# controlling temp on hot days



## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

how do you guys keep your tank cool during hot summer days ??? my 130g 6ft tank has 2 heaters in it (250watt) both were set on 81deg but since it has gotten so hot here *** turned em down to 78 that didnt work with the heaters being on and the hot days outside tank got up to 84-85deg..., so i unplugged em for the last 2 days and the tank has been sitting at 82deg, also did a water change today with a bit cooler water to try and bring the tep down but naw..... so today i have the lids open (third day for this as well) and both heaters unplugged and staying steady at 81-82deg.... my sliding glass lid completly seals the top doesnt leave any space really to let heat escape

should i just leave it with the heater off, lids open, and keep a eye on the temp ? or what do you guys do... i even have the central air on and thats doesnt seem to do much for it lol ....


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

if your heater is one and surpasses the temp its set at either it needs to be calibrated or its about to break down. as to cooling down the tank the most effective way is to get a chiller. another option is to have a little desk lamp blow across the surface. a cheap but annoying method is to freeze bottle water and stick them in the tank


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

jd lover said:


> if your heater is one and surpasses the temp its set at either it needs to be calibrated or its about to break down. as to cooling down the tank the most effective way is to get a chiller. another option is to have a little desk lamp blow across the surface. a cheap but annoying method is to freeze bottle water and stick them in the tank


both my heaters work totally fine it just the temp outside warms up the house and has warmed the temp in my 130g tank.... when the heaters are on and running they never get hotter then what is set


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Keep the air on auto so the room is always colder than the tank. If you have a tank that is not in an air conditioned room, then I have read that blowing a fan across the surface makes the most difference.


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

[quote="Rob1984"my 130g 6ft tank has 2 heaters in it (250watt) both were set on 81deg but since it has gotten so hot here I've turned em down to 78 that didnt work with the heaters being on and the hot days outside tank got up to 84-85deg..., so i unplugged em for the last 2 days and the tank has been sitting at 82deg,.[/quote]

seem like the heater isnt quite caliberated right. i have 2 200 watts on my 125 and the heat stays at a constant 84-84.5 on all my tank that has identical set up the heater only turns on when the temp isnt at 84 and i live in AZ where its been getting to the high 90s almost 100 and both my tanks are next to a window. like i said your heater might need to be recalibrated or it might be giving out soon. if a heater is working as it should the tank temp should remain the same whether its plugged in or not if youve set it at a specific point


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

DJRansome said:


> Keep the air on auto so the room is always colder than the tank. If you have a tank that is not in an air conditioned room, then I have read that blowing a fan across the surface makes the most difference.


the central air cools and runs through the entire house, but yes the central air is set at like 75 or so at this time


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

jd lover said:


> [quote="Rob1984"my 130g 6ft tank has 2 heaters in it (250watt) both were set on 81deg but since it has gotten so hot here I've turned em down to 78 that didnt work with the heaters being on and the hot days outside tank got up to 84-85deg..., so i unplugged em for the last 2 days and the tank has been sitting at 82deg,.


seem like the heater isnt quite caliberated right. i have 2 200 watts on my 125 and the heat stays at a constant 84-84.5 on all my tank that has identical set up the heater only turns on when the temp isnt at 84 and i live in AZ where its been getting to the high 90s almost 100 and both my tanks are next to a window. like i said your heater might need to be recalibrated or it might be giving out soon. if a heater is working as it should the tank temp should remain the same whether its plugged in or not if youve set it at a specific point[/quote]

hmmm, well when i bought the tank i was told the one heater was new and other was used.... my tank is also near a patio window door as well, that has the blinds lifted up during the day, my heaters dont turn on unless the temp drops down below what the setting is... how does one calibrate a heater ?


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

depends on the heater. maybe it might just be failing on you. but if you have the heater plug in and the tank is at 84 while the heater is set at 78 and when you unplug it the tank drops to 82 that just gets me weary of your heater. not trying to argue since you know your set up better than i do but if it were my tank id worry that the heater might be stuck on and might cook my fish one day.


