Help!?! Living in Australia, need to setup a chiller for my sick axolotl

Hi,

I have a 70L Blue Planet Tank with a sealed lid with the pump, filter, etc all built in the lid.
See attached pic.

I've found their website, the closest one to mine that I can find is this:
http://www.aa-aquarium.com/showroom4.php?id=176&level=2

I now need a chiller for my axolotl as the temp is way too high at 26 degrees and all the aquarium shops that I've called don't know how to attach a chiller to an enclosed unit.

I called Aqua One and they were a little bit more helpful but they don't have any chillers less that $1000. They said that coz mine is a sealed unit then I'd have to make holes in my filter and pump to put the tubes into and out of.

The lid with everything built in is attached to the tank. I will see tonight if I can somehow remove it and get a pump, filter, etc separately and make a better designed lid that I can remove for water changes etc, without having to get in through a gap, it's got a flap that you lift up and have to hold open with the lights on the flap and the wires for the lights wanting to pull it closed. Not very practical. I know the closed lid with only little slits for air is not helping cool the tank down either.

I have a spare tank with no lid at home, (70cm w x 40cm d x 45cm h) but will have to get all the bits for it separately and would prefer to use the current one as it's on a pretty stand and is in better condition. But will use that and try to sell the newer one if I have to. The old one has previously had a lizard in it and will need to find out what's the best to clean it out that's not toxic to axolotl's too, if I'm to use that one.

I've found some chillers on ebay for around $200 each, but really don't know what I'm looking for. Any advice would be helpful.

Thanks.

please check out the gallery, for my thread, it contains a simple, and effective way to set up some fans on the inside of your hood, to create a better evapourtive way to cool.


is it just during for summer heat????
have you cosidered fridgeing your lil guy???

there are numerous threads about this, use the search function...

where in australia are you by the way....


if you need to clean out your old one, grab the hose, and a scrubber, and get to it...

i would also sugest wiping down every surface with rubbing alcohol, (this will evapourate, and cause no harm)

as for the chiller, unless your water is sitting at 28+ i personally dont beleive you need a chiller


try this such as,

moving to cooler part of the house?
add some fans (check my thread, super easy!!!)
frozen bottles of water on rotation (i use 1 litre bottles with sealed lids)
fridging (search for this, rather simple)


(sorry i couldnt be much more of a help, im currently on a Mac, i dont know how to use it,

there will be so much help on here regarding cooling, just search... you will be able to sort it out )

if you need a had, shoot us a PM

Aaron

Link to my hood set up thread

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=59661


bucket load of links regarding cooling

http://www.caudata.org/forum/search...og_searchinfo=1&photoplog_searchquery=cooling


Have a read, you might find yourself being able to knock something up rather easy.

If not, a chiller should be your last option, as its expensive.

The chillers you have seen are for small tanks.

its always best to go BIGGER then smaller, as a bigger unit, can handle fluctuations alot better.

With a chiller, you will also need an external Cannister filter, or a powerhead to suck water out of your tank, and through the chiller

Aaron

Hi Kylze,

In normal circumstances, i would highly recommend a chiller. I personally found chillers to ease management of tank temperature. They are really effective and reduce fluctuations significantly as well. I have 2 chillers, one for my 4 ft tank and 1 for my 6 ft tank. In Australian climate, i do think they make a good investment for the long run.

However, because your tank has a built in system, i am not sure of the practicality of getting a chiller. Ideally, you run the chiller through an external canister filter. Although you can still use pumps etc., they are such a hassle and more often than not, they cause more problems due to incompatability etc. You can still modify/customise your tank i am sure, but you should probably get the help from the manufacturer/aquarium expert.

If you are constantly finding heat related issues with your tank, and chillers are not suitable for your tank, i think the best strategy will be to fridge your axie in warmer summer months. You can try cool your tank with temporary measures for the rest of the year. A bit tedious but doable.

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cooling.shtml

Cheers.