How do inside aquariums survive summertime?

[Philbert]

I am trying to convince a very unreasonable person of the ease of keeping an aquarium for my almost 7 year old daughter.
WWE (Wicked Witch of the East) says she doesn't want to deal with cleaning the tank...she thinks one must empty the tank and scrub it down weekly, etc.
I am going to have my munchkin send her a written synopsis of fish care, and emphasize the ease of aquarium maintanence... how partial water changes, etc., and gravel vacuuming, are normally all the cleaning needed.
My child is thoroughly conversant with Corydoras, Plecos, and water treatment.
My dilema is that I'm sure they won't run the AC during the day, so the house will get pretty hot.

Will a small fan blowing across the tank keep the bottom cool enough for your basic Mollies, Platys, Corys, and Plecos?

I always keep my AC set to cool my apt if the temp gets too high, so I don't know how to keep an aquarium from boiling the fish.
She will spend the 3 months of summer here with good ol' Dad, but September through December can be pretty hot in New Orleans.
Any suggestion not costing much money will be appreciated.

[mrairportjunke]

Re: How do inside aquariums survive summertime?

depending on the fish, i think theyd be fine because water temp doesnt change that rapidly.   water getting too cold would be more a problem in winter if they dont cut on the heat.  summer wont matter in my opinion.  but my opinion problably means ****.  lol

[Philbert]

Re: How do inside aquariums survive summertime?

Your opinion is just like mine...I thought the same was probably true...so we are both brilliant theorists.
I just wanted to check, since I have been misinformed once or twice before. Well, maybe once... :wink:

[mrairportjunke]

Re: How do inside aquariums survive summertime?

well now probably twice. lol

[Brownsnoutuk]

Re: How do inside aquariums survive summertime?

Buy her Discus. Or other fish that like warmer water. Add an airstone and you should be good.

[szidlon]

Re: How do inside aquariums survive summertime?

I don't think I would recommend Discus to anyone who does not want to spend the needed time with water changes, etc.  They can be challenging for even the experienced fishkeeper, and that doesn't include the stress on the old pocket book when you initially purchase them.  I truly hope you were just kidding in your suggestion   :|  .

Just how warm does the room temperature get where the fish will be located?

[Brownsnoutuk]

Re: How do inside aquariums survive summertime?

I wouldnt buy Discus for a 7 yr old. Im sure Philbert has no intention of getting her Discus either.

[szidlon]

Re: How do inside aquariums survive summertime?

Why the eye roll, don't forget not everyone who reads these forums knows you personally so there's no way to know if you're serious or not.

[Spot86t]

Re: How do inside aquariums survive summertime?

I had guppies, mollies, flagfish and even a few amano shrimp survive fine in my outdoor pond which reached temps in teh 90's last summer.  I had lillies in there to cover the surface, and down at the bottom, temps were about 10 degrees cooler.  I had a little solar air pump on there that came on when sunlight hit the panel, just to provide some extra air - figured it couldn't hurt.  The goldfish, koi and outcast golden algae eater did fine too - same thing, plants for shade, and an airstone bar.

[wvgdiscus]

Re: How do inside aquariums survive summertime?

Well I have several different types of fish in my discus community tank with temps around 88 degrees with no AC during the day time.
Fish can survive at higher temps during the day. Just dont keep them at the higher temp all night too.

[Philbert]

Re: How do inside aquariums survive summertime?

In New Orleans the daytime temps hit 90+-110; I imagine the tank would get 85-90 inside the house.
Mollies live outdoors in moving shaded water, so in a tank I was worried the water would hit 85-90 degrees for a few hours.
I won't worry, I'm proud of how knowledgable my kid is on aquariums and all my fish...she knows who the fathers and mothers are of most of them, and keeps track of the fry as they grow.
She will have a Daddy-stocked tank, 2nd and 3rd gen Platys and Mollies. And a couple of Plecos (one of Chris's and one from the HAS auction), and some of the famous Pepper Cory's from the same auction (3 to a bottle) that just about everyone I know got some of.

[imagirlgeek]

Re: How do inside aquariums survive summertime?

I read that having a small fan blowing across the top of the tank water helps....or using a canister filter and putting the canister in a bucket of ice.  I would be nervous about that one...seems pretty extreme.

[Philbert]

Re: How do inside aquariums survive summertime?

The tank will be in New Orleans, and I will have no control over it...probably a 10 or a 20 gallon. Usual HOB filter, so I think a fan may be feasible.
Mom (WWE) doesn't want to be bothered. I want my lil' darlin to have her own fish community, so does she...but WWE thinks a Parakeet would be cleaner and less to clean than a Hamster, etc; I am trying to encourage the aquarium.
The whole sequence is due to permission finally to have a pet when she is 7 years old (July is her B-Day); when she returns from summer she can have something to love.
She already loves fish, and Parakeets aren't exactly play friendly.

I don't want to lose the whole tank due to high temp is all.

God save us from mildly psychotic ex's!

[eklikewhoa]

Re: How do inside aquariums survive summertime?

Drsfostersmith.com sells these clip on pc fans that will do a great job at keeping the tank cool! Invest a bit more into a Rancho controller and have it turn on to keep the tank at the set temperature and stable too!

I am using pc fans over my tanks and they keep my temps within 1deg of the preset.

[Tiapan]

Re: How do inside aquariums survive summertime?

not a bad idea, i think a small fan would be a great idea. especially if you are just keeping some basic hardy fish. Tell the WWof the E that a parakeet that is in a too hot house and then having it get cooled down at night can cause health problems. they dont like temperature changes much. and hamster are just a pain and smelly.