Fish and other aquarium inhabitants require strict water parameters, including maintaining the temperature within the required limits. In case of extreme heat outside, the room becomes warmer, and, as a result, the aquarium water begins to overheat. As a result, the condition of the pets in the home pond worsens. Most species tolerate elevated temperatures for some time, but not for long, which is why it is necessary to normalize the indicators as quickly as possible. There are many ways to cool water in an aquarium, so you can choose the right option for any occasion.
What is overheating and why is it dangerous?
Aquarium fish are cold-blooded creatures that are unable to independently monitor their body temperature. Many phenotypes can only exist at a certain number of degrees of heat, and sometimes even minor deviations can lead to the death of pets. In hot weather, the risk of fish overheating is especially possible, which experienced aquarists determine by the behavior of their pets:
- the inhabitants of the reservoir become lethargic, move little or lie on the bottom;
- the fish move to the upper layers of the tank;
- pets constantly swim to the surface, swallowing air.
Installation of monitoring station
To monitor all parameters in the tank, experienced aquarists use monitoring stations. With the help of such units the following is monitored:
- Temperature level.
- Acidity and hardness of the liquid.
- Precipitation amount.
- Other.
But the cost of such units is quite high. And the parameters of aquarium water do not always need to be monitored. The purchase of such equipment is carried out by aquarists who care for capricious or exotic fish. After all, with their help you can adjust the temperature.
How to cool water in an aquarium
You can lower the temperature in an artificial reservoir using many methods; your own preferences and capabilities will help you choose which one. Some owners choose to cool their aquarium themselves by creating homemade coolers, while others purchase an aquarium cooler. In any case, regardless of the chosen method, every aquarist should have a water monitoring station. This is a set of instruments with which tank owners monitor water parameters:
- acidity;
- rigidity;
- amount of precipitation;
- temperature.
Thus, aquarists can always find out the exact number of degrees, and start taking action based on the results.
Cooling water with chillers
Chillers began to be produced relatively recently. They are refrigerators for aquarium water. Original aquarium air conditioners. You will have to pay several hundred American dollars for a chiller, so not all aquarists are able to fork out for such “happiness”. And purchasing it for a small aquarium with a small number of fish is extremely unprofitable.
But it is perfect for cooling large aquariums with a wide variety of living creatures and beautiful plants. A fully automatic device will maintain the set water temperature, regardless of how hot it is “overboard”.
Chillers do not have such disadvantages as increased humidity in the room associated with their operation. They are quite quiet and efficient. The only disadvantage of aquarium chillers is the price!
In general, I hope the article helped you figure out what to do if, according to weather forecasters, it will soon be extremely hot and you are worried about your aquarium animals.
Decrease of indoor air
This is the simplest and easiest way to cool the water in an aquarium with your own hands. It's no secret that the temperature of the liquid directly depends on the air temperature in the room, so you shouldn't be surprised when aquarium water is heated in the summer heat. You can reduce the amount of heat by closing the curtains on the windows tightly so that the sun's rays do not penetrate into the room. Air conditioners and home fans are also used to ventilate the room.
Water cooling with coolers and fans
Water cooling with coolers is based on the principle of water evaporation and temperature reduction. These cooling systems are usually homemade.
1 or 2 fans are installed in the lid of the aquarium (usually those used in a computer and installed on the case, power supply or processor). These fans are low voltage (rated at 12 volts) so moisture and steam are not a danger. The fans are connected to a 12-volt power supply (the power supply is sensitive to steam and moisture, so to avoid electric shock, it should never be installed in the lid of the aquarium or near water).
Fans circulate air under the lid of the aquarium, thereby increasing evaporation and cooling the water.
As a rule, if one fan is used, it is installed to pump air, and additional holes are made in the cover for exit.
When using two fans: one is installed for air injection and the other for air exhaust.
The fan cooling system is very effective and can cool the aquarium to a safe temperature for the fish even on the hottest days, but it has two significant disadvantages:
- In a room with an aquarium, a greenhouse effect may occur due to a strong increase in air humidity.
