Post by Admin on Feb 6, 2011 23:33:55 GMT 11
I thought id do a quick write up on how to cope with hot days in summer, this may be coming a bit late for some of you but my time is at a premium at the moment looking after all my tanks.
In just the people i know and have spoken to this week i could easily put a price tag of 12k plus on their losses.
Fish species from Guppies to WC tropheous were lost so dont think you were alone if you lost a prized fish. I have been lucky in only loosing a few fry but as many of you would know i am at home with my fish during the hottest part of the day so am at an advantage.
Strategies.
1. Watch the news, make sure you know what is hapening with the weather. In Newcastle February is ALWAYS our hottest month.
34degC is deadly for alot of species. I try to keep them below 32 at all times but obviously cooler is better.
2. Turn your heaters down.
I set my delicate species @ 22degC and some heaters i turn off completely. Even a couple of degrees cooler can give you a couple of hours grace before the tanks hit critical temperature.
3. Take your lids and hoods off. They store hot air and work like a greenhouse to further heat up the tanks.
4. Have Ice on hand. Use frozen pet bottles filled with salt water. Salt water will freeze @ -3degC so will have a better effect when cooling.
5. Do not use lights. Even a plant tank can go a week without lighting. Lights produce ALOT of heat.
6. Open a window, open all the windows and try to get breeze onto the waters surface, alternatively use fans blowing onto the water. This will cause evapourative cooling and can drop the temps a few degs an hour.
7. Turn up your airstones and pump as much oxy into the water as you can. As the temperature rises the dissolved oxygen is depleated so a good supply will solve suffocation issues especially in heavily stocked and fry tanks.
8. And the most important. DO LARGE, COOL WATERCHANGES. Dont be afraid to do 30-40% changes every couple of hours as needed. Tap water is always less than 30degC so will help regulate temps easily.
On a side note, watch young fry exposed to high temps for wasting over the next few weeks. They will appear normal and even eat but the high tepmeratures destroy their gut fauna and cause digestive/nutrient absorbtion issues.
I hope this helps people in the future.
In just the people i know and have spoken to this week i could easily put a price tag of 12k plus on their losses.
Fish species from Guppies to WC tropheous were lost so dont think you were alone if you lost a prized fish. I have been lucky in only loosing a few fry but as many of you would know i am at home with my fish during the hottest part of the day so am at an advantage.
Strategies.
1. Watch the news, make sure you know what is hapening with the weather. In Newcastle February is ALWAYS our hottest month.
34degC is deadly for alot of species. I try to keep them below 32 at all times but obviously cooler is better.
2. Turn your heaters down.
I set my delicate species @ 22degC and some heaters i turn off completely. Even a couple of degrees cooler can give you a couple of hours grace before the tanks hit critical temperature.
3. Take your lids and hoods off. They store hot air and work like a greenhouse to further heat up the tanks.
4. Have Ice on hand. Use frozen pet bottles filled with salt water. Salt water will freeze @ -3degC so will have a better effect when cooling.
5. Do not use lights. Even a plant tank can go a week without lighting. Lights produce ALOT of heat.
6. Open a window, open all the windows and try to get breeze onto the waters surface, alternatively use fans blowing onto the water. This will cause evapourative cooling and can drop the temps a few degs an hour.
7. Turn up your airstones and pump as much oxy into the water as you can. As the temperature rises the dissolved oxygen is depleated so a good supply will solve suffocation issues especially in heavily stocked and fry tanks.
8. And the most important. DO LARGE, COOL WATERCHANGES. Dont be afraid to do 30-40% changes every couple of hours as needed. Tap water is always less than 30degC so will help regulate temps easily.
On a side note, watch young fry exposed to high temps for wasting over the next few weeks. They will appear normal and even eat but the high tepmeratures destroy their gut fauna and cause digestive/nutrient absorbtion issues.
I hope this helps people in the future.