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

jd lover said:


> depends on the heater. maybe it might just be failing on you. but if you have the heater plug in and the tank is at 84 while the heater is set at 78 and when you unplug it the tank drops to 82 that just gets me weary of your heater. not trying to argue since you know your set up better than i do but if it were my tank id worry that the heater might be stuck on and might cook my fish one day.


very possible yes...but the water was getting hot due to the quick heatwave we had for a few days which we didnt have the central air on at that time... even when the heaters were plugged in they werent really turning on, but even since the heaters have been unplugged for last two days the tank has remained at 82deg....

also heaters both are eheim jager 250watt 16" heaters fully sumerable


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

you can try putting styrofoam around the tank to keep the tank a bit coler on your next water change


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

well i just pulled in my left heater while tank is sitting at 82 deg still and it turned on and stayed on for a min or two i thought maybe thats normal but it really shouldnt turn on at all if temp is higher then the setting so i unplugged it, and did the same with my right heater and it didnt turn on at all... still hasnt been on for maybe 5 mins now.... so maybe my left heater is dieing now...

if so is my one heater going to sufficient enough to heat my 130g tank ? and also you think it be maybe a good idea to leave both heater unplugged for the night for a just in case ?


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

the heater turning on when first plug in is normal it needs to equalize the tank temp first. i would unplug for the night and replace them asap.


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

jd lover said:


> the heater turning on when first plug in is normal it needs to equalize the tank temp first. i would unplug for the night and replace them asap.


how long should they stay on for when first plugging them in ?? and why would the right one not even turn on when plugging it in ?? it still hasnt turned on yet lol ....


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

i dont know which brand you have but most brand turns on and off for about 24 hours. but if youre scare unplug and replace. id rather be safe


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

jd lover said:


> i dont know which brand you have but most brand turns on and off for about 24 hours. but if youre scare unplug and replace. id rather be safe


i have the ehiem jager 250watt fully sumergable 16" heaters....


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

apprently there is a way to re calibrate these ehiem jager heaters but i havent got a clue on how to do it ....


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Basically, you set the heater to a certain temperature on the dial, take a reading when it shuts off, then adjust the red ring to point to the temperature indicated on your thermometer.


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

GTZ said:


> Basically, you set the heater to a certain temperature on the dial, take a reading when it shuts off, then adjust the red ring to point to the temperature indicated on your thermometer.


Hmmmm, that's what I've found online about em but I don't have a red ring on mine.... Just the adjustable blue ring ...


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

thats weird maybe a picture will help? i dont own any of these as *** recently switch to the aqueon pro and they are terrific. maybe someone with more experience can chime in


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Cool off the water gradually via water changes. With the air on the house should then not be warming your tank. If it gets too warm again, then it is your heater or another electrical item...do you have pumps or power heads? Are your lights too hot?


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

DJRansome said:


> Cool off the water gradually via water changes. With the air on the house should then not be warming your tank. If it gets too warm again, then it is your heater or another electrical item...do you have pumps or power heads? Are your lights too hot?


Yes I have 4 maxijet powerheads in the tank, and a 48" t5ho light dual bulb (white/bulb light) the light does get warm on the glass


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## countryboy814 (Feb 19, 2012)

I have used the frozen bottle method before. It works. I would also purchase an aquarium fan for cooling. They are small and not too annoying.


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

this is the heater i have ...

http://www.amazon.com/Eheim-Jager-Subme ... B004I6Q6ZA


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Try turning off the power heads and raising the lights off the glass.


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

I have had both heaters off for the last 3 days and temp stays at 82deg...


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

DJRansome said:


> Keep the air on auto so the room is always colder than the tank. If you have a tank that is not in an air conditioned room, then I have read that blowing a fan across the surface makes the most difference.


