Question: Filter running some of the time?

Hi all,
As im very new to owning an axie and am having water temp troubles im wondering if its possible to only run my filter for a few hours a day?
I have an internal filter and as the motor section sits under the water line im wondering how much this affects the water temperature?

I have air pump running all day to help airate the water.
I have also taken the hood off the top of the tank to try and help.
The tanks holds 78 litres.

As we live in Aus and temps have been high 30's and we also live on the top floor of a 3 story building, the water temp is a real problem!
I would prefer to buy a chiller as i know this will solve the problem but its out of my price range at the moment.

Any advice/help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

I would either run it all the time, or take it out. Running the filter a few hours a day isn't going to do much. If it's a sponge filter internal filter like I think it is, it hold bio media, but if you only run it a few hours a day, its not going to hold much more beneficial bacteria than tank decorations. Have you tried fans? I know australia's got some crazy summers, but a fan works decently well for me if you havn't tried it out yet.

I agree - get a screen lid and a fan. You can have a tank without a filter, just be sure it's well aerated and keep it clean by other means.

Yes It is a sponge filter. I was thinking that running it overnight to help clean the tank and leaving it off during the hot days might have worked, then keep it running during the colder months here all the time? If i was to take it out would i need to go to daily water changes?
I havent tried the fans yet, I have seen them on ebay and heard a lot about them on here so i might go to them as my next option
Its a shame the chillers are so expensive as i think most of us in aus could probably use them, especially in the past 2 months!

Jennewt, is a screen lid just like a fly screen mesh top?

I agree chillers are expensive, and even on ebay there was one 3 years old the same as mine for $200, I paid $317 including shipping for mine brand new!!! Least ill get good return on my money if I sell.

I had a refurbished computer fan that knocked 5-6 degrees off my temp before buying the chiller, if your in sydney you can have it if you want I dont need it now. You'd just have to grab a power supply thing for it.

Jennewt is a screen lid required? I tested my tank with the fan inside removing only the glass panel above the fan and found it reduced tank temp more than if I took all glass lid panels off. I guessed this was due to the fan hitting the water and chilling the air around hence by closing off the rest of the tank the cooler air circulated inside allowing further cooling of the whole tank. Has anyone else tested this?

Thank you for all the advice.

My axle had been fridging due to floating issues and i was starting to get quite concerned that i had not able to get him to eat and that he was getting quite skinny, so i took him out this morning and thought he might eat was the water temp rose back to normal, but i just went to check on him and do his daily water change to find that he had passed away

Im so annoyed (with myself) as he was ok just a few hours ago (aside from the not eating) He had stopped floating and was starting to improve and then suddenly he is gone!

I will most definatley be getting everything sorted tank wise first before i think about a new one.

Oh, how awful, I'm sorry!

I know that this is too late to help now, but maybe if you get another axie it will be of use. I read a tutorial for saltwater tanks that you can make your own chiller using a barfridge. Given you can find mini fridges for $100-$150 new I imagine that an ebay sale would be even cheaper. Then all you need is to cut a small section of sealing from the door and run your tubes to a container inside with the fridge the chiller. Might not look as nice but it would do the job, and cheaper than a chiller if you cant afford it.