more heat

well i lost my snowflake eel i think cause of the heat. it was laying on the gravel breathing heavy not eeven moving. i did a water change with cool water that brought the temp down maybe to fast but it didnt help the eel this mourning it was dead. thats all i lost though.maybe i should just invest in a cheep chiller.

 

Can you put an air conditioner in the room were the tank is? if so it may be cheaper than getting a chiller. .

.............................................................................. John

 

What you can do temporarily is to take a couple 1 gal. plastic milk jugs filled three-quarters of the way with water than put them in your freezer when they become frozen put one in your sump to help bring down the temperature. I have also used large Ziploc freezer bags filled three-quarters away with water and then freeze them and rotate them between the freezer in your sump.

 

I would guess that the cool water change did more harm than good. The sudden change in temperature was sure to be a shock to your eel's system.

Most of the time we overestimate the importance of temperature, and underestimate the need for consistency. Until you can resolve you temperature issues in that room ... either with fans, air conditioner, chiller, or whatever ... you should actually rase the setting on your heater(s) to within a couple degrees of the highest day-time temps. That way the swing at night will be less severe. Ideal temps might be lower, but constant temps are better than big swings.

 

the eel was half dead befor the water change and the day night temp in my tank was only 3 degrees differance the fans are helping alot