- Increased evaporation of water will require constant topping up.
Homemade products for an aquarium
To cool an artificial pond, many aquarists use ice, creating and inventing ways to lower the temperature in the tank. Today, two methods are considered safe and effective:
- Bottles with ice - aquarium owners freeze liquid in plastic bottles and place the containers in ponds. The method allows you to smoothly lower the temperature by a couple of degrees.
- Internal filter - the filter media is removed from the device and ice cubes are placed in its place. The device is installed back. Thanks to this method, the liquid cools instantly, so you should monitor the degrees.
Overheating in an aquarium is a dangerous moment for the life of fish and other inhabitants of the tank, so it is necessary to constantly monitor the temperature level. To cool water, aquarists use different methods: from homemade devices to purchasing expensive coolers, the main thing is that the method is safe and effective.
Changing filter characteristics
Heating affects the volume of air present in the liquid. Its numbers decrease on especially hot days.
Internal filtration units are located near the surface so that the liquid in the tank is cooled. If the aquarist has an external filter, then it should be equipped with a flute tube. With its help, water reaches the surface, improving aeration rates.
This makes it easier to cool small containers containing representatives of flora and fauna. In this case, it is necessary to control temperature indicators using appropriate devices.
High-tech methods
It is best, of course, to use modern technologies, although there are proven, simple and inexpensive methods. Modern ones include special stations for monitoring the parameters in the aquarium, which, among other things, can cool water and cool it.
Their disadvantages include the price and they are not so easy to buy; most likely you will have to order from abroad. There are also coolers and special items that are designed to cool the aquarium, but again they are not cheap.
One of the available methods is to place several coolers (fans from a computer in a simple way) in the lid along with lamps. This is often done by aquarists who install powerful lamps so that the surface of the water does not overheat. This works quite well, since in addition to air cooling, vibrations of the water surface also occur, increasing gas exchange.
The disadvantage is that there is not always time to assemble and install such a thing. You can do it easier if you have a fan at home, direct the air flow to the surface of the water. Fast, simple, effective.
Nastena
Many aquarists have encountered the problem of high water temperature in the aquarium, which has a detrimental effect on some of its inhabitants. At an air temperature of 30-37°C, it is difficult to maintain the water temperature in the aquarium in a range suitable for the life of fish. In July 2011, I bought an Aquael Shrimp Set 30 aquarium with a volume of 30 liters. And already in August I became worried about my pets; the water temperature did not drop below 32°C on hot days, of which there were quite a few. And my work partner also had several fish that couldn’t withstand the high temperature.
I did not want such a fate for my fish, and began to study the issue on the Internet. Quite a few solutions have been invented online, and the most successful one, in my opinion, is a room air conditioner, which benefits all apartment dwellers, with one drawback – it’s expensive. Budget solutions are rare and do not always suit the design of your aquarium.
Internal filter Aquael Pat-mini
External filter Aquael Versamax FZN-1
It was decided to do something of our own, since in addition to cooling there was another task. In the base, the aquarium has a solid glass lid, the set includes an internal Aquael Pat-mini filter, which is not the best for fish, a set for shrimp, which I replaced with an external Aquael Versamax FZN-1 filter, and you can’t put the standard lid with it.
The idea was on the surface, literally and figuratively, we needed a lid and cooling, so we made a lid with cooling.
Fan Zalman ZM-F3 FDB
Voltage regulator Zalman FAN MATE 2
Acrylic 3 mm thick was taken as the cover material. It will be cooled by a computer fan measuring 120 x 120 mm, of which my husband has a lot. Serenka suggested laser cutting, it is not expensive and is accessible to everyone. I made a drawing in a vector program, sent it for cutting in . We chose transparent acrylic, it should allow light to pass through because the cover is installed under the lamps. We will power the fan through an adapter with variable supply voltage, but this is not a prerequisite, it’s just convenient in case you don’t know what supply voltage your fan has. In my case it is 12th century. The fan was taken from Zalman ZM-F3 with a low noise level, the fan is equipped with 4 elastic gray screws that will not allow vibrations to be transmitted. We used Zalman FAN MATE 2 as a voltage regulator, solely for the convenience of using the entire structure, because at first we did not know how much the water in the aquarium would be cooled, and would it even be? All that remains is to make, assemble and test.
