23 Degrees...Should I fridge?

Abigail518

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Hi everyone!
The last few days have been hotter than ususal, and my tank has now reach 23 and 24 degrees for the first time. I've been keeping it consistenly at 23, trying to get it lower for the last 24 hours but cannot seem to drop it beyond that with the current heat. Online I've seen some people saying 23 is fine and that they constantly keep their axolotls at around that temperature and others saying that level will kill them. I know it's not the optimal temperature, but do you guys think they'll be fine until tomorrow when the heat is supposed to be gone? Or should I get them in the fridge? They haven't exhibited any signs of stress other than my typically more active lotl being quite calm this morning, though he's now out exploring the tank and acting normally. I don't want to stress them out anymore by sticking them in my fridge, but also don't want the heat to hurt them.
I currently have ice bottles in their tank (constantly, so theres no fluctuation), a fan over the surface, my sponge filter tube is running through ice water, and I am wetting down the sides of the tank and pointing a fan at that for even more evaporative cooling.
I feel pretty at a loss for what else to do for the next day or so, and I'm a pretty new axolotl mom so I've been worrying a lot.
Thanks everyone!
 
Hello there! Sounds like you are doing everything right! I live in South Australia which gets pretty hot in the summer (even if the A/C runs) where it is virtually impossible to get the house below 24 deg C. When that happens I use ice-blocks in Sheldon's tank which maintains it around 23 deg C. It's definitely not an ideal temp for an axolotl, but they can adapt, and consistency is key (in the winter, we don't let our house drop below 20 / 21 deg so it's not as big of a shock when summer rolls around). So far, I have never "fridged" Sheldon, and would only consider this option if the A/C broke during a hot summer day, or in the case of an illness. Sheldon is about 8 years old now (I've had him for 7.5 years). That is my experience, but there may be other members that have needed to fridge their axies in similar situations and might have different opinions to my own. Hope that helps! :happy:
 
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