tank too hot!

hi all - i have a 24 gallon aquapod - for now i only have a cleaning crew and live rock/sand. it's been hot during the summer and my tank has been getting up to 84 degrees F. how do i keep the temp down at a costly range? i read about freezing the tank water etc. the problem is i'm not home when it gets that hot so the tank will stay up in that temperature for hours before i can put the ice in. is there an affordable chiller that will accomdate a 24g? should i just upgrade to a larger tank?

 

turn your AC lower in your house.. any sun/heat getting through nearby windows? move your lights higher from water.. add a clip on fan to blow your hot air away from tank...Dont run your lights during the hot part of day.. My lights start at noon to midnite.. in a dark room during the daytime as well..

any of these may help..

 

you could try putting a small fan blowing across the surface of the water. however, this will make your water evaporate a lot faster than usual so you will have to keep up with top offs. Other than that, it is a very effective method.

 

i would say your best bet would be to a few fans pointed at the tank or mayb you could bag a few ice cubes and put the bag in but im not so sure about that it might cause shock to your fish from the temp changing so fast

 

yeah..the ice cube trick is good for emergencies like power outages..but i wouldn't trust it on an every day basis just because there is really no way to control it..especially on a smaller tank..

 

thansk everyone for the response. i can raise the lid/lighting a bit but i wonder if once i put a couple of fish in there, they will jump out?

 

Depends on the fish. Some are jumpers. But you can put some egg crate over the top and fix that.

 

great thanks for the replies everyone - i'll try the suggestions to see if it helps.

 

I found that when my tanks gets hot I put in a frozen 16 once gatorade bottle in there if I put two in withing the hour it lowers my temp by 2 dagrees. Its cheep and it works for me!