This definitely works ESPECIALLY with good surface agitation. The only drawback is evaporation as the fan blows off the water it evaporates really quick. This is what I used to use on my large reef tanks during the summertime when running my metal halide lights. I had a row of large printer fans directly over my sump. Worked great. I had a auto refill system to replenish evaporated water.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Also....Rob.....do you still have the top of the tank covered completely or are they open allowing in air?


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

the top is covered with a sliding glass lid now, and i have the back black plastic that has sections cut out for my filter/heater cords and etc.... but so far with the A/C on at 77deg the water seems to be holding steady at 82deg the last fe days with heater unplugged... maybe i dont even need my heaters for the summer


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Rob1984 said:


> the top is covered with a sliding glass lid now, and i have the back black plastic that has sections cut out for my filter/heater cords and etc.... but so far with the A/C on at 77deg the water seems to be holding steady at 82deg the last fe days with heater unplugged... maybe i dont even need my heaters for the summer


I leave openings at the back of my tank using my glass lids. About 2-3" all the way across the back. If the top of your tank is completely sealed from air then that is helping to retain the heat and you really should leave a bit open...about 2" or so across the span. It also helps in the gas exchange with letting fresh oxygen in.


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

Hmmm, I've been leaving the front glass lids open a bit during the day....

I have a air bubble wall, and if I leave the back open where the bubble wall is I get calcium build up on top and back off my tank and hoses


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Rob1984 said:


> Hmmm, I've been leaving the front glass lids open a bit during the day....
> 
> I have a air bubble wall, and if I leave the back open where the bubble wall is I get calcium build up on top and back off my tank and hoses


Is there any other place where you can create an opening for it to vent a bit?


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

Well I've been leaving the glass open at the front a couple inchs during the day


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Rob1984 said:


> Well I've been leaving the glass open at the front a couple inchs during the day


Can you not leave it open 24/7? It gets REALLY hot here where I live during the day and my AC runs just about all day and it is not even reaching 100 degrees yet. My house stays or tries to stay around 74 degrees during the day and the tank rises slowly from 78 to 80 later in the day. If I left the tank completely sealed with just minor opening for the heater cable then it would get much warmer. The room my tank is in for most of the day the door stays closed so the ventilation is not the best and since they have been putting new floors throughout the house for the last week the door stays closed except for maybe 4 hrs.


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

Ya I could leave em open for 24/7 but I've been closing them during the night just in case the littler guy jumps out as he jumps a lot lol... There is a vent right beside my tank too, right now A/C set at 76 it stays at 76 all day maybe even cooler at night


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Rob1984 said:


> Ya I could leave em open for 24/7 but I've been closing them during the night just in case the littler guy jumps out as he jumps a lot lol... There is a vent right beside my tank too, right now A/C set at 76 it stays at 76 all day maybe even cooler at night


I thought most of your fish were at least 4" or so? If you are afraid that one might go carpet surfing at night time then close it at night and open it in the morning and leave it open all day.

Also...which of your fish is jumping and how often? Is he being chased at all? Just curious.


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## Mr.Dempsey (Jan 4, 2012)

What I use on days when the temp of the tank surpasses the heater is frozen waters bottles, just float them in the tank and have like 4-6 that you can rotate from the tank to the freezer. This has worked very well for me.


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## Rob1984 (Jan 4, 2012)

13razorbackfan said:


> Rob1984 said:
> 
> 
> > Ya I could leave em open for 24/7 but I've been closing them during the night just in case the littler guy jumps out as he jumps a lot lol... There is a vent right beside my tank too, right now A/C set at 76 it stays at 76 all day maybe even cooler at night
> ...


Naw he usually doesn't jump when getting chased, it the little brown guy tailspot ctenopoma .. Ya he bout 4" he likes to hang out mid to top level and sEems to jump quite a bit in the morning ... Usually at back of tank, but ya I've been closing it up at night and leaving it open from when I wake up till bed so 7ish till 11pm


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

try covering it with egg crate


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