Keeping a tank cool

As previously stated, I live in Australia. Specifically, I live in Adelaide. We are notorious for having bloody hot summers - eg it's 40 degrees outside today. The thermometer in my tank is currently reading 27 degrees, which I'm aware will equal death for an axolotl. So, do any of you have chillers set up in your tanks? Is it possible to buy one, or is it something that needs to be constructed?

I'm aware that I may have to reconsider even getting an axolotl now, as my bedroom is the coolest room in the house.

You can buy chillers but they're very expensive. An axie owner in Perth has one hers cost several hundred dollars (can cost up to $600) but does the job. If you use the search option above and do a search for homemade chillers, they have been discussed in the past. Other thought is if you can get a 2nd hand bar fridge or fridge and keep the temperature at 10degrees or a little higher; either place a small tank in the fridge or use one of the vegie bins. Fridging during the summer has been used before by a few axie owners. Also, if you check the threads recently an Aussie owner used polystyrene surrounding his tank and the ice bottle method to keep the temperature low and constant till his return from work (I know it was within the past week but can't remember who).

You could hold off a while, wait a few months before getting one, but then you will still eventually have to contend with next summer looming on the horizon and all the ups and downs associated with axie keeping trying to keep them cool if you don't have a chiller.

hi kathryn
i have a chiller on my tank, the chiller does upto 250 ltres, mine cost just under $600 and that was shipped from sydney to cairns, i bought mine from a petshop in sydney cause they are cheaper than if i bought it locally, i can give you their website address just pm me, i found that they were they cheapest for the brand chiller that i wanted, i considered the fridge option and the homemade chiller but i couldnt really be bothered, in cairns we have a very high humidity so the home made chiller wouldnt have worked really well, but in adelaide your humidity is lower so it may work well for you, but like i said just send me a private email if you would like to know more about the chiller i have and the website address

Hello Kathryn,
You can also do the next.
Dig a whole outside in the ground of about 1 meter deep. Place a plastic hose of about 40 meters long. Place the hose in circles in the ground and put sand on it again. You can also put water extra in the ground to make it a bit wet. this way the sand will make a good connection with the hose. now put a small water pump in you filter and let it run when it's to hot for the animals. The temperture deep in the ground is cold so it will cool the hose down in temperture. When the water is running it will cool down and the temperture will lower in the filtersystem and also in your tank.

That's a really neat idea, Hans. Ponds always stay cooler than indoor tanks, due to the cooling effect of soil. Your trick takes advantage of this effect.

Could you make a small diagram/illustration of this? I would like to include it in this article:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cooling.shtml