cooling project

[monomike]

Hey all. I read the fantastic article in Caudata Culture on cooling methods for axies and got all excited about trying something like example #5, running tubing through a cooler of ice water. I bought a bunch of tubing and set it all up, but the plastic tubing is too well insulated and I don't think the water cools much. I thought about using copper for the coils in the ice but understand this can be toxic. Does anyone know a type of tubing that is a good conductor of heat (cold) and is not potentially toxic to the critters? Is coated copper ok? I figure I need something metal and flexible, so don't know what my options are. I think this method has potential, just need some help with the finer points. Thanks in advance!

 

[Abrahm]

What about ditching tubing altogether? Just have the water enter the minifridge via standard tubing and be exchanged out of a huge tub and returned to the tank via tubing? I have no idea how well it would work but it would basically just be a refridgerated sump. Which not only cools but gives you a larger volume of water to work with. I'm not sure about the feasbility of using this to cool, but it avoids all the problems of tubing acting as an insulator or leaching toxic compounds.

 

[monomike]

Yeah, I thought about that, but I think I'd need another pump to make that work. I guess I could elevate the cooler and let gravity run it, but then it might cause problems when it runs out of ice and plus the pump might run at a different speed than the siphon resulting in overflow or a dry tank... it's a recipe for a mess. Maybe I'm just not smart enough?

 

[Jennewt]

How long is the tubing that runs through the cooler of ice water? You might be able to improve heat exchange by using a longer piece of tubing, and having a long coil of it in the cooler. You can get stainless steel cooling coils, but I suspect the price would be prohibitive.

 

[monomike]

It's a good 3-4 meters.

 

[monomike]

Ok, i've been looking around and some aquarium posts say epoxy coated copper is ok. I think I'll give that a try unless someone says I shouldn't. I keep having axie health problems and am feeling a bit desperate. Thanks so much for all the advice!