High Temp

[mkp523]

It has warmed up quite a bit as winter fades away. I've noticed the temperature up to 84 F when I get home from work around 4-5pm. The most I can do is turn on the fan and open the window and it slides down to 81-82. I can't have my A/C running 24/7, as it would reak havok on the electricity bill.

Anyway, could these flucuations be dangerous? I'm afraid if I don't do something soon, I could come home to broiled clownfish. Chillers are expensive, but just out of curiousity, what would be sufficient for a 30gal?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[White Tiger]

The changes in temperature will not be dangerous AS LONG AS THE TEMPERATER OF THE FISH TANK WATER DOES NOT GO ABOVE 84!
+
You do not have to leave the ac on for 24/7 to cool your fish since a 30gal body of water retains temperature extremely well. You could probably turn the ac on for the hottest part of the day.

 

[BurntOutReefer]

since your tank is kinda small (no offense), the temp swings are gonna get worse as summer approachs....big temp swings will have a negative effect on your eco-system.....
There is a peltier device that you might want to look at...they are good for smaller tanks...
http://www.peltier-info.com/info.html

 

[garyw68]

i had the same problem when I first started about two years ago. Living in texas, the summers are no joke and I could not afford a chiller. What I did and still use today is use a small like computer fan. I bought it my LFS store but I am sure you can pick one up just about anywhere. The first time I used it, the temp came down about 7 degrees. Good Luck.

 

[stewie24]

You could also freeze some ro/di water in bottles or put the icecubes in a water safe bag and float it to help bring the temps down as well. I'm assuming i'll be faced with that this summer as well.
Stewie

 

[jdm01]

I have a 30 gallon as well. I try to keep the temp around 75 degrees. If you don't want to run the a/c, I would try a fan to bring down the temp.

 

[Sk8r]

Turn your heater down and try to run closer to 76-78 degrees as a base temperature, which gives you more leeway: if the temperature hits 85, coralline algaes will bleach and start to die, and the fish won't be happy. Some small (2-3 inch) clip-on fans blowing across your water surfaces can help. Evaporation will increase topoff requirements, but this is how the tank cools off.