Aquarium Tips for Hot Summer Weather

by Chuckmeister on Apr.29, 2007, under General Advice

Aquarium Tips

for Hot Summer

Weather
Hot Summer weather can get the best of any of us, including our aquarium fish. Here are a few tips to help your finned friends through the season:

Don’t panic! Fish are far more likely to survive high temperatures than a drastic change in environment. Unless fish show signs of great distress, any adjustments should be made gradually.
Maintain vigorous aeration and filtration. Warmer water holds less oxygen, so the primary danger in overheated aquariums is suffocation.
Feed a little less. Even though warmer water will increase your fishes’ appetites, waste and uneaten food further reduce the water’s ability to hold oxygen.
Don’t overcrowd the aquarium. The fewer fish, the more oxygen available per fish.
Leave lights off during the hottest parts of the day. Lights are an additional heat source.
Open aquarium cover to release heat. Evaporation cools; aiming a fan at the open aquarium will help as well. (watch for jumping fish though)
Check your heater. If the pilot light is on when the tank is already too warm, unplug the heater and repair or replace it. In Perth weather it is safe to unplug your heater from November.
Add cool water or ice only in emergencies (for example, fish are turning pale or gasping for air), and only in small, but frequent portions. Remember: change temperature gradually.

Chuckmeister

4 Comments for this entry

Santanu Changkakati
February 6th, 2008 on 4:25 am
Best web site on the net available.Great job,didn’t miss any forums read all of it and will surely give those ideas a try.
Tony
November 13th, 2009 on 8:30 pm
I am hoping someone actually reads these comments and can write back.
Adelaide has just had a sudden heatwave and the tank containing my Oscar started to climb up and hit 31 degrees. I only noticed it because “Oscar” (Yes, that is his uninspired name!) didn’t look too flash. He was on the bottom on a 45 degree angle and did not seem interested in food.
I did a water change, removing 25L and putting in 30 L of cold water and he perked up immediately.

The next evening it had crept back to the same temp, even though I have been keeping all the windows covered and the light off.

I now have 2 water bottles, containing frozen water inside, floating in the tank trying to cool it down a bit.

Two part question: Is that safe and a good idea?
and:
you mention in your article that aeration is a factor….should I set up a SECOND air pump and leave it running till the heatwave ends?

Obviously I had already put the bottles in prior to finding this page!!!

Cheers in advance
Tones
Chuckmeister
November 13th, 2009 on 9:37 pm
Hi Tony,

I have heard about the heatwave you are having.

Plz on these extreme temps, make sure your heaters are unplugged. Thermostats can be inaccurate and even jam on in heaters and unplugging will make sure it is not contributing to the problems. But more than any, aeration is one of the most important factors in keeping fish happy in hot weather. You can do this in a few ways. One is by adding air stones and an Air pump. I would recommend doing this even when the weather is cooler. The other is by adding an internal powerhead and putting it so that the jet breaks the surface of the tank. Do these both together and you shouldn’t have any problems with your fish. Also remember that things like having your tank lights on during the day can generate heat, tanks that are in front of windows (and the sun) etc can all contribute to the problem.

Edit – Also putting in frozen bottles in extreme weather is fine though if your water circulation and aeration is sufficient then really it shouldn’t be needed
Tony
November 16th, 2009 on 8:10 pm
Thanks for responding back!
I have a air filter with a stone, but was thinking of adding an EXTRA one to assist with circulation.

And I will be turning the heater off too!

As far as the lights go, they are turned off all day. The bad news is that the tank is next to a large window BUT, the drapes are ALWAYS closed….so dunno if that helps.

Oscar has perked up again but the forecast is for another few days of 41!!! ouch, will be keeping an eye on him

thanks again for the advice