Temperature Control Issues

[hunter]

I live in Houston, Texas. We are subtropical. We depend on AC at outrageous electricity prices to live in our houses. As I study the world of caudata, I see this as likely the biggest challenge to successful hobbyist experience. I would like to know what experienced people have done and are doing about controlling heat. Conversely, if there are species more tolerant of our climate, that would certainly be of great interest. I have already had some excellent advice form the chat area, but perhaps here it would be possible to post some links and more lengthy specifics.
Thanks so much.
Regards,

 

[hunter]

I did find this:
http://www.aquariumguys.com/iceprobe.html
I could not find any specs on it, so I will try and contact the manufacturer tomorrow. This appears to be a piezoelectric cooling system. It could be pretty rugged, since it would have no moving parts. But it may buzz a lot.
Any comments or reviews?

 

[ali]

Hi Hunter, I do not actually own an iceprobe, but when I was looking at cooling devices I decided definitely on that one. At a reasonable price, it's apparently a bit of a challenge to install, but I've heard good things about it.

You would for sure need AC with Caudates, but if your power goes out...I don't know what to tell you. There are options, though, so hopefully someone else can give you a bit more info.

 

[l.]

Hi Hunter,

I'm in Austin, myself, and the heat is just as much of an issue here (although I don't envy you the humidity that you have to put up with!)
Some small tips, based on my own experience:

*Keep the lights off during the day, and make sure that no light from nearby windows hits a tank directly.

*Keep the tanks as full as you can - the more water in a tank, the more stable the water temperature.

*Don't use a filter, if you can get away with it. It means more work for you, but that 1-2º that a filter adds to the temp can really matter.

*Run the A/C; but also ceiling fans near/over the tanks if you have those, or you can place small oscillating fans or computer fans over the top of your tanks. Evaporation helps keep the water cooler - you'll just have to keep topping the water off.

*I've found that it helps, also, to keep my smaller tanks (10g and under) on metal baking cooling racks for cookies, so that the tank gets good air circulation on ALL sides.



Nothing fancy, just some small hints - which you've probably already read on this board, so sorry if any of that isn't really "news".
I hear a lot of people on the board say that they float "blue ice" packs or frozen water bottles in their tanks, too, but I haven't tried that.

 

[hunter]

Those are some good comments and advice. I really appreciate them and thanks a lot. I may be able to dedicate a room to temperate and montane climate. If so, I will just install a small room cooler. But I think the tank cooling issue is significant. Siren, would you have suggestion for a good starter species?
Thanks again,

 

[l.]

I started with Tarichas, and then with Pleurodeles, both of which are generally said to be "easy" specimens to keep (because they're a little more forgiving of water temperature fluctuations, and can eat larger food than some of the smaller-bodied species).

I've heard the same thing about Notopthalmus, but I don't have any direct experience with those. Yet.

I've found that a really good way to learn about a particular species is to read the posts in the forums dedicated to that particular animal (http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/13/13.html?1161266399) - you can get a lot from care sheets, but there's something to be said from reading about peoples' personal experience, the problems they post about, and the answers they receive.

 

[jim]

I agree with Siren. I keep both species and consider Plueros particularly bullet proof. Cooling in Texas is hard, but it is doable without an expensive chiller. I always keep some frozen water bottles just in case of a brown out. Good Luck!

 

[jennifer]

In addition to S1ren's excellent suggestions, I would also say that tanks with screen lids stay cooler than with hoods. Also, I tried placing a small fan over the screened area of one of my hood-topped tanks recently and was shocked to find that I had lowered the water temp from 76F to 68F in only a few hours. With high humidity, a fan might not be this effective, but it does work wonders.

The problem with the Iceprobe is that it is supposed to be bulkheaded (meaning placed through a hole drilled in the glass part of the tank). Most of us don't have the technology to do this.

 

[hunter]

Jennewt,
Was the fan blowing in or out? 68oF seems like it would be very acceptable for a lot of the species.

 

[jim]

Depending on where you are in Houston I can drill tanks but glass sometimes cracks when you drill it even under ideal conditions. I've never cracked a tank yet but I have cracked several mirrors and some regular plate glass. On an expensive tank it may not be worth the risk.

 

[jennifer]

The fan was blowing into the tank, and was pointed down directly over the filter spillway (the filter outflow goes into a pot of rocks, then spills down over the sides of the pot into the tank). Having the fan blow over an area where the water is moving around probably enhances the cooling effect.

Keep in mind that evaporative cooling does cause the water level to drop faster. Water lost to evaporation should be replaced by distilled water, not tap water, if possible. Otherwise, the natural minerals in tap water will build up over time.

 

[hunter]

Jim,
I am in SW Houston. The drilling sounds good just for better management of exterior pumps and filters, if nothing else. I have a couple of venerable but good tanks that could be easily moved to your location.
Jennewt,
Thanks for the clarification. I use a lot distilled and saved rain water for my carnivorous plants - sarracenia and drosera especially.