How do you lower the temp of 3 tanks?

Hi folks,

i am living in a tropical environment and all year round summer 28-32 degrees. ya it is damm hot here.
but i am very interested in keeping newts. but before i get any of them and killing them. i wanted to ask for some advice on cooling methods.

1) the problem i face here is once water cooled to below 23degrees, condensation starts to take place and water will start dripping everywhere to the floor. my question is if a constant 23degrees acceptable for keeping newts for long term? i do not intend to breed them only keeping one newt per species per tank.

2) i have a single rack of 3 tier which houses 3 2 feet tanks (15gal) each. if half filled to 6 inches of water for newts to have access to land area (driftwood). it is (7.5gal) each. my question is how do i use a single chiller to chill down 3 tanks? it is safe for the newts this way? i am worried about newts toxin mixing since all the water will be mixed, pump into the chiller for cooling. a chiller is very expensive and running a chiller is also expensive due to high wattage. so having 3 chillers is out of question for me. does a UV canister filter help in this scenario?

3) does sticking 1-2cm thick Styrofoam board on the back, sides and bottom helps to maintain cool stable temperature? should i also insulate the top?

4) the newts i am looking to keep are Axolotl, T.verrucosus and possibly a type of Paramesotriton Or Laotriton. are these suitable for my environment 23 degrees?
which type of Paramesotriton is more tolerant of higher temps?

thanks

I can only think of Cynops ensicauda that would tolerate that sort of temperature, and even then I don't know if they would be ok with 23 degrees year round. It's certainly too warm for axolotls. Paramesotriton and Laotriton are stream dwellers so I doubt they are very tolerant of high temps either but someone might correct me about those?
It is possible to run multiple tanks on one chiller but It's not recommended that different species share the same water because of transfer of pathogens and viruses etc between animals that would never encounter each other in nature.
The other thing is 15 gallon tanks would need way more than a few inches of water in them, in fact for any fully aquatic or semi aquatic species they should be filled as much as possible to keep water quality stable.

hi chinadog

thanks for advice.
yeah i know 23 degrees is edging the high tolerance limits of most newts species.
that's why i am here for you guys expert advice.

OK axolotls are out! thanks for advice.
Cynops ensicauda may be out of my reach as this seems to be highly protected species in japan.

how about the following
1) Cynops cyanurus
2) Tylototriton verrucosus
3) Ambystoma tigrinum or opacum adult

how do you cool down a tank for a terrestrial salamander? i supposed chiller aren't useful in this scenario.

thanks

H. cyanurus is quite heat tolerant apparently, I'm not sure about Tylototriton or the terrestrial Ambystoma you mention, I'm afraid. I don't have any experience with terrestrial cooling, in fact cooling is not something I have to think about most of the year, living in the UK! When I do need to cool my enclosures I can get away with using computer cooling fans, but they only reduce temps by a few degrees.

hi guys

i am looking at one of these Mini-chillers to chill my 3 2 feet tanks
75watts 1/10HP rated for 160Liters
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and also a Mini-Canister filter to power my 3 2 feet tanks
7watts 440L/hr
Power Aquarium Enterprise.

what do you think about these?

If you choose a chiller that's rated to the size of your tank it should be fine. As far as filters are concerned many people don't bother, they just rely on the low stocking levels and a large number of live plants to keep things stable between water changes. Personally, I use Eheim ecco pro canister filters, they have a gentle flow rate so there's no strong currents that newts hate so much and need very little maintenance.

hi chinadog

thanks for your great advice again.

1) do you think a canister with UV helps or do anything? if not then i go for a non-UV canister to save electricity. i need a canister or powerhead because it will be use to power up the 3 tanks and pump water into the chiller to cool down.
2) are there anymore newts and salamanders which can live LONG TERM at 23 degrees?

so far we discuss about
C. ensicauda
H. cyanurus

how about T. verrucosus, Pleurodeles walt,

thanks

hi folks

i actaully saw this excellent video on the Caudata culture cooling FAQ website.
HOW TO: Aquarium chiller - YouTube

i think this method should solve my problems of cooling 3 tanks and not mixing water from each tank. and i can also forget about expensive UV canisters filters.

1) simply run 3 coil of hoses in the mini-freezer. what type of hoses did he mentioned in the video? i didn't catch it...
2) each hose connects to each tank by a small 3watts internal filter and Volia!

i am running off to Cash Converters shops to see if the have used mini-freezers on offer sale this weekend. hopefully they are very cheap...

cheers!