New to SW and need some advice/help

J

jnorine

New Member
Hello all,

I'm just finishing the cycle on an 8g Oceanic BioCube - its a nice tank, but I have some questions for people who might be in the know:

Its summer here in TX, which means hot. Even with the A/C running all day at 80 degrees, I'm consistently running an 86-88 degree water temperature during the day. I've read about some people's dissatisfaction with Oceanic's cooling fans (I have to believe that's where the extra heat is coming from - the light fixtures and the fan's overall innability to keep everything cool). I'm going to start keeping a frozen water bottle in the last filter area (the part where the filter water is pumped back into the front of the tank) - but I'd like to find a better solution... if there is one? Ideas?

Secondly - I seem to have fleas. Well, not me personally - but my tank does. There is a plethora of small crustacean/brine shrimpesque looking critters (I don't believe they're actually brine shrimp - I had Sea Monkeys as a kid and these don't look quite the same) and they're everywhere! Right now, they seem to be feeding on algae - and maybe it would be best to ignore them. When I eventually get some real fish livestock (right now there's a turbo snail and peppermint shrimp within) will this sort itself out - ie, will the fish eat them? Do I need to do something to keep them under control?

I appreciate the help - the three LFS around here all contradict each other with information, so its hard telling what is what.

J
 
TimSchmidt

TimSchmidt

New Member
:welcome to Nanotank!

Sounds like a common issue in the warmer states. Heat is always something you want to keep in check. There are a couple of options but most of them aren't exactly cheap. The frozen water bottle is a temporary fix and you really would benefit from a bit more controlled temperature.

Here is just one option, (but it works well, I have seen people modify the back wall in there tanks to accommodate this in the back):

http://www.aquadirect.com/store/product ... =0&page=96

Do a search for nano chillers to see some other options.

The fleas are a GREAT sign. They are referred to as pods. You can do a search and get tons more info, but the short story is that they are mini crustaceans that most animals in our tank eat to supplement there food. Most people create a refuge to give these pods a predator free area to make sure that the population does not get wiped out.
 
R

reefman23

New Member
:welcome

Something like Tim linked to will work great. Another option is to point a regular oscillating floor fan at the tank. The fan will cool the glass and actually cool the water a bit without added evap. If you can prop the lid open a bit that helps too. You may want to add an extra fan or two to the canopy. Also, you can swap out the stock pump for something like the maxijet 600 that may run at a cooler temp. Check the watts on the stock pump and if it is more than a comparable maxijet, go with the MJ. I would also suggest that you check your heater. Many heaters will run a few degrees warmer or colder than the set temp. For example, you may have your heater set at 78, but it might actually be running at 80 or 82.

Anyways, hopefully that helps.

Jesse
 
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