They decided to make the pilot version a set of two covers. The first is a simple cover, with a recess for an external filter, comfortable handles, and technological roundings in the corners for wiring communications. The second, cooling, with two fans for two types of sizes - 120 x 120 mm and 92 x 92 mm, beautiful ventilation holes and technological ones for attaching wiring to clamps. Plus protection for fans.
Cover diagram v.1.3 for aquarium Aquael Shrimp Set 30
The power adapter in the set had several connectors; we chose mini-jack. We soldered an adapter to the fan 3pin fan connector, and a splitter to connect the second fan. Several old fans were sacrificed to make them.
Power adapter
Fan 120 x 120 mm
Voltage regulator Zalman FAN MATE 2
Mini-jack to fan 3pin adapter
Splitter fan - double fan
Connection example
Lid simple
Fillets for communications
Notch - handle
Cooling cover
Ventilation holes
Ventilation holes
Elastic fastening screw
How to install the elastic screw
Fan installation procedure
Fan protection cover
Ventilation holes
Installation procedure for fan protection
Simple lid on an aquarium
Simple lid on an aquarium
Technological recesses of the lid for an aquarium v.1.3
Cooling cover on aquarium
Cooling cover on aquarium
After assembly and installation, it's time for tests. I can happily say that the idea was a success, the temperature dropped from 32 to 27°C in two hours, it could be lower if necessary. Two evenings of work and my fish are not afraid of the high temperature in the aquarium. Time has shown that a second fan is not needed, 120 mm is enough for absolutely silent operation at the lowest speeds; they need to be made high only to increase the cooling speed and further reduce the temperature. Subsequently, we replaced the black fan with a completely transparent one, the black one shaded one of the two lamps. We connected the system to the aquarium lighting timer, since there was no need for cooling at night.
Don’t forget to add water promptly; fans increase evaporation.
Over time, some shortcomings of the assembled system became clear, which we eliminated in the second version. You can get acquainted with them in the article “Cooling system for an aquarium. Part 2".
I would like to note that this system cools the water by increasing evaporation and is effective for aquariums such as the Aquael Shrimp Set, Dennerle Nano Cube and the like. Owners of aquariums of other designs, where the lamps are located directly above the water, will effectively knock down the thermal air cushion that is formed from the radiant energy of the lamps. I successfully applied this solution after purchasing the Juwel Rio 125 aquarium. I will tell you the details in the article “Cooling system for an aquarium. Part 3".
I would like to say thank you to Serenka for the idea and support, and to Sashka (Acernb) for his help with the soldering iron.
Share “Cooling system for an aquarium. Part 1"
Ice cubes
How do we make cool tea in summer? Throw ice into it and enjoy its taste. The same principle can be adopted if the question arises of how to cool the water in an aquarium yourself. If you have a small aquarium, then simply freeze the cubes and throw them into the vessel. The temperature drops quite quickly, but you need to keep an eye on it, as the water will soon warm up again.
If the aquarium is large, this method is not suitable. You will need several kilograms of ice to normalize the water temperature. Why not? We take plastic bags or plastic bottles (2 liters), fill them with water and freeze them. Now carefully place this vessel on the bottom of the aquarium and observe the temperature. Remember that a large volume of ice will drop the temperature very quickly and greatly, so be prepared to stop the experiment. This is the most effective way. In addition, it can help out if you are going away for a long time and it is very hot outside. Then throw in an ice pack, close the curtains and go about your business.
Technology on the verge of fantasy
In fact, today there are already systems for monitoring the life support of an aquarium. They not only heat water, control its hardness and softness, but can also cool it if necessary. This happens with the help of special tanks that are in contact with copper tubes filled with freon. The water passing through them becomes cold. But such systems are too expensive to be popular.
