Question: Would this be a decent chiller to lower the temp about 10 degrees?

Aquarium Base Temperature Controller (Chiller & Heater) - eBay (item 310149833586 end time Jan-14-10 23:59:22 PST)

I REALLY need one for my Axie. I just can't afford $500 for a new one. I'm almost out of highschool and am trying to save up money for a car and college. So does this thing look any good? I sent the seller a question asking if it would work to cool the water about 10 degrees and I'm waiting for a response. My tank is only a 10g, btw. Will be upgrading to a 20gL eventually, but not in the very near future.

I doubt it would cool a tank up to 10 degrees lower. But really, what is more important? College and a car? Or your Axolotls!?!? Just kidding. Where are you living that the temp is that much of an issue? A basement is usually a good place you can store your tank to make the temp lower, or an air conditioned room. Air conditioners can be bought for fairly cheap and would keep the room and therefor water at a reasonable temp.

I live in Delaware. I don't have a basement. It's winter now, 30* outside, my room is cold, but the tank water goes up to 75* even without the light on. The tank is right next to a freezing window that always has the shades down. With ice bottles I've managed to get the temp down to 68ish, but it's just such a pain to keep up with.

And I'm actually not allowed to spend money on my pets, despite the fact that I have a job and work my *** off for every dollar I make. Since I don't have a car, the only way for me to get money is for my grandmother to get it out of the bank for me. And she hates it when I spend any money at all on pets- she wants to kill them. Personally, I have no problem spending a few hundred bucks to keep my axie alive. It's just not an option that's open to me.

What sort of thermometer are you using? Is it you standard alcohol thermometer you stick against the glass inside the tank, is it an electrical one, or is it one of those stickers on the outside of the glass?

If it is the latter, those are neither accurate nor reliable and you should look at one of the other options.
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With the restrictions you are working in, might I propose a little experiment?

Take a pitcher of water and place your thermometer in it overnight, and set it in the same general area as the aquarium. After 24 hours, what does that temp look like. Try setting the pitcher in another area of the room and repeat.

Heat requires energy. If I'm not mistaken, you have previously indicated you have no lamp on the axolotls, and there is no heat source anywhere near the axolotls.

If the pitcher's temperature is lower than the tanks, I would be curious what type of filter you are using, and whether it could be adding to the water temp.

I don't think the filters are adding to the temp. I have two Tetra PF10s. They're not even warm at all. For now I think I'm gonna be okay with the ice bottles. The temperature stays at about 68 and sometimes I can get it down to 66 at night because I use extra bottles. I just have to figure out a way to get a chiller before summer :s

How is the tank so warm (75 degrees)? Is your heat up mega high? If the room is cold, there's no way the tank is that hot.

I have no idea how the tank is that warm. Before I got the axolotl, I had a different fish tank in its place and I needed a heater to get it up to 75 =/

I would definitely look into another thermometer to verify the temp is actually 75 degrees. If the room is cold, and is there no heat source influencing the water in the tank, it doesn't make any sense that the tank would be that high.

I can feel the water though and it definitely feels warm, just like my other tank which is tropical.

Correct me if I'm wrong... but that ebay link you gave is just a controller? Not an actual chiller. It says it can control both a chiller or a heater... I don't think it's a chiller. Or do you already know that?