# Room to hot



## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

As summer nears I am starting to realize that my room is going to get way to hot here. So what would you recomend me do?

Here is the lights i'm using- 40gallon, 4 t5 lights with mylar reflecting material.
- 10gallon, this- http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?cPath=71_76&products_id=1232


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## allanschon (Mar 25, 2007)

You could run the lights at night instead of during the day. If you can't do that, then your only real option is air conditioning.


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## Brian Ferriera (Nov 1, 2006)

Some times all it takes is a half way decent fan. When I use to have a reef tank I would have a fan blowing on it in the summer when it was hot and it made a huge difference. The trick is to try to have air hitting as much of the tank surface as possible. When I did it I had it blowing across the side of the tank to it effectively hit 1 side and the front and the back. Hope this helps
Brian


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## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

when you say fans do you mean like little DC fans? Or what, bigger than that and I dont think it will fit above my tank?

What would you recomend?


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## tkromer (Dec 20, 2007)

Computer fans (DC) will work directly on the tank, or just use a big oscillating fan for the whole room, making sure it blows across all the tanks if possible. You'd be surprised how little air movement is required to make a room much cooler.


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## Brian Ferriera (Nov 1, 2006)

> or just use a big oscillating fan for the whole room, making sure it blows across all the tanks if possible. You'd be surprised how little air movement is required to make a room much cooler.


What he said :lol: 
Brian


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## divingne1 (Mar 21, 2008)

Close all the shades, blinds, curtains, fan on tank...that is all I can think of.


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## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

ok, thanks I will try a few of those options and see how it goes.

Thanks


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## edwing206 (Apr 9, 2008)

One of those fans that go on a half closed windows would be great, blow out old air suck in new fresh outside air.


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## imitator83 (Jan 5, 2006)

You could get one of those window AC units. I used to live in a place that got way too hot, lost a few frogs due to that, but my roommate had a window AC unit and his room was probably 15-20 degrees cooler than the rest of the house. I learned from that mistake, if I move into such a place in the future, I'm going to spring for that option.
Scott


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

AC is the answer.
That's the #1 thing I despise about this hobby...needing to run ac even when it's only high 70's or above...


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## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

I agree an AC is the answer, but i'm only 15, and I am limited to what I can do with my room.
And as for sucking in fresh air, haha there is NO fresh air in Davis in the summer :wink: just thought you might need to know that.

I have one idea though, what if I could use a regular old fan and put in in the window in the mornings when it is still cool, then shut the window, curtains, everything during the day. And aside from that I am looking into getting some small fans to cool off the lights a bit.
What do you think?


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## LittleDip (May 20, 2007)

Would this work as good as an air window unit? 

http://www.target.com/Sunpentown-Portab ... 499&page=1


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## beachbabe18509 (Oct 29, 2007)

I have the same problem, right now, Even a fan in the window would be useless because outside it's in the 80's-90's. Me and my mom are having an AC battle she says 78 is fin, I want 75, I live upstairs, warm air rises, 78 downstairs equals 80+ upstairs... We have some old window units but they cost so much in electricity I think my mom would literally "pull the plug" on it. Thats what I get for being cheap and staying at home for college... May try the oscilating fan sounds like a good idea


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## divingne1 (Mar 21, 2008)

Can you tint your window or put up dark blinds or curtains? I have black curtains in one of my rooms and it is significantly cooler in there. This is the room I was moving the frogs and their QT tank to when I broke the glass to their tank.


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## LittleDip (May 20, 2007)

My room has curtains, and my ceiling fan is on all the time…and my tanks are still in the lower SOMETIMES mid 80’s..
Right now since the weather has been cool outside my tanks are reading 73-75 which is what I want!! :O

I just wanted to know if the fans will even do the job..most of the fans I have been looking at are the tower fans that run about $60 and where the ac units that will not cost an arm and leg running them are about $200


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## divingne1 (Mar 21, 2008)

Is it ok to mist with cold water? Would that help or just aggravate the frogs? Could you put a cold water bottle type thing on top of the glass to see if that effects the temp at all? I'm just thinking out loud.


