ShrimpP Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 Just wondering what everyone does to keep their shrimp tanks below 74*F now that the weather is starting to warm up? My house A/C doesn't work. Anyone also doesn't have air conditioning and let their tanks temp remain at 78*F or higher during summer? If so, do the shrimp get infections? Do all the shrimp die? Or do they manage to do just fine? Breeding rates stop? Or do they surprisingly increase? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKLiu Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 How hot does your house get during the summer? A fan blowing across the top of the water can do a pretty good job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couesfanatic Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 A fan blowing across the top works well. I keep a gallon jug of RO water in the fridge to top off with and bring the water temp down. These two things work well for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vpier Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 I use these. They will cool a tank down 5-4 degrees in my 20l . But you will get a lot of evaporation. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L54ZY4M/ref=twister_B00L54ZY2Y?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 PlantDude 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d0pey Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 Fans never really worked for me really.. I just have to keep up with my top offs. caifornia has been having bipolar weather. this week, it's been up to 90 degrees. Next week, below 80. I am already seeing deaths in my Taiwan and tiger tank!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted April 20, 2016 Report Share Posted April 20, 2016 Sorry to hear that, dopey. There's always the frozen bottle trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chad590 Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 look on craigslist/offerup for a chiller. it may be used and not last as long but whats $$$ over massive shrimp deaths? I live in central florida, and its too expensive to run the AC below 78 in the summer -- i had to get one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadenlea Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 In the past I have used the little 5 dollar clip on fans from walmart. It did a good job keeping the water temp down. You get lots of evaporation so you need to stay ontop of your water parameters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahboram Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 Yup in California too and my tanks were hitting the 80s,so I did the ol' frozen water bottle and ice cubes in a bag trick and kept them cool til night. Had to change it multiple times though :x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescador Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 Yes, if you have a rack the 6" clip on fans work good. Hard to attach otherwise as the clip is horizontal rather than vertical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescador Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 Tell me about it I am already dreading summer. I had the wife replacing bags of ice in my CRS tank last summer, now I also have a TB and Tiger tank. She is going to hate me... ShrimpP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaj Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 I'm gonna be running some tank cooling trials this summer. I too live in California, and my room gets blasted with sun in the summer. We do have a storage unit downstairs that stays really cool since it's partially insulated by a hill, but it might seem suspicious if I set up lights and airstones down there... I work at night, so keeping the tanks cool during the day should be possible, though inconvenient. Here are some untested ideas that I've brainstormed, which can probably be used in combination. 1) Run the lights at night, during the cooler part of the day. I've heard that in planted tanks, the pH will decrease if the lights are simply turned off for too long while the plants respirate. I also run the lights at night for my plants to keep them warmer during cold winter nights. 2) Small computer fans over the tanks. I like the USB ones. I have a wire rack, so mounting should be simple. 3a) Freeze RO water into ice, then place it over a tank, so that they can freely drip cold water into the tank as they melt. I figure that they should melt slower by not being submerged, the cooling effect will be more steady than using frozen bottles directly in the tank, and the RO water will compensate for evaporation. It will probably take some trial and error to balance melting rates with evaporation rates. 3b) Freeze dechlorinated water, and use like above. I would first remove some tank water, and as the dechlorinated ice melts, it would replace what was taken out earlier. Cooling, and a small water change all in one. This might work better for a covered tank with no/less evaporation. 4) Small frozen water bottles in a marina breeding box. The water in the breeding box can be cooled by frozen water bottles, and the flow of the cool water into the tank can be adjusted to keep the tank at the right temp. The frozen water bottles can be switched out as needed. 5) Adjustable heater. I think it might be smart to consider using a heater with any cooling method. I would probably get an adjustable heater, and set it to something like 72 degrees in case a tank get's too cold. I don't think the shrimp would like such drastic temperature swings, so having a heater set to such a temperature would at least set a lower limit to how low the water temperature can get. It may be wise to also reevaluate the flow of water in the tank to prevent hot/cold spots in the tanks. Shrimple minded 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zodiac Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 best solution: repair/replace the A/C. touching 90 now...next month touching 100,before it's even officially summer ... inside low to mid 70's all summer long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oem Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 24 minutes ago, zodiac said: best solution: repair/replace the A/C. touching 90 now...next month touching 100,before it's even officially summer ... inside low to mid 70's all summer long. Bite your tongue that it's summer already. It's has been 70+ in Ohio this week, but was 30 and snow a few weeks ago. Plus all my plants for the garden aren't ready yet ! Really wanted to add the "moon" emoge. josu2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240ric Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 It's already hot here in Texas. For my TB and Tiger tanks, I built a couple of these DIY temp controllers that are connected to computer USB fans. I did this to minimize evaporation and to control the temp within 1 degF. So far they have been controlling the water temp between 73 and 74 degF. Depending on the time of day, I set my house AC temp between 75 and 78 degrees. Here is a link to the controller I used. In the customer reviews and pictures, you can find the DIY info and wiring diagrams. http://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-All-Purpose-Temperature-Controller-Fahrenheit/dp/B00OXPE8U6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1461291282&sr=8-2&keywords=inkbird ShrimpP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vpier Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 1 hour ago, 240ric said: It's already hot here in Texas. For my TB and Tiger tanks, I built a couple of these DIY temp controllers that are connected to computer USB fans. I did this to minimize evaporation and to control the temp within 1 degF. So far they have been controlling the water temp between 73 and 74 degF. Depending on the time of day, I set my house AC temp between 75 and 78 degrees. Here is a link to the controller I used. In the customer reviews and pictures, you can find the DIY info and wiring diagrams. http://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-All-Purpose-Temperature-Controller-Fahrenheit/dp/B00OXPE8U6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1461291282&sr=8-2&keywords=inkbird Looks great but I would burn the house down trying to figure out the wiring. 240ric and oem 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240ric Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 10 hours ago, Vpier said: Looks great but I would burn the house down trying to figure out the wiring. I hear ya. I just used the following wiring diagram as reference. I didn't wire the heater part since I am only using it for cooling. Also, the hardest part of the DIY was cutting holes in the project box for the controller, AC outlet, and input power receptacle. Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vpier Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 5 hours ago, 240ric said: I hear ya. I just used the following wiring diagram as reference. I didn't wire the heater part since I am only using it for cooling. Also, the hardest part of the DIY was cutting holes in the project box for the controller, AC outlet, and input power receptacle. What would you charge to make one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240ric Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 3 hours ago, Vpier said: What would you charge to make one? PM sent. Vpier 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShrimpP Posted April 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2016 Where do you get the box that the thermostat sits in? I've wired one of those up for some heaters, but never used an enclosure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240ric Posted April 23, 2016 Report Share Posted April 23, 2016 Google Hammond 1591ESBK ABS Project Box. I got it at my local electronics supply store but Amazon sells it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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