It's too hot. Help please

frenchman

Member
I live on the top floor of a building in NYC nad it starts to get very hot. I do not have AC and starts to worry for my fish & corals. I looked into chillers but found out that they cost $700. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Anyone has a cheaper idea? I have a 30gal reef tank. :eek:
 

jacrmill

Member
what kind of lighting do you use? is it MH? how long are you keeping them on? do you have a fan blowing on your tank or anything? you could keep your top off water in the fridge before you put it in. you could freeze a bag of water and then float that in your tank until it thaws. just a couple ideas to keep you from spending so much $. and who said $190 wasnt expensive?
 
Frenchman,
-The aforementioned probe might help
-Fans do an amazing job of cooling your system... run a small fan or two in your hood to circulate air
-Consider raising your hood an inch or two to allow for more air between your light and the tank top
-If you're not using a sump now, consider adding one... more water volume and you can run a fan over the sump to cool the water. This can be a big help, if you're using a smaller pump as a return (i.e. a big Rio 3100 would probably generate almost as much heat as a 250w MH)
-You might want to consider cutting back the amount of time your lights are on each day and/or bringing them out-of-phase (i.e. lighhts off in the heat of the day and lights on at night).
Remember that some critters are Ok in higher heat, provided there aren't big shifts in temp. When I lived in a hotter clime, I fought a battle to keep my tank @ 78 degrees for a long time, but finally decided to switch to ~81 degrees constant. I found that this was better in the long run.
 

frenchman

Member
Thanks guys for your answers. It already helps quite a bit.
As for lightning I use a CORALIFE 10,000K but was thinking of using a 20,000K in the near future for the reef.
Temperature has been stable at 81F so far but when it gets hot and there is no wind, it has already reached above 85 several times.
So far the only remedy I found (as you all suggested) was to keep the hood open for air circulation. I found that it helped. I also put some bag with ice but they tend to melt in less than 5 minutes when the tank is at 85 or above and it really becomes a hassle to change the ice so often.
:rolleyes:
 

salttrigger

Member
I live in california an the temp. sometimes is more than a 100 but i use a small refrigeratore to bring the temp. down and it helps alot.
 
Frenchy,
If your getting up over 85, it's better to have the lights off during the heat. Lights off in the day and on at night!
...and get a fan!
 

wuelfman

Member
take a 1 liter pepsi or coke
fill with water about 70% the ice will expand when frozen.put cap on then freeze
put in tank when it gets to warm
i use the 2 liter size in my 135 (2 of them
workd great and cheap !!!!
[ June 25, 2001: Message edited by: wuelfman ]
 

q

Member
Frenchman
I was thinking of using the 10000K bulb and would like some feed back if you could. Especially as how they meet the needs of the corals in the blue rankge of light.
Thanks
 

frenchman

Member
OK... I have three questions now:
1. one of you above spoke about a small fridge. I heard some people use a mini-fridge and use it as a chiller somehow. How does it work? Is it efficient?
2. The bottle of PEPSI is a good idea and will last longer than my small ice bags but won't it be too much/quick of a temp change in a 30gal tank?
3. When it really gets too hot in July or August, I am tempted to move my tank to my workplace where there is AC all day long. What do you suggest to move a 30gal reef tank? I was thinking of putting 50% of the water away and fill up again. I was also thiking of putting as many rocks as possible aside during the transportation. Any ideas on that?
THANKS AGAIN A LOT for your feedback. You're the best. I'll definitely use the fan in the meantime and keep an eye on the temp. :rolleyes:
 

salttrigger

Member
Frenchman i post a topic a few weeks ago on Equipment & DIY. and someone gave me the plans for how to do it its on (D.I.Y. CHILLER). check it out it help me alot.and only for least than a $100.
 

frenchman

Member
Why?
Because I would need probably 3 units to cool down the room.
Because AC are not cheap
Because electricity in NYC is very expensive
Nothing is easy in life.
I'll look for your posting Saltrigger. Thanks for all your feedback. You're the best! :D
 
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