# looking for a way to cool down my newt tank



## Newtnerd (May 4, 2011)

Hey guys,

First of all, I'm new here so hello to you all. I would like to to say that this forum has been really helpful. There is sooo much information 

Here's my situation. I used to be really into amphibians and i had a lot of them, but i gave it up for a while due to other interests, but recently my gf and i decided to set up a little newt tank. It's a 20 gallon paludarium with a couple eastern newts and a fire belly newt. I have it set up with about 1/3 land and 2/3 water. There are a few live plants in there, mostly java moss, so i have one fluorescent bulb to keep the plants happy. 

The problem is i typically have my thermostat set to about 75 degrees and these guys need their tank to be at about 68-70 degrees. For the time being i have my thermostat at 70 and i have a fan by the tank. Plus i regularly mist the tank down with a spray bottle. The newts are fine now but i would rather not have the AC on at 70 degrees all the time. I have tried putting a frozen bottle of water at the back corner of the tank, which seems to work decently well, but is there something else people use to cool down their tanks? I was thinking of putting a small fan inside the tank. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks. 

Btw, sorry if this thread is in the wrong section of the furum. I wasn't sure which section to put it in.


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## motydesign (Feb 27, 2011)

instead of putting the bottle on the side, put it on top, i know that seems to go against what you are wanting (cold where the newts are) but cold falls, so give that a try and see how that works for ya?


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## Michael Shrom (May 20, 2004)

For the newts you are working with and your room temp if the tank is not sealed to tight a fan blowing across the top should be o.k. A fan blowing over the water area will cool the tank by evaporative cooling. Bottles of ice are o.k. but big swings in temp can be bad. Another expensive alternative is a chiller. I set up an 18 gallon tank with an AquaEuro 1/13 hp chiller and it works great.


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## Newtnerd (May 4, 2011)

Thanks for the help guys. I ended up getting a 120VAC fan, which i put at the back corner of the tank facing the water. This brings down the temperature a bit through evaporative cooling, but not quite enough, so i did what you said, motydesign and put a frozen water bottle at the top of the tank. I have 1 in the freezer at all times so i can switch them out when one melts. The combination of the fan and the water bottle is keeping the tank between 66 and 68 degrees, which works quite well for these guys. Thanks again.


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## Golden State Mantellas (Mar 12, 2011)

When I kept fire bellied newts I had to use a chiller. In So Cal when it is 110+ outside, it is hard to cool the house below 80 let alone 70. Check your local Craigslist, often you can get chillers for much cheaper than buying them new.


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## leuc11 (Nov 1, 2010)

A few computer fans will keep the tank temp down


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## tanchu (Sep 26, 2013)

Maybe this helps? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_cooling


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## bsr8129 (Sep 23, 2010)

awhole year and this is your first post, from a thread 3 years old.


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