Considering aquarium chillers are quite pricey justifiably so , its not uncommon to wonder whether you really need to have one in your fish tank.
Even so, aquarium chiller do come in handy in some situation and are quite useful for people living in some regions of the world than others. You may need a chiller for your aquarium if you live in a zone where the temperatures can reach prohibitively high numbers.
Such spikes can be too much even for hardy tropical fish, especially if the readings persist or keep fluctuating. Take a fish tank in the basement, garage, or attic during the formerly stated summer weather in Southern California. If for some reason you also need to leave your hood lights on, your water would be boiling, fishes struggling to stay alive, and an aquarium chiller a very welcome accessory. That said, aquarium chillers are more necessary in saltwater and reef tanks as opposed to freshwater aquariums since tropical fish are quite hardy and adaptable.
However, make sure you understand the preferred temperature of the tropical species you have. You do not want to have something like a goldfish or other cooler water fish like danios and white clouds in a tank with no chiller cooling mechanism on a hot summer day. Because aquarium equipment, particularly those used in reef tanks, produce a lot of heat, many hobbyists need an aquarium water chiller. Though some aquarists get by with fans which cool water through evaporation.
Chillers are pretty good equipment for lowering your fish tank temperature, but they do cost a lot, meaning you may need to do a little of saving to get one. But that does not mean all is lost, there are still a couple of things you can do to keep the temperature in your tank within the desired level for the fish you have.
Most hobbyists go for fans as they are quite efficient, almost like chillers, especially if the temperature has not risen too far. But you can also use any of this other tricks. A fan will blow air across the surface of your water cooling your tank through evaporation, and keep your lights from overheating as well. Thats said, you want to make sure you use an appropriate size fan for the fish tank you have, but you are not limited on the types and design of a unit.
Blower style, tower-style, exhaust, and Massey pin fans will all work, but when looking for something designed specifically for use in a fish tank, consider this cooling fan unit; available on Amazon.
During emergencies without much time to source for a chiller or cooling fan for an overheating fish tank, ice bags, and cold water bottles can come in handy even if temporarily. The trick is quite straightforward, you only need to keep in mind that it only works for a short time because the heat in the fish tank will gradually melt the ice.
As such, to keep your tank cooler for longer with ice pack or bottles, be sure to prepare a couple of them adding each at a time.
Moreover, beware that the melting ice might find its way to your fish tank, so ensure the base products used to produce it is safe for your fish tank. Part of the reason your fish tank is a furnace might be due to residual heat from your lights especially when coupled with a hood which limits cooling by evaporations. For that reason, turning off your aquarium lights and moving the hood when not in use or necessary is another effective way of keeping your tank chill.
Depending on the type of lights you have, changing them to a unit that does not produce too much heat might be an ideal longterm solution. Essentially, LED units see recommended product produce almost zero heat and are best for use in aquariums especially with overheating issues.
One last hack that works quite well, especially in a house with air conditioning is moving your fish tank to a place with good air circulation. Aquariums near window seals and with direct access to sunlight is typically ideal when growing live aquarium plants, but the light from the sun tend to overheat the water.
Sign in to follow this Followers 2. Chillers expensive to run? Reply to this topic Start new topic. Recommended Posts. Report post. Posted June 8, Hi guys, Was trying to avoid a chiller but for sea horses it looks like I may not be able to. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites.
Adrienne Posted June 9, Ira Posted June 10, Interesting stuff. Water is pumped through it and heat is removed via a heat exchanger. The maximum temperature is set by you on the control panel — say 26C for example — and a thermostat then kicks in when the water temperature goes above that reading.
The chiller comes on, chills the water, venting heat out of the back of the unit, and when the set temperature returns it turns itself off. A chiller has an inlet and an outlet hose tail and you connect them either to an external filter or a pump and some hose. You just need something to pump water through them and return it to the tank like a pump, powerhead or power filter. The model size is critical when selecting a chiller.
Each model has a recommended tank volume but if there is higher than average ambient temperatures or non-average surroundings like a sunlit conservatory you may need the next model up. Take a view on what you are protecting though.
Yes, and this should definitely be avoided.
0コメント