SUPER HIGH TEMP.

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

I keep my home at 68 degrees and my three heaters at 74 and my water temp is still close to 79 to 80 degree in my 240 gallon. I froze large bags of rodi water in which it would melt and release into the tank to cover for evaporation as well. It worked (by just making small cuts in the bag once the bag was frozen. lol (please don’t cut the wholes first then fill it with water. Then blame me for getting wet. Yes I was dumb and did that once). But it did cool the tank down slowly but it is kinda tedious and you go through some bags. (I have since upgraded to ziplock amd just leaving them open).

With your home so warm, I am not certain you would do much cooling with a fan. Maybe get a window ac and direct the air flow over the tank. But honestly this is an expensive hobby and I’m glad your passionate about it. But I’m the sake of the critters you may just turn the a/c on. Specially since next two weeks there is a massive heat warning for like most of the USA, not sure where your at.

I do wish you good luck in this.

Sincerely
Sarah

 

[Joshua2598]

Hello,

I keep my home at 68 degrees and my three heaters at 74 and my water temp is still close to 79 to 80 degree in my 240 gallon. I froze large bags of rodi water in which it would melt and release into the tank to cover for evaporation as well. It worked (by just making small cuts in the bag once the bag was frozen. lol (please don’t cut the wholes first then fill it with water. Then blame me for getting wet. Yes I was dumb and did that once). But it did cool the tank down slowly but it is kinda tedious and you go through some bags. (I have since upgraded to ziplock amd just leaving them open).

With your home so warm, I am not certain you would do much cooling with a fan. Maybe get a window ac and direct the air flow over the tank. But honestly this is an expensive hobby and I’m glad your passionate about it. But I’m the sake of the critters you may just turn the a/c on. Specially since next two weeks there is a massive heat warning for like most of the USA, not sure where your at.

I do wish you good luck in this.

Sincerely
Sarah

Really thank you for the input. I'm trying to cancel the order for the livestock atm. After that's all done I'll find a solution, or just wait until summer heat is over and just save up for some kind of chilling device

 

[Joshua2598]

Hello,

I keep my home at 68 degrees and my three heaters at 74 and my water temp is still close to 79 to 80 degree in my 240 gallon. I froze large bags of rodi water in which it would melt and release into the tank to cover for evaporation as well. It worked (by just making small cuts in the bag once the bag was frozen. lol (please don’t cut the wholes first then fill it with water. Then blame me for getting wet. Yes I was dumb and did that once). But it did cool the tank down slowly but it is kinda tedious and you go through some bags. (I have since upgraded to ziplock amd just leaving them open).

With your home so warm, I am not certain you would do much cooling with a fan. Maybe get a window ac and direct the air flow over the tank. But honestly this is an expensive hobby and I’m glad your passionate about it. But I’m the sake of the critters you may just turn the a/c on. Specially since next two weeks there is a massive heat warning for like most of the USA, not sure where your at.

I do wish you good luck in this.

Sincerely
Sarah

Also, I'm located in silicon valley, one of the cooler parts ironically

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yeah i have a heater but its not even plugged in at the moment, just sitting in there as its summer. I knew about the ice bag method before ill have to try that just seems like a lot of work having to replace the bag every once in a while. We could turn on the AC but its costs so much money.

My A/C costs me an extra $40-52 a month. For the 3 hot months we get, $120 is nothing to preserve my tank and livestock. Cheaper than a chiller and chasing ice bags. Takes that one loss to look back and say I should have just used the a/C.
PLUS- You get some comfy sleep!

 

[Jamie7907]

If the area you live in doesn’t have high humidity a fan blowing across the tank should cool it more than enough. Evaporative cooling can bring temperatures down 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit in the right conditions. If you live with high humidity you may be out of luck though.

 

[Reefer1978]

https://www.chillsolutions.com/

You need to get creative. If the room is above 85, you will have a hard time getting consistent temp in the 79-80 range. Talk to chill solutions, not a horrible price for what you get.

I am in Silicone Valley every 6 weeks - there's no cool part of the valley

 

[count krunk]

Yeah with a temp that high it will be difficult. I live in Orlando, FL my 55g planted tank stays around 74 (house at 78) and I have a 29g w/ just a filter running on the back screened in porch just to see.. and It stays at a pretty constant 80. As for the temp on the porch, I'm not sure.

 

[BillyReefer]

Fan blows my tankwater to 78, while the room is at 86. I don't know how it is possible after reading all this messages. Just try it i guess and make sure it hits the water.