Aquarists usually find their situations much simpler. They remove the lamps from the aquarium lid and install fans in their place. You can simply take a home fan and point it at the surface of the water.
Device placement
Making the mechanism is quite simple. First you need to choose a location. You can place it inside the container, above the surface, or outside. Hoses with a sprayer are placed at the bottom. It is not necessary to provide fastening; you can press down the hose with a heavy stone or shell.
For the tube, it is better to choose silicone or any other elastic rubber. It needs to be able to easily withstand deformation and not crack. The service life of the device depends on this element.
The tube must be inert and not release any harmful substances when exposed to water. If you don’t have silicone, it’s better to buy it separately at a pet store. You can also use a hose from a drip.
Content recommendations
Aquariums are often installed in places where large numbers of people gather. In order for the microclimate to remain optimal, the compressor must be constantly running. If an electromagnet was provided during the manufacture of the device, then the compressor should be hidden so that noise does not interfere. You can hide it in a pipe that will run under the aquarium. You'll have to buy an air duct. It is needed to transfer air to the aquarium. This will allow the system to function optimally.
To avoid a strong shock wave from the engine, you need to create a protective level. And the noise of the device itself is perfectly compensated by the wooden box.
The compressor power must correspond to the displacement of the aquarium. It is necessary that the air flow is soft and moderate. For this purpose, the displacement is calculated. Even for large engine volumes, 12 W will be enough.
If the air cooler is too powerful, it can cause aquarium inhabitants to become ill or die. A high power motor will create strong water circulation. This will disrupt all the natural and life processes of the fish. If there is a lot of algae in the aquarium, then the compressor should be turned off during the day. Otherwise, you can create excess oxygen.
Decrease in temperature level
Filter upgrade
For an aquarium, you create a cooling system using a filter with your own hands. This option is suitable if the tank is equipped with an internal filter. A washcloth is removed from this system, with the help of which the liquid is cleaned. Ice is placed in place of the washcloth.
With this homemade product, the aquarium liquid cools in 5–10 minutes. But before using such a system, experts recommend purchasing a temperature tracking device. After all, excessively cold water will provoke the death of fish and shellfish phenotypes.
Container with ice
Fill 1-2 bottles with ice. They are placed in a container with fish and shellfish. This method is similar to the one described earlier. But at the same time, the liquid in the aquarium cools gradually. The temperature level is constantly monitored to prevent hypothermia. For these purposes, a controller or other component is suitable, with the help of which it is easy to regulate the temperature level in the tank.
Cooling system with Peltier elements
Experienced aquarists prepare cooling systems for their aquariums with their own hands, which include a Peltier element. To construct such a system, the following components are used:
- Coolers from old computers. Such parts contribute to noise. Among modern installations it is easy to find parts with which ventilation is performed almost silently.
- Peltier element. The system is constructed on 2 elements. Their power is determined individually. In this case, the dimensions of the tank, its equipment, and phenotypes are taken into account.
- Radiators. They are used to remove generated heat.
- Cooling water block. Each Peltier element is placed in it.
- Thermal controller. The temperature level is regulated using a thermal controller.
- A power supply whose output voltage is 12 Volts.
- Water pump. Experienced aquarists install pumps in advance. If such a device is not available, it must be purchased separately. The performance of such a device is determined individually. Such points as the size of the aquarium and climatic features are taken into account.
The system, which includes a Peltier element, is used by beginners and experienced aquarists to cool liquids. For what reason is it popular?
- With the help of such a refrigeration system, the temperature is reduced to the required level. Suitable components and devices are used for continuous monitoring.
- Autonomy. Before using such a system, you should monitor its performance for 2-3 hours.
- Low energy consumption.
- Efficient coolers.
- Optimal dimensions.
Before choosing a method by which the liquid in the aquarium will be cooled, you should study the features of each. For small containers, a filter filled with ice or a cooler is suitable. For larger tanks, cooling systems that are equipped with adjustment elements will be required.
Video about different ways to cool small and large aquariums
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