A New Cooling Idea

[girlfish]

Here's a cooling idea that works great- if you take a wide elastic band and sew velcro on the two ends for closure, basically making a belt that will fit around the bottom of your tank, then you use it to hold frozen ice packs against the glass, (the bags, not the hard plastic ones, because the bags have more surface contact) it works to bring down and maintain the temperature very well. I have been doing this for a few weeks now, and I have extra bags and simply change them out each morning, letting the thawed ones re-freeze. It doesn't make your tank very attractive, but it works, if maybe you have to leave your houes all day, for example.

Lisa (girlfish)

[Nancy]

Thanks for telling us about this method you've discovered. Sounds like it would work a lot better and more gently than adding cold to the water in the sump.

How are your octos doing these days?

Nancy

[joel_ang]

It sounds like your method would work pretty well, Way less expen$ive than a chiller. What about condensation?

[girlfish]

My two babies are doing great, and they're growing so fast, I can't believe it. They still haven't eaten the peppermint shrimp that have been in there with them from day one- I wonder why? I don't know how to teach them to be octopuses. When will they understand they're the masters of their tank? I'm getting a few Fiddler crabs in tomorrow- I asked for small ones. I think my octos are big enough now to catch and eat them.
This cooling method is working great for my 12 gallon, however, what helps is that unlike my 75 gallon tank, the 12 gallon is sitting on a little table so there's a ledge to sit the ice packs onto, with the elastic holding them against the tank, and washcloths for the condensation. I think with some effort, I could figure a way to make it work for the 75 gallon...I think:-)

[peterl23454]

how about putting the bags in the sump.... during the last power outage{izabel} i had a generator, but since the ac wasnt on the ambient temp climbed up and made the take go up also.

i keep some ziploc bags in the freezer for this reason. no need to add cold water to the sump. have at least 6 bags cause it takes alot longer for them to freeze then reach the temp of the tank.

this is probably only feasible up to a 55-otherwise you'ld probably need a deep freeze and a verl large sump to make any difference