Summer – do you love the heat? Do you perhaps dislike the humidity? If these seasonal variations influence us, how much more do they influence our aquariums?
Ambient air temperature affects the temperature of the aquarium water – this is a fact! So, if you have your aquarium in a temperature controlled environment, such as an air-conditioned room, this make for a more stable water temperature.
If not, then have you considered the following as influencing the stability of the water temperature in your tank
- Sun
- Wind
- Closed rooms
- Insulation in the room
In summer, we need to consider the heat affecting our aquariums, and in winter the cold.
Rising water temperature causes stress in our livestock as well as the corals and plants. You can have the best possible foods for all these living organisms but if they are in water that is too warm, or too cold, they will not thrive, and sometimes not even survive. This is the same theory that scientists are warning us of with the grand scale of the rising seawater temperatures from global warming.
Thankfully on the scale of our personal “mini” ecosystems controlling the fluctuations of the water temperature is a lot easier with some minor considerations and adaptations.
Firstly, monitoring the temperature is vital. If you know of the problem, you can do something about it. A reliable monitoring system such as Neptune Systems Apex, Apex EL, and GHL Profilux enable you to be notified in a timely manner and from remote locations, so action can be taken. External controllers on your heater elements, such as the MX1021, MX1014 and LCD display heaters are easy to monitor visually. The good old thermometer in the tank water is an excellent safety check.
Second step is to take action…… Chillers, and fans are the way to go. Chillers are more commonly used with marine aquariums. Fans and their controllers are commonly used to cool the surface of the water. Fans come in singles, double, 4 way, and 6 way. The ATC999 controller can be used with either the single or double fans.
Be aware and watch the drop in temperature so this is not too rapid or to severe.
Cooling SOS – if you reach a crisis with the rising temperature of your tank water, or have a power failure affecting your chiller, a good DIY tip is to freeze bottles of water and put these into the aquarium or sump to reduce the temperature.
