rpate2
Community Member
Has anyone used RO ice in a Sump to cool a tank on a hot day? My tank is creeping up to 84 degrees in the Aussie Summer and I have no chiller and looking for a cheap way to keep the temp down
RO ice in Sump
- Thread starter rpate2
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pugcrush
Well-Known Member
+1 ziplock or freeze RO in water bottles. Also, a fan at the water's surface works wonders. Are you able to doublecheck the temp? Maybe there's a pump that's heating the water a bit? If so, maybe run a skimmer half the day.
tomtom2245
Well-Known Member
Agreed, if my tank has ever gotten hot, I just put ice packs from the freezer in a ziplock and drop that in.
Ljaus
Valuable Member
I would keep an eye out for a second hand chiller, I would never risk a tank without a chiller in Australia. You can always turn it off when it's not needed, until then frozen bottles and zip lock bags of Ro water plus the fan. Just be aware the fan will increase evaporation
mcarroll
10K Club member
As long as that's all the higher it gets I wouldn't worry.
I ran my stony coral tank at a constant 83ºF for years when I was running metal halide bulbs without apparent issues.
Take measures to make sure the day/night temperature swing isn't too big.
Peak daytime Summer temps in the Red Sea and Palau are about 86ºF.
Keep nutrients in the water though!
Check out:
The response of the scleractinian coral Turbinaria reniformis to thermal stress depends on the nitrogen status of the coral holobiont
I agree, 84 isn't really a problem, it is of it keeps getting higher.
O2 saturation levels drop with higher temperatures so turning off your skimmer might have the unseen consequence of lowering the oxygen levels.
Have you considered replacing some equipment with cooler stuff? DC return and skimmer pumps or an external return pump. Is your lighting adding heat like a MH or T5 unit? You could replace them for LEDs.
Fans blowing over the surface of the water in your sump and display can help tremendously.
What is the ambient temperature of your home, might be a cheaper option to just lower your house temperature.
I built a little diy chiller with a styrofoam cooler, some 1/2 inch tubing and a little marineland pump. Got me through a summer while I bought a replacement chiller. Just threw the pump in the sump, ran the tubing coil into the cooler full of water/ice then back into the sump. Threw the pump on my controller to turn on/off to keep the temperature stable. Did the trick for me.
As most have said above, floating freeze packs or ice in zip lock bags is something I have done many times on my freshwater tanks as during the summers in Phoenix, the water running from the "cold" water tap never gets below 83-84....It has worked perfectly. Not had to do it on my marine tank but do have a small clip on fan over my sump hooked to my RKL controller and that has taken care of things with no issues.