 

[Flexin]

Also, I'm located in silicon valley, one of the cooler parts ironically

Hi Joshua, cancel the order and before you break it down or give up, try the fans with your equipment running for a few weeks and see where you are temp wise.

It’s hard to hear all this when you get excited about a tank, I understand. As you mentioned, are there any cooler areas of you home when you can still enjoy the tank? I hope you find a way to make it work, but losing the fish will probably cost more then running the a/c.

 

[lapin]

Also, I'm located in silicon valley, one of the cooler parts ironically

Besides running a big pipe to the coast to import some cool foggy air, I think your best bet is fans blowing on the water surface. The price PGE is gouging you in Ca is out of this world. I lived there. I know. I can run my a/c here in Texas and I now have a pool at less electricity cost than my condo in SF. Fans are pretty cheap to run.

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

I definitely would remove the tops because it will trap the heat and glass will magnify heat, example stand next to a sliding back door with the sun coming through or in your car and the sun blasting through, it magnifies. Heat rises,
So it should come down because the heat can actually escape and rise. Secondly, based on my physics experience, blow hot air that’s hotter than your water is only going to warm it up. If your trying to keep this cheap just get some ziplock baggies and freeze some rodi water. Drop blocks of ice with the bag open and it will drop the temp slowly. Problem is when you leave, sure your not home 24 hours to drop a bag when needed etc. you may have to do three or four to drop it down.

 

[lapin]

This kinda cover it
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-06/nftt/

 

[Subsea]

Thermodynamics 101
1000 btu of cooling takes place for every pound of water evaporated.

Room temperature is not the driving force for evaporation. Dry hot air evaporates water. I operated a
10,000G system in a greenhouse here in Austin. Even with daytime temperatures at 105 degrees, I maitained 80.0 degree water.

 

[Toofattofish]

Fan blows my tankwater to 78, while the room is at 86. I don't know how it is possible after reading all this messages. Just try it i guess and make sure it hits the water.

Because it's not as simple as some of the posts make it seem (e.g. that a tank is going to always be nearly as warm as the room it is in). In a dry climate an uncovered tank, with enough surface agitation and a fan blowing across it, will be significantly cooler than the room it is in; but if the room is humid then very little vaporization will occur and the tank will heat up.

 

[LBReefer]

Yeah i have a heater but its not even plugged in at the moment, just sitting in there as its summer. I knew about the ice bag method before ill have to try that just seems like a lot of work having to replace the bag every once in a while. We could turn on the AC but its costs so much money.

Make sure to use rodi water in the ice.

 

[Dom]

We could turn on the AC but its costs so much money.

This hobby is not cheap.

 

[Dom]

ha understandable, I guess ill need to try the ice method for now

Here is the problem: The "ice method" will be effective for as long as it is ice. The temp will drop, but, it will only climb again once the ice is gone. This constant fluctuation in temperature isn't good.

You will need a more automated solution. I would say add a temperature controller with the heater plugged in on one side and a fan on the other.

 

[Dom]

I can can cancel the order tomorrow i believe, as i ordered it over the weekend and they havent shipped it yet. I'll have to call early in the morning. I ordered from LiveAquria

Yeah... I think this is a good idea. Get this issue resolved before putting anything in the tank.

Remember.... be patient.

 

[Dom]

My A/C costs me an extra $40-52 a month. For the 3 hot months we get, $120 is nothing to preserve my tank and livestock. Cheaper than a chiller and chasing ice bags. Takes that one loss to look back and say I should have just used the a/C.
PLUS- You get some comfy sleep!

It costs me an extra $300/month to run the central air in my house. My July bill was $498 bucks. In the winter, my electric bill is much more affordable... around $235-260.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

IMHO great suggestions have been made, but the best ones are taking off the tops and running AC. Simplicity is key for me. Having to constantly freeze water and add to my tank on a daily basis is something I could not do successfully. Also with that method you will have pretty decent swings in temperature. Fans do work, but then you will need a decent size ATO reservoir to make sure the evaporated water is getting replenished, otherwise you will get a salinity spike. If ATO fails dumping a large reservoir into your tank then you may be looking at a flood. AC with no tops will be a very easy way to maintain temperature and will be cheaper than running a chiller. Just my thoughts. Also with the fish you have coming, QT is key in this hobby. I have seen parasitic infections wipe out an entire tank in a matter of days.