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Members who keep British marine life in their home aquaria are faced with the problem of keeping the aquarium temperature down during the summer because 50% of the normally kept fish and invertebrates are unable to withstand temperatures in excess of 22ºC. As the air temperature reaches 28ºC on occasions during the summer, and as the tank temperature quickly matches the air temperature, some method of cooling the water has to be employed.
The usual method is to pump the water through a beer cooler and back into the tank again. Unfortunately, beer coolers are noisy and unreliable. The compressor is liable to pack up and it is usually too expensive (£70+) to repair. Special 'titanium' aquarium coolers are available from the USA. They are initially very expensive and beyond the pockets of most enthusiasts. They can be obtained through NT Laboratories.
Beer Coolers
Beer, or cider, coolers are also difficult to get hold of. The usual
price for a reconditioned model with 3 months guarantee is about £65.
Cooling of the water is slow and you will probably have to run the cooler overnight to find out if it is cooling the aquarium sufficiently. The two-outlet models should be able to drop the temperature in a 225 litre (50 gallon) aquarium by at least 8ºC.Single outlet cider cooler
Home-made Cooler (by Luke Richards)
I have been recommended the Emerald coolers produced by SI Industries.
AQUARIUM AND VIVARIUM ELECTRONICS503 BRADFORD ROAD, BATLEY, WF17 8LL Tel: 01924 422000 Fax: 01924 422118 |
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News 2008 |
Membership Form |
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SEA
SURFACE TEMPERATURES