# How do you keep your temps down?



## a Vertigo Guy (Aug 17, 2006)

All my tank are runnin anywhere from 82-85. Not sure at mid day since Im not home. Ive got two fans circulating the room (like 15 X 12) with the window open (highs have been around low 70s) but the tanks are still runnin a little warm but dip down to like mid 70s or so at night. The only thing short of keeping the tanks cooler would be cranking down the AC (which my mom will raise hell), turn off the lights (not an option with the live plants) or get more fans. Window AC unit is not possible with current window. Besides I would think thats a bit of overkill.

Any thoughts, ideas?

Cheers,
Chris


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## GSXR_MURRHEE (Sep 16, 2006)

What about raising your lights up a inch or two more? Or a strip of screen across the front? Either one of those should drop it a little. Or moving the tank to a cooler spot in the room.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Instead of raising the lights, consider a lower wattage bulb.
=lower electric bill, lower tank temps, and lower room temps as well.
Would a swamp cooler be an option?
Could you aim a fan to blow cooler air in, vs just circulating it in the room?
Also, a small screen area on the top of the tank for ventilation will help lower the temps too.
Some have good luck with reversing the photocycle, so the lights are on at night (the cool part of the day) so things even out some.


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## *GREASER* (Apr 11, 2004)

putting the tank lower to the gound also should help.


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## Tripod (Jun 5, 2006)

Chris,

I have the same problem as you since I live in the Clear Lake area. The temps around here along with the humidity cause us the opposite problem from that experienced by our fellow froggers up north...it's too friggin hot!

If your windows are open then you can't use a swamp cooler arrangement, because the air is already saturated with water (i.e. high humidity).

Fans help a bit, especially ones that blow across your lights. I have two, 4-inch computer fans blowing across the top of each of my 20Hs. These vivs. are lit by three T-8 bulbs about 3 to 4 inches above the tops. Although it helps, it doesn't bring down the temperatures enough.

In the end, I have had to bite the bullet and pay the electric bill to run the central AC. It sucks because our area has some of the highest utility rates in the country. 

The true source of the problem is the lights. We have to have them in order to keep the viv. plants alive, and the frogs healthy. Otherwise, our weather is such (from March through September) that most of our PDFs could survive in screened or unsealed vivs. 

Raising your lights, reducing the wattage, and adding fans are really the only (besides AC) viable means of lowering your tank temps...and it will only help a little.

Steven


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## Curt61 (Jan 16, 2007)

Hey, move into upper Michigan and you won't have that problem, if our power goes out we gotta do something to keep the frogs warm. I agree with everyone else about the lifting up the lights away from the top of the tank, about the changing the photocycle would work also, but if you are watching your frogs during the day then you don't want them to think it is night when you want to watch them.

Curt.


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Small room AC, unless you have whole house AC. Also I have found basements can be easier to manage in some cases.


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## DizzyD (Sep 19, 2006)

Moving lights further from tank, excellent idea; CPU fans to clear heat from lights, another excellent idea; move vivs to Basement, or "cooler" area, damn, another excellent idea. Now, you can get really creative w/ this one or any of the above. If you are on the first floor, or it'll work even better if the vivs are in the basement, get the computer fans all set up, and then rig some dryer vent tubing 4" I think, and run that from the floor, (coolest spot in viv area) and hook up the other end to the fan. you may be able to bring cooler air across the top of your viv and cool the lights and such. I had a similar problem w/ my new custom hood I just built. My viv temps shot up around the same area as yours, but all I had to do was cut a 3" hole in the side and mount a CPU fan sucking out to clear out the hot air, I don't even need to run the fan all the time. I really think you will have to be more creative on this one, or tell mom you'll chip in on the bills. :roll:


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## a Vertigo Guy (Aug 17, 2006)

We sutheners dont have them there basements :lol: Cuz when it rains we got arselves an eenhouse swimmin pool!

The most practical thing for me to do is either: swap photoperiod (it may not even matter since the frogroom (my room :roll: ) is lit up the whole day through the windows anyway and its never and cannot be made totally dark, raise the lights, or get more and bigger fans (the ones Ive got are 10" set on high). My house is a two story and the AC cools or heats the entire house so to keep the frog tanks that cool is going to skyrocket the electric bill through the stratosphere in the summer.

Off to Home Depot to get more fans! And some wood blocks or something to elevate all the lights off the lids.

Thanks for the advice and suggestions everyone!


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## Tripod (Jun 5, 2006)

tinctoritus said:


> We sutheners dont have them there basements :lol: Cuz when it rains we got arselves an eenhouse swimmin pool!


But that's war wees keep thuh gators..... :wink: 



tinctoritus said:


> Off to Home Depot to get more fans! And some wood blocks or something to elevate all the lights off the lids.