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## LittleDip (May 20, 2007)

lol it's ok  

I do mist 3 times a day.. I've been told to try ice cubes in my water feature and see if that helps..


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## beachbabe18509 (Oct 29, 2007)

Thinking along those lines I wonder if icepacks in the viv would work...


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## tkromer (Dec 20, 2007)

Rainwater is rarely as warm as ambient temperature in nature, but it's not "cold". I mist my frogs with 60ish degree water when the tank is 75ish, they seem to like it.


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## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

Well I have went ahead and purchased 10 of thesehttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150007 guys to see if they will help, my plan is to try and keep the top glass of the tank cooler, thus possibly reducing the temps. 

But I have been experimenting with things and have found that when my tank is say 79 degrees, if I simply take off the lid for about 2 min, he temp drops to 73-74. So ventillation is definetly a big issue. that being said I dont want to construct a whole recirculation system as it would not work for me.

So I am just going to see what happens.

After all this disscusion, I came to realize it really sucks not having your own house. Those of you with wives or husbands see to some extent what I mean. If I could move my frogs downstairs I would have no problem in the first place. But that isnt gonna happen. :|


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## divingne1 (Mar 21, 2008)

Mac said:


> After all this discussion, I came to realize it really sucks not having your own house. Those of you with wives or husbands see to some extent what I mean. If I could move my frogs downstairs I would have no problem in the first place. But that isnt gonna happen. :|


If I weren't married, I would have already set up several more vivs. All of which would be much bigger than what I have now. But I have been told "Only one frog tank period". I have cats, dogs, saltwater, freshwater fish and now frogs. I think I would have a Leuc tank, cobalt tank, Auratus tank, and then finally an imitatus tank. But until my husband either comes around to the joys of frogging, or trades me in on a younger model, I'll enjoy my Azureus frogs to the fullest because my lottery numbers just don't seem to show for me.
Candy


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## beachbabe18509 (Oct 29, 2007)

Let me know how thos fans work, Im looking into putting a couple of fans into my tanks to help keep the glass clear.

Im stuck at three tanks until I get my own place... well I may be able to pull off a 4th my mom is coming around and I almost have her talked into a big display tank in the living room... I have dreams of a frog room one day, intermedius, auratus(atleast 4 different morphs), darklands, cayo de agua, amazonicus,bastis, chocolate leucs, imis, terriblis,fants.. oh and the list goes on, I will be a broke homeowner one day


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## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

beachbabe18509 said:


> I have dreams of a frog room one day, intermedius, auratus(atleast 4 different morphs), darklands, cayo de agua, amazonicus,bastis, chocolate leucs, imis, terriblis,fants.. oh and the list goes on, I will be a broke homeowner one day


I feel ya,  I dream the exact same thing, a room where I can walk in and be devoted to the frogs, not have my clothes and homework on the tank :lol: :roll: .

Its hard to really get family members to really appreciate these things, their like jewels!


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## LittleDip (May 20, 2007)

on my exo terra tank 24x18x18 I have 2-30mm computer fans hooked up to a fan controller and it really does not do much with lowering the temps.. :| 

Maybe i need more than 30mm's ?


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## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

Ya, I was just realizing today just how big 80mm are. I get them tommarrow, and I am assuming they will move A LOT of air. But another thing is what if all i need is to change the air inside the tank with outside air? 

I have two strips of wood, with small holes drilled into the for ventilation, , one on each side of the tank, I wonder if I put one fan on one end sucking out, then have another fan ont he other end sucking in.

Will that help? IDK i will have to find out.


