Never use ice cubes or chilled water kept in the fridge, dechlorinated or otherwise, as dropping/pouring them into the tank will cause fluctuating temperatures (the cooling then warming up )
Axies prefer cooler temperatures,but mine aren't too bad this summer but probably because I know a lot more than I did last summer when we first got our axies.
As long as you can keep your tank temperature below 24 degrees, ideally below 20 during the summer would be better if you could maintain it.
When cooling your axie tank you should, if you're able, move your tank to the coolest part of the house (if any), away from any direct light/heat sources (ie windows/lights). If necessary, lower to the floor as it's cooler, with curtains shut.
Otherwise you can try and cool it using a fan, a pedestal fan is good if you can get one cheap, at least then you can adjust height and angle it towards the tank surface without fear of it falling into the tank (I've seen photos of some owners propping a small fan in between the glass brace bits on top and top of tank edge and they leave it running while out at work!)
You can also use either ice bricks, sealed in plastic bags (ziplock or similar) or frozen bottles of dechlorinated water (last summer an aussie owner's axie died because he used straight tapwater in a bottle and it leaked into the tank as it defrosted and killed his axie). Float them in the tank, you have to freeze a few though, then before the icebrick/frozen bottle melts completely replace it with another frozen one (you have to rotate them consistently so it doesn't cause fluctuating temperatures).
Other methods used are an aquarium chiller, if you can afford one; or put in the fridge during the extreme summer heat (a few aussies have bought bar fridges or 2nd hand ones solely for the purpose of their axie and then increase the temperature gauge to about 10C so they will eat while in the fridge).
(Message edited by kapo on February 12, 2007)
