[PaintingPintos]

OK, it's been getting warmer up here in the US, and in my area the temps have been reaching the high 80s every day. I stopped using the heater for my 3 gallon tank because the temperature was at the perfect level...76 degrees (when my fish seems most active)....So our house is constantly muggy and our air conditioning is basically broken. Fans do not seem to cool the house down, only swirl the air around.
Omelette's tank temperature has reached 84 degrees, and has been that way for 2 days, even though the temp drops in my room to about 70 every night...
Should it be OK to let it be this hot? Should I cool it down....somehow? If so, how could I go about that without stressing out Om?
I couldn't bring him downstairs, because that is where the cats are closed in. They're huge nuts for fish (and each other) and will attack if they see either. Even if there were no cats down there, it's very musty and I have BIG allergies to the stuff, because my dad is remodeling and the wallpaper and everything has been ripped down to expose cinderblock and all that junk.
Even if I didn't have allergies either, I don't spend much time down there at ALL because there is poor lighting and the outlets are all pulled out during the construction. The windows are near the ceiling and even though they get light, it doesn't filter down and is restricted to the windowsill. If I put the tank there it would overheat from the sunlight.
Omelette also gets "depressed" and tailbites a LOT if I don't spend lots of time next to his tank, whether I'm reading or playing a game of cards, he just needs mental stimulation, which decorations and mirrors and shrimp don't help with.

Soooo........what should I do about this?

 

[LebronTheBetta]

I've heard about a Water Cooler made by Zoomed. I think it's called "Aqua Cool". They say that it helps to keep the Water cool. You should check the Reviews first to see if it works great. Also remember, Betta Fish can withstand High Temperatures. If your Betta seems fine, you could choose to not to buy it or do. There is also a Automatic Cat Sprayer. If a Cat goes somewhere it's not supposed to, it is a motion sensor so it Sprays water.

 

[Erin908]

I'd either do what Lebronthebetta says or make "tank safe ice cubes" in which you make some betta safe water and freeze it. (Obviously use an ice cube tray to force the water into cube form) and then drop some in as needed. I have tested this method before to see if it would work for an upcoming outdoor fair in July.

 

[finnfinnfriend]

Honestly, I think your bettas should be fine. They like it hot anyway...

 

[Twilight Storm]

I wouldn't worry too much. as Lebron said they can withstand pretty high temperatures. If you have incandescent lighting in your tank it will raise the temperature of the water too. During very hot weather limit the time your light is on to very short periods of time, and just keep it off during the hottest part of the day.
If your thermometer is a sticker that sticks on the outside of your tank, i'm not sure how accurate they are, it may pick up some of the room temp. The room my bettas are in frequently reaches about 90- 110 degrees F. The tank temperatures tend to stay in the mid to low 80's in the summer. Their heaters only kick in at night sometimes if the tank temperature goes below minimum.

The below text is from BettaTalk

Water temperature. Fish are very sensitive to temperature changes as well. Tropical fish live in temperatures ranging from 75F to 82F hence the need for a good heater to keep the water warm. If kept in less than 5 gal tanks you cannot use heaters, they might heat up the water too fast and cook your fish. Instead, keep your jars in a warm room. Don’t be cheap when it comes to heaters. A bad heater can KILL all your fish. Spend a few extra buck and get something reliable. Anytime you move a fish, make sure to float his bag/cup to even out the temperatures (see “acclimating your new betta“). ). A good thermometer is a must too, because heaters can be temperamental so you need to keep an eye on them. Bettas will quickly die if exposed to extreme temps such as anything below 56F or above 95F. They can survive if exposed TEMPORARILY to low temps between 56F and 65FF or high temps between 85F and 95F.


The text below is from the betta care sticky in the forum:
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=20058

-Temperature: Should not fall below 76, better yet 78 degrees. A good range is 76-86F. Bettas are tropical fish that need high temperatures. A heater is needed.

 

[MyRainbowBettaFish]

you could try floating a frozen water bottle in the tank, ONLY if it gets any higher than 84, because this change in temperature can shock your fish

 

[Cargo]

Blow a fan into the tank. It will increase evaporation and cool the water down. I don't know how effective it is, but I know it works. Hopefully you can drop three or four degrees. If you don't want to do that, you can buy a ZooMed cooling fan off Amazon for about $30. It cools the tank temperature four degrees in my twenty nine gallon tank, so I expect it would cool the water more in a three gallon. You would probably have to position the fan farther away from the water surface.

 

[Pitluvs]

Our tank reached 86F last summer in our bedroom and I had ice cubes made from my tanks water in a new plastic bag. I would float the bag, and then change with another that I had frozen and put the first bag back in the freezer. I monitored and kept swtiching and brought my tank down to 80F slowly. I don't mind 84F myself, but 86F at mid day scared me lol

 

[Cattitude]

There is also a Automatic Cat Sprayer. If a Cat goes somewhere it's not supposed to, it is a motion sensor so it Sprays water.

Actually you can get a cat sprayer that sprays compressed air from an aerosol can, it's called Ssscat! and you can get it at Petsmart. It has a motion sensor. I use it to keep my three cats away from both my fish and my plants. Now I don't even have to turn them on, if the cat sees them they stay away.

 

[Cattitude]

Blow a fan into the tank. It will increase evaporation and cool the water down. I don't know how effective it is, but I know it works. Hopefully you can drop three or four degrees. If you don't want to do that, you can buy a ZooMed cooling fan off Amazon for about $30. It cools the tank temperature four degrees in my twenty nine gallon tank, so I expect it would cool the water more in a three gallon. You would probably have to position the fan farther away from the water surface.

I have a $10 desk fan I use on one of my tanks whose filter seems to warm the water. I found out by accident that a fan will cool the water temp of a tank. My apartment is pretty warm all year round, and I only need to use heaters in my bigger tanks (the little ones get too hot).

 

[Olympia]

There is no need to change anything.. The fish will tolerate the change just fine. Throwing in icy water bottles may seem like a good idea but you're manually playing with the temperature and it just becomes too much effort.

 

[Enkil]

I have a fan pointed at my two 10 gallon tanks. When it gets too hot, I switch that on. In my daughter's room, we have a tall stand fan that rotates slightly from side to sided. If Hannibal's tank gets too hot, that fan gets turned on. This has worked for me so far. Highest I've let my tanks go is 84. Then the fans get turned on.

 

[Bombalurina]

My tanks have all hit 90 before in the summer, and my fish have been fine - even my cories and Endlers, which prefer it between 76 and 78.

 

[Olympia]

+1. More:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-aquarium/too-hot-too-hot-102024/#post1089232
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