Its hot up here

[barramundi]

Hi all, just come home from work today to a hot house,and to find my tank temp at 34c!!

Now the kids are at school again and the house is closed up all day and my tank is getting hot, how do you keep it at a nice temp, or is 34 ok but i dont know if it could go higher.

I have 3 four foot 40w lights i have turned one off and will now set the timer for the other 2 to come on later to help keep the temp down,but i have a planted tank and need the lights.

Anyone else live in the tropics and how do you keep your tank at a nice temp for discus.

Thanks for help again...........john

[piranha-discus]

hi there, have u thought about turn your heater temp down? or turn it off?
how about try that and see how it goes
,,,ben

[barramundi]

Hi Ben, thanks for reply,

My heater is set at 29c i have not seen it come on for ages as the temp is mostly at 30 because of lights.I have it in there just in case it drops to below 29.

john

[mistakes r crucial]

Hi Barra,

Try a fan on top of your tank with the lids off, point it at the water, it may help.
MAC

[Squid]

I know exactly what your problem is mate - the place called TOWNSVILLE. A heat soaked tropical dump. No seriously - all mine are under the house in Aitkenvale and the tanks still are at around 34 dg C (plus). No real way to fix it but leave the aircon on, or get it installed ASAP

[barramundi]

Hi all,

Tony i wish i was in pakistan or even in freezing england at the moment ,its stinking hot here now we have had some rain.Yes we have aircon in the house but to leave it on all day for the discus, you can explain that one to my wife :roll: she thinks i'm mad about my discus already, she would think i have lost the plot completely.Mac nice idea their is a ceiling fan just above the tank i will leave my lid off and fan on and give it a go.

thanks all for info and hope to catch u soon Tony

john

[electric molecular]

Hey Barra,

I'd say when you know it's going to be a hot day, or feel it hotting up inside, turn your tank heater off and maybe don't leave your tank lights on as long. I think discus would be ok in 34 degrees, whereas other fish might die at that temperature.

The summer heat is a real worry - my LFS lost all of their cold water stock over the Christmas break. I think it was the day when it reached 44 in Melb and 46 in Horsham. My tank was definately doing some fluctuating in that weather.....

Claire.

[taksan]

Invest in a chiller or Air conditioning for the room the tank is in. Eirther are essential for hot regions.

[goldenpigeon]

. take lids off tank

. turn lights off

. have ceiling fans running

. open up windows and if you have security screen sliding doors lock them instead of glass and wooden doors.

. deciduos (spelling) trees outside windows.

. aircon

. close blinds during day

just a few suggestions ;)

[Ben]

Hi John,

a few people have recommened taking the cover glass of the tank/s, just becareful as your pride and joy discus might end up as dried fish on the floor!

Every one has an opinion but for me i would not be concerned if the temp got to 34.c

As long as there are only discus in the tanks as most other species would perish in high heat.

Ben

[barramundi]

Thanks all for the info,

All my discus are going great they do not seem to be stressed about the temp as much as me.It did get to 35c in the tank one day and all well but some of the plants are not looking to good .Got the fan going and it's keeping the temp down.

At least i know what temp they can handle but for how long could they stay in that temp for ?

thanks john

[mistakes r crucial]

If it gets to 36c John they'll probably ask you to throw a bar of soap and a back brush in there! Hehehe just visualizing that lol, a Discus scrubbing under his fins with soap.

On a serious note they should be fine, a couple of years ago a few of my tanks got up around 34-35 and stayed that way for a couple of weeks and it didn't seem to affect them at all.
MAC

[nicholas76]

john,

just chatting to some of my marine friends up north and they actually use ice blocks to help keep things cool in there tanks!

fill up a 1 litre coke bottle etc etc with water , freeze it and let it float in your tank.

[barramundi]

Hi Nick,

How easy is that never thought of it.I supose you would have to keep heater on just in case the temp drops to much with ice blocks in.

thanks.......john

[stonedavid]

hey John,
Am in Cairns and my tanks are regularly at 35C every day, doesnt seem to hurt the discus as the water gradually rises from about midday until about 1600, then cools down overnight.
The discus are still breeding and are eating me out of house and home at the higher temps, but hey as long as they are happy. I think if the temp stayed at a continious 35C i may have trouble but all the tanks cool down overnight.
Be careful of the ice blocks they tend to have a very cold layer of water around them so then you have hot and freezing cold water in layers, friends have found the fish have problems then with the two very different temps in the one tank.
Hope this helps.
Rgds Pete

[barramundi]

Hi Pete,

Its good to know that the discus are ok at this temp.It has cooled down a bit here and the tank sits at 33 of a day and drops to 30-31 of a night.
My discus are still having eggs too just goes to show how hardy they are,its just a pity i only have 1 tank set up at the moment and the eggs get eaten.
I will be in cairns in june for state titles (soccer)might get to catch up? at least i know i'm not the only one up here in this heat.
Thanks Pete

john

[stonedavid]

no problem John wld be good to catch up with another far northerner discus fanatic, not many of us around up here so it seems.

