# awwww!!!!!! Tank OVERHEATED!!!!!



## lacitywrkr (Jan 3, 2007)

went on vacation this weekend........when I returned, ALL my fish were belly up. At around 8:00 pm the water was around 100 degrees. How can I prevent this from happening again--how can I keep the water cool?


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## Guest (Jun 23, 2008)

Where in your house was the tank? Room temperature at the time? Lastly what brand heater and setting?

Sorry for the loss though...

~Ed


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## kornphlake (Feb 12, 2004)

I've got to think that was a heater malfunction. Unless you live in death valley I don't think the temps inside your house could have been warm enough for the tank temperature to rise that much over a weekend.

Even the best heaters malfunction, this kind of tragedy happens to everyone eventually.


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## lacitywrkr (Jan 3, 2007)

the room that my tank is in is not insulated so it gets very very very hot. the room temp probably got to at least 110 degrees. the heater is an aqueon. temp was set at 78 degrees. I keep the light on during the day so im sure that contributed to the problem. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. thanks.


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## kornphlake (Feb 12, 2004)

Don't keep your tank in a hot room. It's pretty simple physics, a hot room will heat water until it reaches the same temperature as the air, if the air temperature is 110F the tank will eventually reach 110F unless there is something cooling the water to counteract the heating from the surrounding air.

What kind of ideas are you looking for? Moving the tank to a cooler room is the easiest and probably the cheapest, the only other option is a chiller of some sort.


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## lacitywrkr (Jan 3, 2007)

kornphlake said:


> What kind of ideas are you looking for? Moving the tank to a cooler room is the easiest and probably the cheapest, the only other option is a chiller of some sort.


was trying to be able to keep tank in same room if at all possible...............i guess a chiller is something I could do.........haven't researched them yet.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I've seen lots of variations on this question, and it seems that the consensus is that a room air conditioner is the least expensive workable solution.


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## Guest (Jun 24, 2008)

DJRansome said:


> I've seen lots of variations on this question, and it seems that the consensus is that a room air conditioner is the least expensive workable solution.


I agree. It eliminates the heating issue and keeps both the fish and yourself cool. From my understanding chillers are not worth the $$$.

What room is the tank in though that isn't insulated?

~Ed


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## dogofwar (Apr 5, 2004)

When we lived in Sacramento (which gets HOT), the fish room was in the garage.

Simple exhaust fans were adequate for keeping things safe for the fish and relatively comfortable.

I had one fan pulling air from the garage out a window...and another blowing air across the tanks.

The only fish that I lost with this set up (over a period of 100+ temps for over a week) were a couple of tanks of Tanganyikans (a colony of julies and a colony of multies) and some big mbuna in an overcrowded, really deep tank.

I'd also recommend extra aeration (airstone, box filter, sponge filter).

You'll find that chillers are expensive.


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## lacitywrkr (Jan 3, 2007)

thanks everyone. yeah checked out chillers online.............not worth it to me for the tank i have(29 gal). im going to have to get an ac or move my tank to a room that already has an ac. thanks again. :thumb:


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## lestatak (Feb 3, 2007)

Why would someone set up a tank in a room that reaches such hot temps? What do you think would happen?


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## lacitywrkr (Jan 3, 2007)

lestatak said:


> Why would someone set up a tank in a room that reaches such hot temps? What do you think would happen?


Just moved here a few months ago. the room has Never reached these temps. before. Like I said I was on vacation and the room was closed up for three days.


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## lestatak (Feb 3, 2007)

What did you do to combat those high temps?


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## lacitywrkr (Jan 3, 2007)

I usually open up all the windows and door to get some air flow through the room. I also use a fan and sometimes a portable ac. The weekend I was gone we had a heat wave here.......so because of the extreme heat and the inability to open up the room it was like an oven over the weekend. The room was added on after the original house was built, unfortunately they failed to insulate the room, which serves as my family room. There isnt' much I can do besides that.


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## zazz (Apr 5, 2008)

DJRansome said:


> I've seen lots of variations on this question, and it seems that the consensus is that a room air conditioner is the least expensive workable solution.


depends on the size of the room and wether it is fully insulated from the outside....sometimes it might make sense to just cool the tank.

im sort of saving for a chiller...everyone says my fish are on the threshold of death from the temperature that my tank is at...but then so is also the whole of the country that i live in and they are all too tight to get a chiller??? all the fish here just seem to defy all the naysayers ..they must be developing a high temp strain of cichlids in this neck of the woods. :wink:


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## lacitywrkr (Jan 3, 2007)

Zazz im glad you understand where Im coming from on this issue. My room is very large and not insulated, not to mention that there is also a fireplace, so the portable ac unit that I have really doesn't do a thing. I think I might have to move the tank to another room OR I will no longer have the canopy on the tank and have a fan blowing over the surface during the summer months.


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