Aquarium Cooling: Dos and Don’ts

No matter in which part of the world we live experiencing fluctuations in temperature is something which we cannot avoid. We, being human, can understand when there is a need for wrapping ourselves with layers of clothes and when cooling is required. However, this is not the case with fish. When kept inside an aquarium, fish can’t migrate to different places to accustom them with the changes in temperature. Therefore, it becomes essential to know how to protect them from severe warm and cold temperatures.

In this article, we will discuss thoroughly how to maintain the temperature of the aquarium in hot summer months. Cooling the aquarium with apt measures and helping fish flourish is the major objective of the article.

As soon the summer arrives, and the temperature starts rising, the level of oxygen in the tank starts dropping down. It leads the fish to get overheated. The fish start gasping at the surface in order to cool down their body temperature.

This is the time when you need to think about cooling the aquarium to help fish live stress-free. Generally, the aquarists think about getting an aquarium chiller which is indeed an apt solution but also an expensive one. Therefore, here we will provide information about some good and inexpensive ways to bring the temperature down safely.

Dos in Cooling the Aquarium

If you live in an area where the temperature rises very high during summer, it becomes important that you keep an eye on the temperature of the aquarium. As soon you see the temperature is rising above the threshold level, taking the precautions become vital.

Below are the easiest and some of the most feasible cooling options which can help you get the desired temperature without destabilizing the aquarium. However, at the same time, make sure that you keep running the air pump so that the low level of oxygen incurred due to high temperature becomes stable.

1. Keep the room cool: As soon the temperature starts rising with the day, try to keep the place cool by natural ways. For instance, close the curtains and switch on the fan or AC of the room where you have kept the aquarium. To some extent, it helps in maintaining the temperature of aquarium water also.
2. Turn the lights off: Lights generate heat. During hot summer months, they contribute to increasing the temperature of the aquarium manifolds. Therefore, if your aquarium plants can live without light for a few hours then keep them shut off during the hottest hours of the day. However, if the growth of the plants do not hamper when there is no light, keeping them switch off the entire day is also a good option.
3. Open the hood of the aquarium: There are fish who jump out when there is no hood above them. However, there are also some fish that don’t bother about the presence or absence of aquarium hood and keep swimming. If your fish fall under the second category, you may open the hood of the aquarium to maintain the temperature. It allows the heat to escape.
4. Use filter: Those who have installed an external filter, maintaining the temperature becomes easy for them. Run the tubes through cold water for cooling the aquarium. You may also use an ice box. However, keeping an eagle eye on the fish during the entire process is very important. The temperature of the water may drop off too quickly while introducing ice or cold water instantly. It may harm both the fish and the previous cycle. Therefore, practice it with large size aquariums only.

Don’ts in Cooling the Aquarium

Before you start thinking about cooling the aquarium, you need to know what should be avoided. It is not necessary that the cooling methods that worked for one person may work for you as well. It is also not essential that every popular way could become your way as well.

Therefore here we will discuss some don’ts that you must follow to prevent shocking your fish all of a sudden.

1. Don’t add cold water rapidly: Fish get stressed when they face an outburst of cold water. This stress is very harmful and might lead the fish to become vulnerable to diseases. The chances of sudden death are also very high in such cases.
2. Don’t add ice cubes: Just like cold water, if you suddenly add ice cubes, it will make the water very cold within a few minutes. The temperature of an overheated aquarium drops down rapidly. It leads the fish to come to shock. Other than this, fish might find the white ice cubes tasty and starts eating them. It may lead the fish getting injuries. Getting prone to infections with the attempt of eating ice cubes is also high.

Equipment That Can Cool the Aquarium

If the temperature of your area surges very high and none of the natural methods seem fruitful, installing cooling equipment will be a good idea. The market is flooded with many aquarium coolers and chillers which can adjust the temperature as per the requirements.

Let us take a look at them.

1. Fan: Based on the size of your aquarium you may opt to either a single fan, large fan or multiple fans. These fans blow air across the surface of the tank so that the lights do not overheat and the process of evaporation takes place at a good pace. You may find such fans either in the market or online.
2. Chiller: If the temperature rises considerably and the fan is not able to perform the desired work, installing a chiller will be helpful. Aquarium chillers are expensive but extremely useful where the temperature shoots up in the summer season. Moreover, if your stock is costly and comprises of fancy, exotic and imported fish, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Always remember, one overlook of temperature can cost you your precious fish. Therefore never ignore the rise of temperature and always try to maintain its equilibrium. Also, never forget to install a thermometer inside the aquarium especially in the summer season. Keeping a close eye on the rise of temperature and taking precautionary measures instantly is very important for a better flourish of fish in the tank.