If your lights are actually sitting on top of your vivs., then that is the biggest part of the problem. Definitely raise them up. A 2x4 turn edgeways at either end would lift the lights about 3.5 inches. Have a fan blow through this gap and you should see a measureable difference in temps.

There are several types of lightstands and "feet" available for lifting the lights if you want to go that route.

I am always amazed that the number of froggers in the US seems disproportionately located at higher latitudes. Those of us in the warmer (even tropical) parts of the country have to adjust our environment in very different means to provide for adequate husbandry. I live south of Houston about halfway to the Gulf coast. Here the norm is high temps, humidity, and palm trees. During the summer, our PDFs could easily live and thrive outdoors along side all the other frog species native to the area. Summer nights are quite unique - everything is damp and covered with dew while the air is filled with the sounds of insects and calling frogs. I just wish they were as interesting as darts!

Steven


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

I wouldn't really say it's that different at all...
You take an average room temperature (comfortable for people) room, put you're tank in it, put enough light to try to keep broms colored up, try to keep humidity up at the same time, and surprize, you have a tank with temps in the 80's.

I've never pondered a way to increase temps in my vivs, even though not too long ago our (outdoor) temps were struggling to make it to positive digits.

I think with a lower wattage bulb, you get the same light (therefore heat) you would have from a bigger light that is farther away...if I had a light meter I'd test it...I would much rather run a 36 watt bulb, close to the viv, rather than a big 55 watt, 8 inches above it.

As far as basements flooding...up here in da north, we have what dey call a sump pump :lol:


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Hmm I didn't know that TX lacked basements too. Is that just close to the coast?


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## a Vertigo Guy (Aug 17, 2006)

B/c it floods here :lol: 

Im actually using what I think are low wattage already. Just standard watt fluorescents for appropriate sized tank (i.e. 10 gal tank with fluor. light for 10 gal tank). Oddly the tank with the PCs on them is only 5 degrees warmer then the fluor ones. Anyone use those humidty/temp guages by _Zilla_? I have one in each tank and unless the tank are actually all the same temp, I think they are sorry sucky pieces of crap. All the temps are within 5 degrees of eachother. I think them thingies dont work...


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## brettlt (Oct 5, 2006)

Kyle,

Very few houses in Texas, Oklahoma, or Arkansas have basements. Even in Kansas basements are not really common, at least not in southern Kansas.

I imagine most southern states do not have a high percentage of basements, but I do not know about the ones I did not mention.


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## a Vertigo Guy (Aug 17, 2006)

I think those temp guages are pieces of sh*t.

They all read anywhere from 85-90 on ALL of my tanks. One has PCs, another VHOs and the rest are standard aquarium strip lights. with all these varying lights and the temps remain with 5 degrees of eachother? I think not! I'll just try some old fashioned glass thermos and see what I come up with.


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## zaroba (Apr 8, 2006)

whats the room temp like? the tank wont really be able to get much cooler then the room its in.

something you could try is in the night when its cool out, open the window and put a fan in it to suck the cooler air into the room. then in the morning before you leave, take the fan out, close the window, close the blind, turn off the room light, and close the door. the cooler air will be trapped in the room and the room will stay cool long into the day. or, atleast until the tank lights heat it up.


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## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

any suggestions on how to cool off tanks with all glass lids? i have four 2.5 gal tanks in a row with one 10gal light strip over the top. the lids are all glass so ventilation's not really possible. the light is suspended about 2.5 inches above the lids, but the temps are still in the 80s...

i was hoping to use these to raise tads and froglets, but i'm assuming the high temps would be much more stressful at a young age as compared to adults.


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## Raymond (Aug 26, 2006)

themann42 said:


> any suggestions on how to cool off tanks with all glass lids? i have four 2.5 gal tanks in a row with one 10gal light strip over the top. the lids are all glass so ventilation's not really possible. the light is suspended about 2.5 inches above the lids, but the temps are still in the 80s...
> 
> i was hoping to use these to raise tads and froglets, but i'm assuming the high temps would be much more stressful at a young age as compared to adults.


Raising the light would maybe do the trick.


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## JWerner (Feb 17, 2004)

Use a reverse light cycle - with lights coming on at 7:30 pm to 7:30 am. I do that year-round here in WA state. In the summer, when temps reach about 78, I will have lights turn on later in the evening - say 8:30 pm. It really helps. Have a good digital min/max thermometer and monitor your temps IN the tanks. Best of luck -


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## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

hm, only problem with that is all the tanks are in my room, and i don't get enough sleep as it is...


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## a Vertigo Guy (Aug 17, 2006)

Mine are in my room as well. I have the lights come on at 4 pm and off at bed time, which most always ends up around 2 am.......

