controlling temperatures

[saltyandsweet]

I live in texas. I live at home still so when i go to school and we are away at work or whatever the reason, we turn off the AC most of the time. Is there a way to chill a tank or anyone have suggestions for these type of heat issues? my tank atm without AC is sitting at about 82 F. I do have a heater in there on low. should I try unplugging it and seeing what the temp sits at?

[whatevva]

You can try having fans blow on either the tank, the sump or both. This will lower the water temp but also cause the evaporation rate to increase. If that doesn't solve the problem, then consider purchasing a chiller.

[Loverotties]

Turn down the heater and then try fans if that not enough.Then it's ciller time.

[crvz]

Does the heater stay on all the time? If so, get a new heater! Many have a pretty good temperature setting.

Other than that, you can use fans. My house gets up to 80 or so in the summer (in Houston), and I only use canopy fans to keep the tank cool. You could also invest in a chiller, but those run many hundreds of dollars, so that may not be the best choice.

[DarthOcellaris]

you turn the ac off totally when you're away? That puts a strain on the unit when it comes back on you know, right? Best to set it at about 78 -80 when you're gone...saves you're light bill too

[Wiskey]

I agree with the above, I would try unpluging the heater first and see if that drops the temp any,.. if it doesn't help I would try pointing a fan at the surface of the water,... this will mean you'll have to topoff more often, but it should help cool the tank quite a bit.

Whiskey

[Nyles]

Fans are the best way, but also make sure the heat is actually from the room or lights, there is always a possibility you have a in water pump that is getting to hot due to friction. Always worth inspecting and soaking in vinegar to clean to make sure.