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## tkromer (Dec 20, 2007)

We live in a nice sized apartment, but between fish and frogs the wife has told me that the current 8 tanks is the limit, she told me once we have a house I can have no more than 3 on the main floor but I can have the whole basement


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## divingne1 (Mar 21, 2008)

tkromer said:


> We live in a nice sized apartment, but between fish and frogs the wife has told me that the current 8 tanks is the limit, she told me once we have a house I can have no more than 3 on the main floor but I can have the whole basement


Can your wife have a word with my husband please? He needs to be enlightened on how to keep the spouse happy because she apparently has it figured out.


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## LittleDip (May 20, 2007)

Mac said:


> Ya, I was just realizing today just how big 80mm are. I get them tommarrow, and I am assuming they will move A LOT of air. But another thing is what if all i need is to change the air inside the tank with outside air?
> 
> I have two strips of wood, with small holes drilled into the for ventilation, , one on each side of the tank, I wonder if I put one fan on one end sucking out, then have another fan ont he other end sucking in.
> 
> Will that help? IDK i will have to find out.


that sounds like a good idea.. let me know please


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## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

Sure thing, I get em tommarrow but I may need a day to get things running. I have no clue how hard it will be... it could take me 1 hour, or 3 days?


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## imitator83 (Jan 5, 2006)

Do you have a cooler room in your house? In an emergency situation in my old place, I moved all my frogs to the first floor, where there was a huge temperature difference. I had some roomates who were understanding, and if the parents disagree, tell them you will move them when people show up, etc. If it is a matter of life or death, I would hope they would budge a little to help keep the frogs alive. Have a birthday coming up? I know this kinda sucks, but ask for the window AC unit then. Tell them you'll mow the yard for a while to cover the cost, sell lemonade at the street corner (yes, I did this before...guilt your neighbors into paying!), take a loan out!!!! I am joking a little bit now, but really, do whatever you have to do, I learned that the hard way. I know it's cliche', but if there is a will, there is a way. Unfortunately, I don't think computer fans will cut it. Good luck,
Scott


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## RRRavelo (Nov 21, 2007)

*Re: Room too hot*

SOME OTHER IDEAS...
Why not try and elevate your light strips so the don't make direct contact with the top of the tank. This should reduce the temps some. You could ventelate at night when it's cooler and insulate in the daytime in order to keep the cool air "in" the tanks. 
Move your lighting period from 12 hours from morning to early night to 12 hours from evening to just before school. This would still give you good viewing time at night and around dinner and your lights won't be "greenhousing" the tanks when it's hotest around noon. 
Keep you tanks closer to or on the floor; the top will be a few degrees warmer than the bottom spot on you stand/shelf. 

KEEP TRACK OF THE AMBIENT TEMP. IN YOUR ROOM. MID EIGHTIES IS TOO WARM FOR YOU _AND_ THE FROGS!!


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## Sarkany (Mar 11, 2008)

*Re: Room too hot*



RRRavelo said:


> KEEP TRACK OF THE AMBIENT TEMP. IN YOUR ROOM. MID EIGHTIES IS TOO WARM FOR YOU _AND_ THE FROGS!!


Too warm for a human...? I have a bedroom that got quite hot in the summer; about 102° F during the day and 96° F during the night (room faces the south; top floor). Now sleeping in there wasn't all that pleasant but I'm still alive, aren't I? :wink: 
(In case you're wondering, I didn't have the money to buy an air conditioner (student)  , and nothing else really worked for more than five minutes or at all, so I just endured the heat. Sweated, and endured, that is. :roll: )
Don't worry, I didn't keep any animals in there. :shock: 
Fortunately I have an AC now. :wink: 

