# Keeping Cool



## fishiefish (Sep 12, 2005)

I have a 55 gal community tank with live plants and I live in California. Now that it's starting to heat up, my tank temp is rising. I keep it at about 78, but now that the weather's in the 80's or higher, the temp has crept up to 82. Short of buying a chiller, what can I do to keep it cool? A friend suggested I turn off the lights (they are flourescent), but teh plants need some light! Thanks in advance for your suggestions (which my pocketbook hopes don't include "Turn on the AC all the time"),

Marlene


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Shorten the hours of lighting or reduce the wattage of bulbs, leave the lid open or the remove lid of the power filter (evaporation cools), blow a fan across the surface, if the tank is in direct sunlight, cover the window. What kind of fish? Angels and Discus like 82.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

The following is somthing I have posted in the past on several sites to help out.


> Aquariums overheating is a very common thing that happens in the summer and I see your question asked several times a year on different forums. So dont worry you are not alone.
> 
> There are several ways to cool a aquarium. Some very expensive others very simple. But the labor is tied to the cost. The more expensive the less maintance, the cheaper needing a constant eye.
> 
> ...


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## fishiefish (Sep 12, 2005)

I have neon tetras and a guppy (total of 10 fish). I will try taking the lid off, and I have used the ziplock bag of ice cubes before- glad to see it as a legit suggestion! The tank isn't in direct light- how many hours of light do the plants need (they are Java ferns and some kind of grass that's supposedly hard to kill).


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## Ownager2004 (Apr 4, 2005)

You could probably get by with 6 hours a day or even less.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

You could light the tank in the cooler hours (or when your running the air anyway) and leave it dark in hot part of the day.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Add aeration, more agitation of the surface will increase the evaporation and more O2 in the water will help the fish deal with the higher temp.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Aquairm atlas says neons 66-79, guppies 64-82 F. Neither fish is known for jumping, so going lidless makes sense.


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## fishiefish (Sep 12, 2005)

Thanks all, for the advice. I'll try taking the lid off and cutting the lights to 6 hrs. Hopefully then I won't have to run the AC until it is seriously hot!


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