 1
Chocolate chip starfish x 2