PLEASE HELP!!!! TANK IS DYING!!! water's too hot.

[woody189]

I have a 46 gal bowfront w/ half glass half eggcrage top. I have 2 heaters that i keep at about 82.
I came home today to find my cleaner shrimp dead. My temp was 92 degrees. I unplugged my heaters, put some ice in a ziploc back and put it into the tank. I put a fan over the eggcrate to get some cold air in.
Yesturday was rediculously hot and it's probably not going to get any better. I can't afford a chiller. Do you think the heaters had anything to do with it?? I would think that the heaters would just turn off if the water got too hot, but i'm hoping that's not the case. I'm hoping the heater just added to the problem.
Are there any other solutions other than a chiller??
It's not near a window and i don't have an a/c. I'm thinking maybe i'll get one of those instead of a chiller ( since i need 1 anyway) but that woud mean i gotta keep it running 24/77 right??
my fire adn camelback shrimp appear find and so do my other 4 fish.
thanks alot.

 

[wfd1008]

i don't trust heaters. try leaving the lights off longer. good luck.

 

[spanko]

You can add a computer fan to the back blowing across the water surface to help keep the tank cool on hot days. Will increase the evaporation but it does work to help keep the tank cool. I would set the heaters back to about 79 degrees IMO. You may have a hetaer that is stuck on, need to check that out.

 

[markeo99]

my ac broke once and I froze 2 litre bottles of water and put 1 or 2 in my sump

 

[nyyank]

Before I got a chiller I used to freeze water in plastic soda bottles (being sure to leave room for expansion) and just placed them in the sump.
The danger is that if there is a crack, as the ice melts the water enters the system.
It works, but is very labor intensive and who has the time.
Tanks of your size will quickly match the room temp but taking the glass tops off,directing fans over the top,and using power heads to create a ripple on the surface will all help to some extent.
Good luck

 

[mustangcaleb]

im in the same boat. im in a rental house and im waiting for the landlord to fix the ac. its been down for about 4 days, and they have all been in the mid 90s. i have a 125g so it take alittle time to raise the temp, but the first day it went out, it was 86.4 degrees when i got home. i immediately threw a few bags of ice in there and got it back down to around 79. now ive had a matco shop fan on the top of the tank with the glass top open. i havent turned the lights on in 4 days, which doesnt bother me bc i have a slight algae problem thats dying anyway. but with the fan up top, 88 degree ambient temp, the tank is staying between 80.5 and 81.5.

 

[forcrz6]

I was in the same Boat. But I solved 2 issues at once.
Google DIY Saltwater Aquarium Chiller
Now I have a cool tank and a place to keep my Frozen Products for the tank.

 

[woody189]

is it safe to just reduce the temp that quickly?? I don't have a sump so i just threw it straight into my tank.
will temp fluctuating a lot cause problems??? I'm going to get an a/c but don't want to leave it on all the time. I'm hoping having it on 1/2 the day will be good enough, but when it's not on, the temp will go back up. Is that okay or will the fluctuation of temp hurt my fish??
my lights were already off since it was night. I left them off anyway just to be safe, but i was under the impression that flourecent bulbs don't give off heat.
thanks again

 

[oceansidefish]

I freeze ro water into large ice blocks in the ziploc or disposable containers and put them in my auto top off so the tank get topped off with cold water to help keep the temp in check on hot days. I also have a fan running on the sump. I have also used water bottles frozen when i lived at my old place with no AC...Just make sure to put them after the heaters, you can fill them with RO water in case they break open.

 

[srgvigil]

Right now Im keeping my temperature in the 77-79 degree range because living in SoCal it gets hot

 

[robdog696]

Originally Posted by forcrz6
http:///forum/post/2639572
I was in the same Boat. But I solved 2 issues at once.
Google DIY Saltwater Aquarium Chiller
Now I have a cool tank and a place to keep my Frozen Products for the tank.
Wow, how well does this work? I just happen to have a dorm fridge that I keep right next to my tank. LOL! I thought about taking it apart and making a chiller out of the motor. But I read an article that said this doesn't work. I was planning on purchasing a chiller for my new tank. But if I can get away with doing the DIY chiller instead, that means more $ for corals. How much lighting do you have and how long do you run it? How much does your temp fluctuate, what do you keep the temp at, and how cold do you keep your house? How long have you been running this setup? Sorry, I'm just really excited about this idea. It could save me close to $500. Thanks.

 

[nordy]

IMO, going the do it yourself route will cost more in the long run and just won't work very well. Chillers have titanium heat exchangers for a reason-the corrosive nature of salt water which will trash any type of home made chiller heat exchanger. As for chiller cost, check out Current Usa chillers-I got one for my 55 gal reef tank and it works very well in keeping temps down. it's very quiet and also has a built in heater controller. Cost $299 plus shipping. You might need to upgrade your circulation pump though when adding a chiller.
I would also suggest uplugging your heaters just to be on the safe side. It seems like every heater I have had eventually malfunctions and will just stay in the on position.

 

[rollagore]

I was in the same boat. I live in Houston texas. About a month ago we were hitn the mid 90's and my tank was getn to hot as well. I couldn't up and buy a $500 chiller. I have all 8 of my tanks in a 250sqf room with a window. So I went and got a $100 window A/c unit and a sheet of R5 insulation. I put the A/C in the window and cut the R5 to fit in the window frame with room for the A/C at the bottom. I have it set to 78* and it work like a freakn beautify queen! And my Electric bill is only about $10-15 more each month. Great way to save money IMO!

 

[forcrz6]

Originally Posted by Robdog696
http:///forum/post/2640675
Wow, how well does this work? I just happen to have a dorm fridge that I keep right next to my tank. LOL! I thought about taking it apart and making a chiller out of the motor. But I read an article that said this doesn't work. I was planning on purchasing a chiller for my new tank. But if I can get away with doing the DIY chiller instead, that means more $ for corals. How much lighting do you have and how long do you run it? How much does your temp fluctuate, what do you keep the temp at, and how cold do you keep your house? How long have you been running this setup? Sorry, I'm just really excited about this idea. It could save me close to $500. Thanks.
Well its not as efficient as a store bought. But my tank as not gone above 80 since doing it. The main issue I had the Drilling of the fridge. They are thicker then they appear. And you cant force the plastic or it will bust. Also I have the Coils going around a Milk jug of water that I have never drank from. This seems to help.