Hi, little worried

[Marney]

Hi everyone, I'm Marney. Have just bought a 3ft tank for the bargain price of £20. Was considering getting a pet and the bargain price just sped up the process. My gf has 3 Hermit Crabs and was tempted to get some too but really want a Fire Salamander. Am trying to get as much info as poss before actually buying one, am really worried about the heat thing. It is quite warm in my house and the last thing I want to do is make the little fella uncomfortable and distressed. What I was thinking of doing is setting the tank up and leaving it a couple of weeks to monitor the temp before I get a tenant! Has anyone got any tips for keeping the tank cool?

Sorry for the long introduction, and I apologise if you're asleep right now.

Looks a good site, have had a quick look around, most people seem to have Tiger Salamanders but hope someone can help

 

[Kiowa]

Hello Marney and Welcome to the forum

Here are some cooling methods I have found for you directly from the links (there are lots more cooling methods and details provided in the following links at the bottom of the page)

Cooling methods:

Air-conditioned rooms: Position your tank in an air-conditioned room to maintain a constant temperature.

Aquarium Chillers: Chillers are very expensive but worth it for its effectiveness especially the Refrigerated Chillers which is highly recommended compared to thermoelectric Chillers which only cool the temperature down by a few degrees Celsius.

Ice Bottles: This cooling technique must be carefully monitored; it is a process where a plastic bottle is filled up with cold water and then put in a freezer. When frozen the ice bottle is then placed on top of the water. The temperature must be monitored to ensure the temp will not decrease at a rapid rate which will stress the creature.

Ice Cubes: Remove water and replace it with ice cubes which are produced by dechlorinated water.

Insulating the Tank: Cover the tank with insulating material such as Styrofoam and Al foil or other insulating material using a combination of other cooling methods which will make a more effective process.

Recourses: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-06/nftt/index.php
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Aquariumpros_Chiller.html
http://www.thekrib.com/Marine/chiller.html
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=1012
http://www.axolotl.org/requirements.htm
(Although axolotl site it includes steps to use ice bottles safely).

I hope this advice and recourse links will help you out and your future fire salamander, good luck and thank you.

See you Later.

 

[Marney]

Thanks very much for the reply! Will read all those links fully when I get home from work!

 

[Kal El]

G'day Marney,

Kiowa has provided you with some excellent ideas and to add to the list, here is an article that discusses cooling methods (some are rather creative too! ):

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

Jay.