Tank temp

i regularly check the temp and its nearly always on 20c. Now and then it goes to 21c (as it is now). we've had the window open alot throughout the evening so maybe thats why?
again, theres no direct light/heat.
is this temp ok? i know ideally it should be about 20. i get conensation in the morning, but i wipe it off above the water.

Its fine. You can go up to 24 so 21 won't do any harm

It is preferable to keep it below 20, 20=21 is fine, but shouldn't really go higher than that if you can keep temperatures low. Axolotls prefer colder temperatures not warm. The higher the temperature the less oxygen there is in the water for them. Even more so if a tank is uncycled or has water quality issues.

good i dont have to worry too much then. im going to make some ice cubes today to pop in in case it does get warmer than that cos i havnt got anything else at the moment.

You shouldn't use ice cubes, as the fluctuating temperatures from icecubes being dropped and quickly melting can be stressful and if you use straight tapwater could be harmful to axies.

If anything you should use either:

a) a fan blowing across the surface of your tankwater, this will bring it down a couple of degrees; or

b) Icepacks - place one in a ziplock/sealable plastic bag and float it in the tank, before it melts completely you need to remove it and replace with another icepack in plastic bag (plastic bag is in case it leaks)

c) Frozen bottles of dechlorinated water - using the same method as icepack one but no need for plastic bag.

Or you can buy an aquarium cooling fan (like me ) that clips onto the side of the tank and blows the water on it to cool. MArine aquariumists use it on there sump systems as they give off quiet a bit of heat
I dont find that the ice cube method lowers the temp but the bottle one does and the fan one

thankyou. seeing as you're in the UK too, do you know how much they usually are round here? or if PetsAtHome sell them?

What the aquarium cooling fans?
I got mine off of ebay. I work in a Fish shop and they dont have any in but they could get them in but i just cant be bothered to wait. I havent seen them round really
I got mine for 17.99 on ebay with 2.99 p&p. Just type in on ebay aquarium cooling fan and a few come up

Thankyou. i have made ice cubes cos the green mark is on 21 but the reddy brown mark is on 21 (i got the stick on tank thermometer). I read whay you said but isnt this better than letting it get too warm cos i havnt got any other way to cool it at the moment. Oh and those cooling fans- do you need the lid off your tank to use those cos i got cats

(Message edited by blackrose_uk on April 15, 2007)

No ice cubes is not better, it can be stressful for the axie having fluctuating temperatures. Stressed means lowered immune system which also means your axie will either get sick and/or develop fungus.

At the moment your water temp isn't too bad, just try and get a cheap desk fan or pedestal fan that can be used blowing over the surface of the tank.

As you have cats, see if you can get some sort of wire mesh that has small enough holes that the cats can't get their paws into and fit it over the top when using the fan.

Since you don't have a fan, can you buy those plastic icebricks somewhere like the pound shop or somewhere. Or you can use small plastic drink bottles (the pop/softdrink bottles) for the frozen bottle method, just make sure to treat the tapwater with the water ager/conditioner and fill it only 2/3s the way up as the water will expand when it freezes.

i mean the reddy brown mark is on 22 and the green mark is on 21. would it be ok to scoop some tank water into a clean pop bottle and freeze that then dip it into the tank? i will put a fan on it for the time being though but it will only reach to blow onto the glass. will it still cool it?

I wont use ice cubes. i meant to make them anyway for my drinks. Just asking though is there any way at all to use them without harming them say in a couple of food bags or something and leave it floating for half hour so as to cool it down but not shock them with instant cold? I am pretty desperate for any safe alternative to a fan or cooler right now cos i cant get out at the moment and havnt got anything at hand thats useful except for a fan that wont reach to blow over the water.

The shock would be cooling the water temporarily and then it letting it warm up again, hence fluctuating temperature.

Also no need to use the tankwater. Don't u have a water conditioner that removes chlorine and chloramines from tapwater for waterchanges? I'm sure you mentioned it in your original thread, well just use that in tapwater when you add it to the waterbottles.

With both the bottle/icepack method you have to swap the water bottle/ice pack/brick in the tank before it melts = replace it with another frozen one - to maintain cool temperature during the day. You should repeat this throughout the day until the evening. Some aussies placed their axies in the fridge during the hottest months, and also know of at least one axie owner that place their axie in the fridge during the workweek and took them out on the weekends, as they were able to do the icebottle method then.

The icepack/bottle does not instantly make it cold it does it gradually as it melts. As long as the bottle is not too big for the tank - we use a 1.5-2litre coke bottle on our 3 and 4 foot tanks. If you had a smaller tank use a smaller size bottle - 500, 750ml or smaller if needbe. You could also try and get pieces of polystyrene (try the fish shop) and place it round and under your tank = this method in conjunction with the icepack/bottle means the bottle may take longer to melt during the day. One of the aussies suggested it for when they go to work and aren't able to do the constant rotation during the day.

I think at the moment you may be panicking.

If you can't prop your fan up safely, try turning it on and aiming it towards the tank (one of my friends does this and says it helps - he doesn't like taking the lid off); and our temperatures probably get pretty much the same as yours during summer. Also, partially covering your tank or closing the curtains during the day will keep the room cooler, and in turn the tank cooler.

Well i dont think the fan thing worked, especially as my boyfriend kept turning it towards him but its down to 20 today at the moment. I know itll go up later. Im going to have to get some ice pack thing or little bottles. I am watching a cooler fan at the moment on ebay. can you get ones that fit in the lid like a heater?

Adelle, I would really switch to a screen lid. This will lower your tank temperature a few degrees alone.

I have used small desk fans, and just laid them on top of the screen. This will increase evaporation, so you have to top the tank off more often, but it's well worth it.

The ones ive got off ebay clip on to the sides of the tank. I think ill be able to have the hood on aswell but i might not...