How realistic is cooling an aquarium using frozen water bottles/ice cubes?

Sorry this is probably over explained! But any responses help!
tl;dr - are frozen water bottles / ice cubes a reliable way to cool down the water temperature for a 2-3 week period


I'm still in the process of preparation for my first axolotl. My tank is near the end of cycling and I found a 4-inch leucistic baby that I'm in love with that needs purchased by next week.

But there's one major problem: it's been a hot summer here in NE Ohio, and the tank is currently sitting at 85° F.
I have the tank in my room, which the air conditioner in the main part of my house doesn't reach well. This causes my room to be way hotter than everywhere else. I have no plans on moving it to another room. Instead, I was planning to buy a window air conditioner as a permanent solution to making the tank cool enough. Will that be enough?

I've already read through this a million times, but a lot of the make-shift ones just don't seem do-able.
I plan on a screen lid fitted with fans. Then alternating between frozen water bottles and/or make dechlorinated ice cubes for a week or two before I have the funds to purchase an air conditioner.

In your opinion, will this work enough to drop the temp by 20-25 degrees? Is it reasonable and do-able?
Also, maybe something to note, I work 9 hour shifts 5 days out of the week. Will it stay cool during that time, or will I need to enlist someone's help?

You may need to enlist some help with your tank. I have found that a 2 litre bottle takes around 3 hours to defrost in my tanks, and that only takes the water temperature down a few degrees. Your screen lid with fans will also help. I'm not sure if it will cool the tank enough, so you may have to experiment before you get your axolotl.
Best of luck and please keep us posted on your progress.

I tried water bottles one summer, but found it stressful keeping a steady supply. I also had to compete with my children's desire for ice lolly space.
I ended up insulating the tank from the heat by covering all but one side with polystyrene sheets. I used a fan to blow across the water, but keep an eye on the water levels as the evaporation is much larger doing this.T his unattractive method kept the temperature stable and the axolotl where so happy, they laid eggs. The children celebrated the event with their lollies

What a fun story!

bellabelloo said:

I tried water bottles one summer, but found it stressful keeping a steady supply. I also had to compete with my children's desire for ice lolly space.
I ended up insulating the tank from the heat by covering all but one side with polystyrene sheets. I used a fan to blow across the water, but keep an eye on the water levels as the evaporation is much larger doing this.T his unattractive method kept the temperature stable and the axolotl where so happy, they laid eggs. The children celebrated the event with their lollies

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No real aquarium cooling fans I assume? . I read on one of the post about putting aquarium on the floor ( thought was genius) if my culculation is correct and your room is the same temperature with your tank 85f. Here is my crazy plan for you. Do you have good large aquarium air pump? If you do then get a very long air tube extension long enough to reach the air con the next room , then tape or position your air pump bottom directly to were the cold air from your air con coming out. And wire the air tube in to your tank then blast those cold air bubble in side the tank ( possibly best through air drifting sponge filter for less water movement) . That might help maybe 5 degree lower, then find a big fan to blow the surface of the tank water to keep it circulating (tha should be another 5 degree). Keep adding cold fresh water or ice once till you see temperature improving. My New York apartment is 79 degree inside and my axie hottest tank is 67-68f degree far away from air con with just regular fan blowing also ( plus it's acrylic tank ) . I use the same idea with air pump near air con ( my air pump has 8 connectors) I use that to blast 3 tanks of mine. It works wonder.

It is possible, but as mentioned by others very stressful! I successfully did it for years until one particular hot summer where I was unable to keep the water temperature comfortable for them and had to bite the bullet and buy a chiller...

UPDATE:

It is officially fall here and the temperature outside and in my tank reflects it!

I successfully managed to keep my tank cool with the frozen bottles. I found it works best with large-ish juice containers opposed to the standard water bottle, because they take longer to melt. It was exhausting to keep up with rotating the bottles, though. I had all members of my household on duty to make sure the temp didn't spike. Someone was adding a new bottle every 2-3 hours. Although, there were a couple of occasions where the temp spiked over night to about 73°-74°. We quickly brought the temp down to a more reasonable 65° (over the course of a couple hours so it wasn't too shocking).

It definitely wasn't ideal and I wouldn't recommend long-term use but it worked well for a temporary solution.

The best thing I ever did was invest in a Hallea 300A for my 50 gallon tank. I live in Australia and it is very common for our summer temps to hit 45 degrees (115 farenheit) - the frozen bottle method was suggested to me but there is no way it would be a long term solution (especially when they needed to be replaced while I was at work). The tank stays at a constant temp of 17 degrees (63 F) and my axies love it! I am so glad I don't have to worry about them and they are safe and happy.

I live in Florida where the heat index has been in the 100’s on average, but my 20 gallon stays at a consistent 66 F. I use a screen lid and have a fan blowing constantly. I also have a mini pump that moves water up from the tank and through a tube. The tube has lots of holes that I made and the water basically falls gently, like rain. It’s only on one area of my tank, and I use fake plants wrapped around the tube to lessen the drips. But they aren’t strong. I noticed this has aided in keeping my temps consistent. I also have my fan blowing on the water where my HOB filter is. I also have a sponge filter and an air stone, so the movement of the water helps with evaporation and cooling.

It actually does work in smaller aquariums quite effectively

Axolotls actually dont mind a sudden drop and it can help a lotl poop which is great in any backed up gilldren.

StephenLewisreuw said:

I don't think that this is a good idea, since such an option is not stable, cause I think that the aquarium should have an option in which temperature would change automatically. I think that there are special tools that give such a thing.

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StephenLewisreuw said:

I don't think that this is a good idea, since such an option is not stable, cause I think that the aquarium should have an option in which temperature would change automatically. I think that there are special tools that give such a thing.

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Yes I agree, I’ve been using the water bottle method while my chiller comes, but I know it’s one of the main causes in fungus and infections because of stress.