Resolved Heating up..

My 5 gallon tank is getting up to 82-84 degrees, and that's too hot. How can I cool it down short of putting ice cubes in it? I unplugged the heater, and it sat at 80.4 for most of the day, it's up to 82.4. Any ideas?

 

Get a fan blowing air parallel to the water surface.

 

+1 It should cool it down, you just might have to add a little more when you top off to make up for more evaporation.

 

mist the outside of your glass and use a fan to evaporate it off.

 

Thanks!

 

FTR, 82 - 84F is not too hot. Some reefers keep their tanks at that temp. The ocean reefs are warmer, still. Our main concern with temps is dissolved O2- the warmer the water, the less oxygen it can hold. If your tank is heavily stocked or has a cover, that might be a problem. Otherwise, it's not a big issue.

 

I have a lid/cover

 

I have kept my softy and stony combo reef tank at 84 for the last 3 years with no problems. However if you want to drop the temp I would remove the lid and place a fan to blow across the water surface. Also maintaining good circulation will move oxygenated water from surface throughout the tank since oxygen saturation drops as water temp rises. Air stones can help with this too.

 

If its a glass cover I'd lose it!

 

It's actually made of thinish acrylic.