All lights are raised an inch or more above the tank lids. My pum tank has a fan blowing across the tank and the temp only lowers like 4 degrees...

Im gonna cut some of the back stripping to let some heat vent out and maybe invest in a stand alone room AC unit.


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## leucofrog (Dec 16, 2006)

you could get just mist it.. whenever my tanks push 81 i just mist, brings it down to 78 or so...


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

One of those hand sprayers with a fan attached might work good for that.
Walmarts got em.


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## a Vertigo Guy (Aug 17, 2006)

Dancing frogs said:


> One of those hand sprayers with a fan attached might work good for that.
> Walmarts got em.


Misting, while it _does_ cool down ambiant temps, I doubt it will keep the tank any cooler for no more than a few minutes. I think best thing for me to do is invest in a stand alone room AC since a conventional one will not fit on the type of windows I have and cut exhaust holes into the back lid strippings, possibly even putting a computer fan on each one.

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions everyone.

C


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Has anyone with a water section tried pumping some water out into a sump that has a fan blowing across it and maybe an airstone? I'm thinking something like a miniature of the raceways they raise fish in...I think with the evaporation that could let off a lot of heat for those of us in desertlike environs.

How much do lights contribute to increased viv temps? I need to get the temps down about 3-5 degrees...currently almost no ventilation and a 96watt CF fixture which is hot to touch when it is on.


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## themann42 (Apr 12, 2005)

i just started a quick search, and from what i can tell there are two kinds:

portable ac units
portable air coolers (swamp cooler)

i plan on reading up on them more tomorrow when i have time. it seems like the portable ac units are quite expensive, but i'm not sure of it's advantages or disadvantages yet. just though you might like to know!


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Dendrobait said:


> How much do lights contribute to increased viv temps? I need to get the temps down about 3-5 degrees...currently almost no ventilation and a 96watt CF fixture which is hot to touch when it is on.


I belive that is explained fairly well in the lighting FAQ.

Raise the light a little bit (or switch to a smaller one, perhaps a 65watt), blow a fan down the length of the light, and you should see a significant drop in temps.

A small strip of screen towards the front of you're tank will help keep the viewing area clear, and will also help drop temps.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Hello Brian

Will take a look at that, thanks! 

On venting the front of the tank...that is no easy thing with a bowfront w a glass lid...unless you have any novel ideas(that do not deal with drilling glass or similar!).


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Wouldn't have to be at the extreme front. You could use whatever curved piece you have now, trim it when it so you have the curved front panel, and put the screen portion just behind that.

Otherwise, a reduction in light usually works real well.


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## a Vertigo Guy (Aug 17, 2006)

Adam,

Where can I find one of these swamp coolers? They sound like just the thing I would need.

Chris


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Dancing frogs said:


> Wouldn't have to be at the extreme front. You could use whatever curved piece you have now, trim it when it so you have the curved front panel, and put the screen portion just behind that.
> 
> Otherwise, a reduction in light usually works real well.


Hmm...how can you trim the curved piece if it is glass? You could cut it, yes, but I'm not sure I want to go that far in modifying the tank.

What I could do is remove the plastic backing strip and slide the whole thing back...but now you would need to fashion something that matched the shape of the front of the bowfront...if you get what I am saying.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

http://www.air-n-water.com/product/FH776.html

If the air in the frogroom is dry, you could probably also rig an in-tank swamp cooler, make a drip wall out of treefern, have a fan to blow air from outside the tank accross it, or somehow through it, and a vent for the air to get back out.

For spot cooling in a small room, I like those stanley air blowers, they really move some air, but then again, if you don't have cool air to blow...you're just blowing hot air :lol:


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

It wouldn't be hard at all to cut that piece of glass...just a nice glass cutter, a straightedge, a steady hand, and the will to do it.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

I keep my warmth loving frogs (aquatic frogs) upstairs along with my firebellied toads. However, the sump keeps my bombina tank cool.

One floor below is where I keep my tinc's exoterra, as the temps stay just right. In my basement, where it can get pretty chilly in the winter, live my tricolor and mantellas.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Dancing Frogs.

Does the cut with a glass cutter need to be straight? The best thing I can think of would be removed a shape similar to a half circle from the middle so what is left is kind of bow shaped. Then I'd have to stick it back into its current hinge...it seems glued in there...or buy new hinges. Hmmmm...

Do you know of flip-top screen lids for 46 gallon bowfront tanks. A possibility would be to buy one of those...ripe the front piece off, rip the front piece off my glass top, and then put the screen and the glass top together. Maybe with a full screen lid the tank would be a nice RETF or phyllomedusa tank...LOL


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