Warm weather prep for newbies

[~Flighty~]

And make sure you consider aeration if the temp is up there. Warmer water holds less O2 so it is much more important to get air into the water in a power outage situation.

 

[Duds]

yea I know, but they are not on the tank yet...building a new canopy first and then the lights go on, because right now they would only sit maybe 4 inches off the tank if lucky, I want a new canopy to raise them around 10 inches off the tank, so there is a smaller chance of a heat issue and if there is a heat issue I can fit a fan in there to blow accross the water
Thanks
Duds

 

[HalfLung]

I used the frozen bottles last year. It definately won't drop the temp very fast but it can keep it from rising. Try to have as many as you possible so you can rotate them often.

 

[Chris L]

i have a small chest freezer in the basement that will be stocked with 2 liter bottles of ice just in case. however im hoping now that i have a basement sump it will stay cooler

 

[Scuba_Dave]

I take a few empty 20 oz soda bottles and fill 'em with tap water, reseal the tops, and put 'em in the freezer. If the tank temp gets above 85, and fans aren't cooling the water, I drop one of the bottles of ice into the tank. It can take quite a few bottles to drop the tank temp. Maybe you need 2 liter bottles of ice instead of 20 oz bottles (for those with bigger tanks).

I freeze 2 liter bottles. As a further instruction, do not fill the bottles fully - ice expands. And I don't put the tops on while freezing - or the bottle may possibly burst.
If you have the room 2l bottles will last longer

I also use 2l bottles for keeping beer cool by the pool

 

[Moe_K]

Just a bump, because I heard it's nice & warm outside.
Any other suggestions for preparations?

 

[NateHanson]

Just got back from the playground and it's got to be almost 65 out there! Yippee! This is why I love winter!

Everyone bought their thermometer yet???

I can't count the number of threads I've seen on here following a couple hot days where people are confused about why their tank is slowly dying, even though when they come home at 7pm the water temp is 82. Get that recording thermometer so you can make sure your reef is behaving while you're away. (or use that nanny cam you've had setup for a while )

Good luck, it'll be in the 80s in no time!!

 

[ReeferMedic]

I actually let my temp stay a bit higher in the summer. I think you'll get less of a temp swing this way. If it does hit 85 or above, I'd rather it be a 4 degree swing than a 6 or 7 degree swing. Just my 2 cents, that's what has worked for me any way.

 

[Scuba_Dave]

Having a canopy that can be opened is a good idea
I flip the back 1/2 of my canopy open in the summer to allow heat to escape
Keep some spare house fans ready
BUT, make sure your wife knows what is holding them up
-like if she unplugs it it falls into the tank

I'm planning on drilling more holes in the top of my canopy to let air escape
When I redo it for the 180g I will be going with a canopy that will be open in the middle - but can be enclosed for the winter

I also want to find some colored glass - circles. I want to cut out some of the canopy & insert the glass instead. Sort of like a stained glass window
Guess a trip to Michael's crafts is due

There is nothing like an A/C to keep the tank cool & the house at the same time. I'd rather spend $50 a month to cool the house & tank, then just the tank. I have a 12k for the front room, (2) 14.5k's that can be used also, and a 24k for those brutal weeks
Plans for a larger split system once the addition is built

 

[stevenp]

This will be the first summer with the new tank. It's a 110 with a 55 gallon basement sump, only catch is that it gets hot in our basement in the summer (damn previous owners insulated the walls when they finished the basement).

I hooked up my 1/10hp chiller today. Between the heat from the dehumidifier and chiller outlet it's going to struggle. Hopefully it can handle it.........

Steve

 

[BOSTONBAKEDBEAN]

another emergency plan i have is a power adapter from my cars ac. converters are cheap like 40$ well cheap in this hobbie. but its sufficiant to keep a few nicecites running. auto zone. or move to where its 75 year round.

 

[Scuba_Dave]

With the warm weather I thought I would bring this thread back into view

 

[Scuba_Dave]

clamm, if you're gonna use rodi might as well use salt water in the bottle too... then if it leaks, you're fully covered, and you'll also benefit from the freezing point depression to gain a little extra chill. i knew thermodynamics would come in handy for something

You'll find that saltwater will not freeze as easily as RO/DI
RO/DI will simply become top-off
Adding Saltwater will potentially increase the salinity

 

[dave601m]

You'll find that saltwater will not freeze as easily as RO/DI
RO/DI will simply become top-off
Adding Saltwater will potentially increase the salinity

dave, assuming you are topped off already by other means, adding saltwater shouldn't mess with the salinity, just add to the overall volume of water, right? if you add extra ro/di to an already topped off tank, you will actually decrease the salinity then. (either case, i'm sure changes will be insignificant from a liter or two into many gallons).

also that's true, saltwater won't freeze as easily, but if you can/do freeze it, then it will remove more heat from your tank and quicker than fresh water. if you have a stand alone freezer, freezing it should be easy. again, small differences here, but if an emergency happens, better to have every advantage you can against the heat!

 

[dave601m]

also on the subject, do people with acrylic tanks find them harder to keep cool, or is the difference pretty minor?

 

[Scuba_Dave]

Interesting. The problem with adding saltwater as top-off is that the salt doesn't evaporate. So if someone were to use frozen saltwater to cool a tank, and then dump the SW in the tank - over time it will cause a problem.
So while an occaisional addition will not cause a problem - it is something new people need to be aware of

Q3. At what temperature did the salt water begin to freeze. Why is this lower than the pure water.
A3. The temperature again will depend on the students results. We are not sure why salt water freezes at a lower temperature - please let us know if you have a good explanation!

Blue is the saltwater
Salt water with a salinity of 35 ppt (parts per thousand), the average salinity of the open ocean, freezes at 28.5oF.

If salt reduces the freezing point of water to 15?F, what happens when it's 10?F outside?

Higher concentration of salt will help to lower the freezing point. So, if the air temp is 10?F, you might be able to melt ice by using more amounts of salt. But when temps are expected to dip below 15?F and especially below zero, road crews will switch over from rock salt (NaCl) to Calcium Chloride (CaCl). Magnesium Chloride (MgCl) is less common but can also be used. While rock salt reduces the freezing point to about 15?F, Calcium Chloride will effectively melt ice until -20?F! Magnesium chloride will effectively melt ice to about 5?F(1) .

Also, Calcium Chloride is a great deicing agent because it releases heat as it dissolves. This makes it a very quick acting deicer. However, calcium chloride is more expensive than rock salt, so it is typically only used when temperatures get near or below freezing (2).

 

[cobraz]

Another idea - Instead of water bottles in the freezer... buy plastic ice packs they are rectangular and last longer - because of the fluid in them, and because they take less room - you can have more of them.

 

[Moe_K]

A warm weather bump of this thread, per Gina D's suggestion!

 

[penguinsix]

A little late tomorrow is supposed to be real nice

 

[Moe_K]

I bet there will be more hot days this summer, Mr. Penguin.