cooling aquarium

How big is the tank? On my 5.5 gallon tanks in the summer I was using a computer fan and the power cord from an old answering machine.

fishyfish22 said:

hello, i have re-introduced myself in the intro problem, if you read that thread you will know about the temperature problem.
thread: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=192203
so the tank gets too hot in the summer, and we're on a budget. mos tof what we use comes from the teachers pocket. we need a method to keep the water cool next summer, since now it's right about winter time. does anyone have any clues on how we can do this? a $500 chiller is out of the question. i ran the idea of a mini freezer with tubing going through it to cool water off, but he wants something simpler. who can help me out? please know that this information will not just help me, but it will help an entire high school.

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Dealing with the direct sunlight would be the first step and it's tough to give much good advice on that without knowing the physical layout--shades, blinds, shielding from potted plants, etc. Your next low tech line of defense is evaporation---my main tank has a chiller on it, but my riparium is cooled just as well by the water passing thru a planted HOB and trickling down a moss lined perforated ramp. If you have to have a hood or lid, small fans blowing across the surface to increase evaporation can do wonders as well.

any other ideas?

I think fans are going to be your best bet.

An improvised shade to block the sun will help. Make as much room for air to circulate over the water surface as is practical. Sometimes lowering the water so that there is more space as well as more splash will help. Fans blowing humid air away from the area helps up the evaporation. Using/placing filters and any other motors so they can get more air circulation will help to keep this heat out of the tank. Turning off any equipment like lights that can be removed will help. During the winter consider setting any heaters used so they maintain the tank at a bit lower temperature at night. That will let the tank start from a lower point when the heat comes in from the sun.

Good luck and I apreciate what you are trying to do for the kids! Thanks....

PlantedRich said:

An improvised shade to block the sun will help. Make as much room for air to circulate over the water surface as is practical. Sometimes lowering the water so that there is more space as well as more splash will help. Fans blowing humid air away from the area helps up the evaporation. Using/placing filters and any other motors so they can get more air circulation will help to keep this heat out of the tank. Turning off any equipment like lights that can be removed will help. During the winter consider setting any heaters used so they maintain the tank at a bit lower temperature at night. That will let the tank start from a lower point when the heat comes in from the sun.

Good luck and I apreciate what you are trying to do for the kids! Thanks....

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thanks! but i'm one of the kids too haha. i'm doing this for many reasons, one of them is because our rival school in the same town has a fish tank, and i want to outdo them haha, so rivalry is a factor. don't know about the shade, but i can probably get the woods club or class to build a canopy for us :icon_mrgr :icon_mrgr :icon_mrgr the winter part isn't really a problem, it's the summer time when the weather outside gets really hot, an to make things worse the room the aquariums are in aren't really ventilated.as i said, i need as many ideas as i can. the ventilation and canopy are a few, but the more the merrier.

How hot is this tank getting?

not really sure, the tank hasn't been set up for a couple of years and we just finished cleaning it yesterday. the teacher says it got well into the 90's, but i'm not sure what level exactly. we won't really find out until next summer, but if this thread works i hope to not find out at all.

A computer fan blowing on top of the surface of the water should bring it down by 4 or do degrees, keep direct sun from hitting the tank and you should be in good shape

fishyfish22 said:

don't know about the shade, but i can probably get the woods club or class to build a canopy for us :icon_mrgr :icon_mrgr :icon_mrgr the win

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You can get shade cloth from any place that sells greenhouse/indoor plant supplies (also available online) - get the woodworkers to make a nice frame to suspend the shade cloth over the tanks.

However, if the tanks are in a fully enclosed area with a large glass front panel, then what you have is essentially a solar oven - if you don't have good ventilation where the tanks are and/or access to conditioned air (if there is a/c), it won't matter you may fans or how much shade cloth you use.

Ventilation first.
Fans and shade cloth second.

(Keep in mind that fans will do a great job of cooling the tanks, but will also result in much higher rates of evaporation, so more top-ups will be needed.)

I would run some 12v fans on a temperature controller so that you are not running them 24/7. This will help minimize the evaporation.

And it is true that kids can also be helping kids. So I still appreciate what you are doing for the kids!!
Not only are you helping them by adding some interest to the building but if you play it right , you might inspire some of the others to do some thinking. Either in the thinking about the design or in building the solution. Either way it is a win-win for anybody who gets involved.

Don't expect full cooperation though. Part of the learning experience is learning to deal with problem people who might also show up. Whether it is a school project or president of the US, there are those who would try to drag you down, so just keep it going!

Look for allies. Science teachers, shop class? The more groups involved, the better range of ideas and support. Adult groups like PTA can sometimes be a real help if they see you have a plan but just need some things like computer fans donated. There may be lots of stuff just hanging around in people's closet waiting for a really good use.

+1 for the small fan idea but if the air temperature is very high it may not make enough difference. I was just linked to a little temperature sensor with a plug for a heater and fan. The idea being that it could cut out the heater and switch on the fan as needed. Its a cheap made in china thing so I would be surprised if there is no US equivalent.

Another thing to think about is keeping the sunlight out. My flat has exactly the same problem with huge windows and the best solution Ive found is black out blinds. There a special fabric called 'triple pass black out lining', its specially designed to reflect the heat back outside and isn't too expensive. Blinds are also pretty easy to make if you could get your textiles class to help out. Of course all of this needs your school to be on board so if I were you I would cost it up on a spreadsheet and make a good pitch to your teachers. Worst they can say is no

Or find high temperature amazon plants and fish that like 85 degree tanks along with a fan

during summer times in my previous residence, it would get warm in my place. My tank would reach 88 during the day. To help mediate this, I would use frozen 2 liter bottles. 2 bottles a day work pretty well to keep the tank in the mid 70s

msawdey said:

during summer times in my previous residence, it would get warm in my place. My tank would reach 88 during the day. To help mediate this, I would use frozen 2 liter bottles. 2 bottles a day work pretty well to keep the tank in the mid 70s

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It is in a school. That doesn't work for Saturday and Sundays.

i can come in saturdays and maybe sundays, i'm just not sure if the bottles will have an impact.

fishyfish22 said:

i can come in saturdays and maybe sundays, i'm just not sure if the bottles will have an impact.

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That will get old really quick. I think fans on a temp controller is the best low cost, least hassle solution.