Now onto what I really wanted to say. I don't mean to discourage you, but I think imitator83 is right. Fans will probabyl _not_ cut it. At least they don't in my experience, and I had a little army of fans in my bedroom (before I knew better). 
The temperature of the room won't really get all that lower using fans. In fact, fans make a room even _warmer_, since they generate heat, but do not actually cool the room, only twirling the air around. You only feel cooler because of the "wind chill effect". The fan blows air over a person's skin, which helps evaporate sweat from the skin, which cools the body. 
So if the room is going to get too hot, you are going to have a problem if you're only using fans (well technically you could try hitting the frogs directly with the fan's air, buuuut... I don't know whether I would recommend that :roll. If you're actually looking to lower the temperature in the terrarium you will definitely need cooler air, which you won't get using a fan. 
Even if you're having the fan blow air directly against the terrarium - it's still going the be the same warm air. Not really much of a cooling effect. 
Now technically you could continually exchange huge parts of the terrarium's air with the room's air, but... how fast is humidity going to become an issue? I'm thinking very fast. 
Naturally, if the room's temperature is already above what is acceptable for the frogs, you can totally forget about using a fan to cool the terrarium with _that_ air.
So.. the only real answer is cooling the room, _somehow._ Just... a fan won't help there (except if the outside temperature at night is lower than your room's temperature, then you could use the fan to draw the cooler air into the room, of course...)
I'm sorry I have to say this but I'm thinking "AC" right now.


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## LittleDip (May 20, 2007)

Well.... I've decided to start saving for a really good AC that will help with with the heat and not make my parents electricity bill go sky high!! 

Figure I will save now before it gets even hotter... 

I have to do what I have to do!! :wink:


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## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

Well, AC is not an option right now, Infact I have a pretty good idea already put to work... I dont currently have pics but they will be soon to come. Basiclly the temp in my room is not that hot, the problem is the lights I have put heat into the viv, and dont let it out. So I came up with a large venting system... Basicly 4 80mm fans 2 blowing in, 2 out. 

You see it is possible to keep my room fairly cool in the summer, 76- 78 mostlikely. But in the viv, near the bottom, it is a lot cooler due to the water and humidity. 

The reason for no AC is I cant just get a window unit and put it in my room. I'm 15 and I have already transformed my room beyond my parents approvel. So I cant push it much further... not to mention I am already contributing to the energy bill, AC units can guzzle up a lot of energy.

My only problem is I cant seem to find a decently priced thermo hydro meter tha doesnt poop out on me. I dont want one that is super expensive, because I need like 3 of them. 

Any one know where I can purchase them( not order them over the internet) close to Davis,CA.


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## Sarkany (Mar 11, 2008)

LittleDip said:


> I have to do what I have to do!! :wink:


  That's the spirit! :wink:


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## Sarkany (Mar 11, 2008)

Mac said:


> Well, AC is not an option right now, Infact I have a pretty good idea already put to work... I dont currently have pics but they will be soon to come. Basiclly the temp in my room is not that hot, the problem is the lights I have put heat into the viv, and dont let it out. So I came up with a large venting system... Basicly 4 80mm fans 2 blowing in, 2 out.
> 
> You see it is possible to keep my room fairly cool in the summer, 76- 78 mostlikely. But in the viv, near the bottom, it is a lot cooler due to the water and humidity.


Well, if you exchange the air directly and the room's air is cool enough, then that will work. Just as long as you keep track of the humidity :wink: .
76°-78°F? *sigh* That's about my bedroom's temperature in the winter. I have no idea how this happens, at it does get quite cold outside (at least sometimes below freezing). 70° F is the absolute lowest the temperature ever gets in there. :|
As for the thermo-/hygrometer: Can't help you there. Too frustrated myself. :evil: All I can say is you're not the only one having some problems with them.


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## Mac (Aug 14, 2007)

76-78 is the lowest it gets in the summer in my room. But I kinda like the idea of having tinted windows, help keep out the sun?


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## LittleDip (May 20, 2007)

I thought I would share with everyone... 

After trial and error I finally bought an a/c unit. It has a timer and remote and a thermostat. 
After thinking about buying it and worried about the electricity bill going up I'm really only going to use it during the day(even has a timer) when it's the hottest and at nights for a few hours..so I am not to worried about the $$ of running it..

