When you are unable to resolve an aquarium overheating issue because it is merely due to hot summer weather conditions, here are some simple but effective ways to temporarily bring down harmful rising tank temperatures and keep your aquarium inhabitants safe.
Cooling with Ice
- Fill plastic soda bottles with water and freeze them. When needed they can be placed in the sump or floated in the aquarium.
- Double or triple bag cubed or chunks of ice in plastic bags (ZipLocks work great). Place these bags in the sump or tank as needed. After the ice has melted, place the bags back in your freezer and freeze again.
Adjust Tank Lighting
Your tank lights can create a lot of heat as well as light. Metal halides produce the greatest amount of heat, followed by daylight Power Compacts, then Actinic PC's, then fluorescents.To reduce the amount of heat created by your tank lights, you can cut back on the number of hours per day that your highest heat generating lights are on. For a day or two (or even longer), even your corals will do fine with just your actinic or fluorescent lights running. You can also cut back on the total number of hours you give your corals light.
Cooling Fans
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Solid glass covers or close fitted hoods on top of a tank trap heat, as well as make the aquarium a prime candidate for poor aeration that results in stagnant air, low oxygen and high of carbon dioxide levels. Here is what you can do to allow the heat to escape.
- Keep hinged glass covers open.
- Raise up or remove solid hoods or canopies all together until things get back to normal. If you do this it's wise to temporarily place some egg crate material on top of the tank to prevent fish from jumping out. This type of material can be found at any lighting and home improvement store.
- Install cooling fans in the hood or canopy.
- Place small (4" - 6") clip-on fans on the top of your tank (or sump). Aim them across the surface of the water.
Commercial or DIY Chiller
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Make an emergency DIY chiller. To do this you'll need:
- Ice Chest
- Ice
- Submersible Water Pump
- Plastic Tubing (about 20')
Fill the ice chest with ice. Pumping the water from your tank or sump through the coiled tubing in the ice and then back into your tank or sump. With this method you will see a gradual change in the tank water temperature, just keep an eye on your thermometer and turn the pump off or on when needed to make adjustments.
