Keeping tanks cold

sammannell · Dec 7, 2016

Hi guys, I was wondering if anybody has tried insulating their aquarium to keep it cooler?

How to insulate your aquarium with Reflective Foil Insulation

In this article they use reflective foil but I was wondering if that'd be annoying for my newts to look at or hurt their eyes?

I currently use a small fan, ice cubes, ice packs and top up the water with a little cold water every now and again but it only lowers it by a few degrees and as much as I love my newts I don't wanna spend thousands on a chiller

Jort · Dec 10, 2016

I've tried to insulate my aquarium while it stood on the attic for a while. I put styrofoam plates around all sides and underneath it, but it didn't do much. It still got hot. Luckily for me it was a tank with C.e.popei and they stood there for only a couple of weeks. They're doing fine.

Putting in bottles with frozen water didn't help much either. It lowered the temperature for only a very short while. Maybe good enough to trigger your animals into laying eggs, but not suitable for a more permanent cooling.

I guess the foil is great if you want to keep warmth in your tank if you have a heat source, but I can't imagine that it will do much to keep your water cold.

JM29 · Dec 15, 2016

Hi,

I can't see well if your tank has light tubes on.
The light produce more or less heat, which could be a problem if the weather is hot.
Sinc the light may be necessary for the plants, it's difficult to avoid it.

A solution could be an open lid besides the light, so that the heat in excess can escape. Water evaporation is also a good way to loose heat. With shallow water, you can increase evaporation with pieces of terracotta emerging from the water.

Of course, if there are newts in the tank, the margin of the lid should be equiped to avoid escapes.

Niels D · Dec 15, 2016

Some tips, which can help, but they are pretty situational:

Place your tank on the ground where it doesn't get any direct sunshine throughout the day. Hot air rises, so at ground level temps are a little cooler. You can open a window during night time, if it gets colder outside. Your animals can better cope with higher temperatures if they get a bit of a cooling during the night. I put some of my animals in plastic containers outside. I put them in places with permanent shadow. I raise a lot of larvae this way, because when they stand outside mosquito's will provide some free live food as well. Be aware for dragonfly larvae though.

NathanKS · Dec 15, 2016

I would suggest using a cooler instead of just adding foam to the outside.

aherc958 · Dec 18, 2016

Do most people user chillers? I know it's very common with saltwater/reef tanks.

NathanKS · Dec 20, 2016

aherc958 said:
Do most people user chillers? I know it's very common with saltwater/reef tanks.

I do.
But that's mostly because Northen California summers are not friendly to newts.

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Keeping tanks cold

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