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How do you keep your tanks cool

Gloriak26

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Hello everyone! Recently I decided to take the step and create my very first axolotl tank. So I got a 17 gallon, long aquarium and I am currently cycling it. So, for as long as the tank was gonna sit there empty I decided I would educate myself on axolotls as much as possible. What I find constantly bothersome is how exactly I am going to keep my axolotl tank cool. I’ve read everything about all the methods you can keep your tank cool. Unfortunately, a chiller is a no no for me right now. I do live in a warm climate country, but not the hottest someone could live. The summers are pretty hot though. That said, I live in an appartment. My tank is in my bedroom on top of my wardrobe, which is a little tall. So, no cold basement and no other place that the tank can be placed. In the room there is an air conditioner that faces directly on the tank and that makes me a little confident but I can’t count solely on that, because firstly the electric bill(!) and secondly I can’t have my air conditioner running for (at least) three months straight. I do keep my room cool in summer as long as I’m there though. I just keep getting discouraged by my family about that issue and I just wanna know what everyone else, who owns an axolotl actually does. Some aquarist hobbyists I know tell me that fans will evaporate water so much at these gallons that I’ll need daily refills and I should just let it go. Does everybody out there actually use a chiller? How do you keep you axolotl tank temperature cool and stable?
Thank you and sorry for the rant..I just wanna make sure I’m offering the little guy the best housing possible!
 

leo_axie

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Well my room is always cold during the winter so my axolotls tank is always around 63 degrees which is ideal but In your case since you live in a warmer area you can try getting a chiller but make sure it doesn’t get too cold ideal temperatures I believe is 58° F to like 65°F you can also try putting the tank away from windows so direct sunlight won’t warm the tank. I think a fan would be fine to put near the tank for when the temperatures are high I would also recommend getting a thermometer just to measure temperatures in the water if you don’t already have one.
 

axie owner

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i dont have a chiller but i put huge peices of ice into my filters when it gets to hot.
 

GulfCoastAxolotls

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I just use fans. A simple desk fan blowing across the surface of the tank should lower the temperature a good couple degrees. I am located in Florida and we usually keep our A/C set around 75 degrees. Just using fans, I can keep all of our tanks at 66-67 in the summer. In smaller tanks, you will have to top off the water that evaporates every 3 or 4 days, but its not that big of a deal. I just make sure the tank is nice and full after weekly partial water changes and then I normally only have to add water once during the week.
 

Gloriak26

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Thank you so much for your answers! I got so stressed about that matter that I was ready to let go of the idea of owning an axolotl, even though it has been a lifelong dream of mine. I literally spend three days straight researching every possible way to keep tanks cool! I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about it! 😅 In the end I just came to the conclusion that if people could keep axolotls in much, much hotter climate than Greece's ( I mean our summers are hot but not that hot) and then I stumbled upon some amazon reviews of people who had bought a specific 4 fan aquarium cooler and all of them where axolotl owners and they were pretty encouraging. So, I ended up bying an aquarium fan and considering that (after removing the lid) my tank temperature is between 68-70 degrees, the fan is gonna drop the temperature at about the perfect numbers! :giggle:
 

leomleite

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Thank you so much for your answers! I got so stressed about that matter that I was ready to let go of the idea of owning an axolotl, even though it has been a lifelong dream of mine. I literally spend three days straight researching every possible way to keep tanks cool! I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about it! 😅 In the end I just came to the conclusion that if people could keep axolotls in much, much hotter climate than Greece's ( I mean our summers are hot but not that hot) and then I stumbled upon some amazon reviews of people who had bought a specific 4 fan aquarium cooler and all of them where axolotl owners and they were pretty encouraging. So, I ended up bying an aquarium fan and considering that (after removing the lid) my tank temperature is between 68-70 degrees, the fan is gonna drop the temperature at about the perfect numbers! :giggle:
Well, I can keep my axolotl tank at 22°C here in Brazil, I guess you can make it work lol

I just put some fans on top of the water, and on the hotter days I turn on the AC, as I would do anyways. If anything goes wrong, you can stick a bottle of frozen water into the tank.
As for the evaporation, it's really an issue. But eventually you'll be used to it.
IMG_20201217_234931.jpg

(This is my setup)

Note: you can't see in the picture but there is also an reservoir that tops the tanks water every day automatically.
 

Gloriak26

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Well, I can keep my axolotl tank at 22°C here in Brazil, I guess you can make it work lol

I just put some fans on top of the water, and on the hotter days I turn on the AC, as I would do anyways. If anything goes wrong, you can stick a bottle of frozen water into the tank.
As for the evaporation, it's really an issue. But eventually you'll be used to it.
View attachment 87147
(This is my setup)

Note: you can't see in the picture but there is also an reservoir that tops the tanks water every day automatically.
That is a very beautiful tank! Love the red sand! I got the fans and my aquarium sits at a nice 62-63 degrees now! May I ask where exactly did you get the automatic refill reservoir? Did you make it yourself? It sounds like a great idea! 😊
 

leomleite

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That is a very beautiful tank! Love the red sand! I got the fans and my aquarium sits at a nice 62-63 degrees now! May I ask where exactly did you get the automatic refill reservoir? Did you make it yourself? It sounds like a great idea! 😊
Yeah, the automatic refill was made by me. I just attached a level switch on a cheap pump, I think you can find plenty of tutorials on YouTube, it's really common setup for saltwater tanks. Good luck!
 
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