How do you protect fish from the heat?

This week is looking to be a scorcher!
How do you prevent hyperthermia in fish?

Those without central air conditioning and keep cool water animals such as axolotls, certain marine fishes and Murray cods may need to think about ways of preventing their tanks from overheating.

The most reliable method is to invest in a chiller unit. But these may be very expensive or may not be available for purchase at your local fish shop.
So what are some other stop gap measures?

One way of dropping the water temperature is by positioning a pedestal fan to blow over the water surface. Evaporative cooling is very effective and can drop the water temperature by 2-3 degrees Celsius!

Another way is to place large ice blocks in your tank, but bear in mind that this could alter the water salinity and so a salt water ice block can be used instead.

A third way is to run tap water through a hose into the tank. For small amounts of water (up to 10-15%), dechlorinator may not be necessary. For larger volumes, you will need to remove the chlorine. You may be able to fashion an in-line activated carbon filter by using some PVC pipes with hose connections on either side.

I’m sure there are many other ways, so feel free to share them with us.

Until next time, happy fish keeping!

Dr Richmond Loh
TheFishVet@gmail.com
http://www.thefishvet.com.au