Rgds Pete

[nicholas76]

Barra,,

how did you go ? did the frozen ice do the trick??


if money isnt an option then refer to below hehehe


http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/category26_1.htm

[barramundi]

Hey Nick,

Them chillers are a great idea but for near on a grand thats a few more nice discus :wink: Yeh did give frozen coke bottles a go they work a treat and only cost me a couple of bucks and got to drink the coke as well !!

I did just hang it in the corner in the water flow as not to have any cold area's in the tank.

Pete will be in carins in june so would be good to catch u just depends on what times my games are.Yeh don't seem to be many of us up here with the discus bug, maybe their is, just not met them yet.

thanks ................john

[campo]

I live in Cairns and my tanks get to 33 - 35 too, even outside. I have done the ice thing in a 3L milk container but find the ice melts quicker than the temperature drops.

My house has tiled roof and exposed beams so its like an oven, which is why I keep mine outside. They seem to handle the temp ok and none of the local aquarium stores had any better idea other than spending $850 on a chiller.

[nicholas76]

out door ponds??


gee if you get temps like that id consider it

[stonedavid]

Hey Nick,
Yeah, got the outdoor ponds 1000litres each and they seem to do better than some tanks. Hot water on top and the cooler water on the bottom. But i find the discus go feral in them. They turn out more aggressive and territoral. Great for grow out though.

[nicholas76]

fascinating! :shock: so you end up with aggressive "wild" fish so to speak.

do you have spawns? from these pondage fish? mate id kill to see a picture or two

any chance of that please :D ??

[stonedavid]

I wld love to get them out of pond as well Nick, but to no avail. Cunning little sods, on a hot day they are always flicking the surface of water escaping and fighting with each other. Feeding time get very aggressive but wont come up when your standing over the pond. Colours seem to be the same when i have noticed them. May drain pond before winter, if i notice any colour changes etc will post them.
Rgds
Pete

[nicholas76]

awsum stuff mate sounds fascinating!


can i suggest a nibble tip rod small hook and sinker combination lol

[barramundi]

Hi all,

Discus in a pond well thats an option i never thought of.

Hey Pete can i throw a line in when i come up to cairns and even better can i keep what i catch :)

john

[stonedavid]

uuuum let me think on that one john.....aaaaah NO and ...... NO lol. Nick, seriously thinking of getting a big stick into them when they come up to feed, WHACK.
The pond is chockas with anubias, swords and elodea so they tend to enjoy it in there. Hopefully they will be out of there by the time you come up John am wanting to get a few batches of fighters out of that particular pond before then. Fighters are in there already but i think the discus are eating everything.

[nicholas76]

hehe David think of the business plan!!

you heard of trout farms ,,,well discus farms!!


flat rate per fish caught versus size and wieght of course.


cha ching!$$$$!!!!!! catching wild discus fish!

[Squid]

Just saw a reply from nicholas 76 regarding outdoor ponds. This is the best idea ever. I have bred all my wild caught stuff outdoors (including heckles) Unreal climate for discus up here - go for it guys. Nth QLD rules for discus breeding - pitty so few breeders

Squid

[stonedavid]

Hey squid,
Yeah i agree, discus are from basically the same temp restraints (in the wild) as we are and they are alot hardier than people give them credit for.
Why arent there alot more people breeding them in FNQ? Water conditions are perfect, temp is ideal......discus paradise. I may set more ponds up with discus after this winter is over.
Rgds
Pete

[Squid]

Guys- we are too far from the market up here. Prices for good specimens up here would make southern guys/girls weep for sure. Discus are a dime-a-dozen. Don in Townsville often sells discus for $10 each (good quality turks/reds etc). The real money market is down south because they're used to paying excessive dollars for poor quality fish. I can say this because I've lived in most states in Australia (thanks to the Army) Honestly guys - come up to Nth QLD and buy some good cheap fish EG In Townsville, F1 Heckles are for sale at $25 per fish! I often feeel sorry for the southerners. However - I've seen the light! I am moveing my discus farm to Toowoomba so I can sell in the NSW/Bris market. Up here I can sell a Red melon for $10 and down there I can sell the same fish for $20-$30. Whos the idiot now

Squid

PS. Pete - I want to visit you in Cairns when I'm up there next

[stonedavid]

Well before you go to Toowoomba Squid let me know what you have for sale am always interested in getting some newbies :) Am thinking of coming to Tvl for a visit in the near future, am trying to get some contacts in FNQ as some strains are limited. You are correct about pricing but hopefully it will improve, if it doesnt will start sending down south.

[Squid]

Stonedavid - I'm coming up soon - be there tomorrow in fact (flying a Black hawk up to help out Innisfail etc). But I was over at Johns (Barra's) on Saturday, and we both talked about coming up for a visit. I come up quite often - I'll let you know when I'm coming!

Squid

[nicholas76]

ensure some pictures are taken for us poor folks down south!!! :)

[stonedavid]

Yeah no problems squid let me know when, hopefully wont be this week, shed is still packed up from the cyclone, and wont be unpacked until cyclone wati has decided what she is doing. Nothing much to take in pics Nick76, got about 20 tanks and currently trying to set them up better, (decisions decisions )anybody wants to help?. helpers greatfully accepted lol.
Pete