Heres the link-http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5402953

It was easy to install and within minutes of having it on..a HUGE difference!! :shock: 
My room is cooler and my tanks have dropped in the low/mid 70's!!

I tried using my ceiling fan, tower fan, a small box fan, windows closed, dark curtains... and still HOTNESS and no difference!!

Good thing I sold my tower fan and box fan to my sister and pretty much put it towards the a/c unit! :wink: only costing me roughly $80.  

so.. in conclusion.. I think buying an A/C unit is the best choice. It will save you on buying multiple fans, misting like crazy to lower the temps..death of frogs and STRESS :shock:


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## nawth21 (Apr 17, 2008)

I am currently in a new apartment and in preparation of bringing my frogs over, I've been setting up thermo/hygro sensors around the place. turns out the ambient temp is 75 :shock: and its 50 degrees outside! Holy cow. Luckily, I'm an adult and have control over the A/C :twisted: I'm also the one that pays the electricity bills. damn. 

Anyways, as far as thermo/hygro goes I use a weather station :lol: They're affordable, and there are models that can use up to 3 remote sensors. Mine has 3 channels but only came with one sensory but you can buy them separately. I've seen them everywhere too, Home Depot, Menards, Fleet Farm, Walmart, Target ect ect. Mine is an Oregon Scientific brand, but there are others. I've had it for 2+ years and its still going strong. And thats with the sensor staying in the dart frogs tank 24/7.


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## boyaminalnurse (May 7, 2008)

I am going to be using cups that I got from walmart. I poked some holes in them and will be adding ice to them. They have lids so the frogs can not t=get to them. I will be placing them inside the tank. I am going to do 2 to start out with, wwatch the temp then move up if needed. They were really cheap (6 for 3.00) if anyone is interested.


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## Joe Nickerson (Nov 14, 2004)

Reverse the lighting cycle. I have mine coming on at 6pm and off at 8pm. Here are the advantages for me.

I get home from work around 7pm, with this lighting cycle I am able to see my frogs being more active.

Summer time cuts air conditioning costs.

Winter time I get free heat from this lights, when the temperature is 40 or higher the heat does not come on in my house.

There is no effect that I have been able to see over the last year, they adjust quickly to the change. Breading is not effected.

This has been my experience


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

Joe Nickerson said:


> Reverse the lighting cycle. I have mine coming on at 6pm and off at 8pm.


?? i hope you mean 6pm to 8am


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## sandycreed (Feb 24, 2007)

If you drape a damp, not wet, towel over the side and away from any electrics or ventilation it should help lower the temp a bit. As the water from the towel evaporates it draws heat from the viv. This process can be speeded up with a fan blowing air on the towel. Experiment with different sizes of towel, just make sure it's in contact with the glass. I'd try it out a few times before relying on it and leaving it unattended though because once the water has evaporated it will then start to insulate the viv. It can help in emergencies though. 

Use light backed curtains to reflect the heat away from the window. Dark will draw it up. Try to use a reflective material. We get a white plastic coated blackout fabric here which blocks quite a lot of heat out. This can be hung on the back of the curtains or used on it's own. 

Make window quilts using a reflective thermal fabric - blackout fabric, etc. - on the sun side and a layer of mylar and one of wadding and then any other fabric on the inside. Make it such that it covers the whole window with a bit of overlap and it can be attached to a pole which can be hung on hooks in front of the glass or just tack it diectly to the window frame. It won't allow air movement in to the room but will block a lot of heat entering. They also work excellently at keeping heat in during the winter 

Not tried it but maybe just fixing mylar to the window panes will be worth trying. It should reflect light and heat


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## Joe Nickerson (Nov 14, 2004)

You are right Julio, 6pm to 8am. Thanks for catching this. 

Joe





Julio said:


> Joe Nickerson said:
> 
> 
> > Reverse the lighting cycle. I have mine coming on at 6pm and off at 8pm.
> ...


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