# Aquariums and portable air conditoners



## islanddave (Nov 6, 2012)

Hello All,

This is my first post here. I recently bought a Fluval 55 gallon rimless tank from one of the box stores. I absolutely love this tank. Of course it has changed over the months that I've had it. Mainly a canister filter and a set of t-5 lights. Which brings me to the point of this post. I run this tank without a hood and love the look of being able to see the water from the top. Other than having the occasional jumper there are no problems with the set up. I keep this tank at a constant 82 degrees. I would like to buy a 125 gallon as well.......one tank is not enough, and would love to experience a tank of this size. Unfortunately the only spot for this 6 footer would be very close to the output of a portable window air conditioner. What kind of problem will this create with this new tank. I still would prefer not to run a hood of plastic or glass. What solutions are open to me?
Run multiple heaters, in an attempt to maintain a healthy temperature. Get a fish species that prefers cooler water temperatures(open to suggestions here)
Thanks,

David


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*ac unit*

i think your only option is to move the tank to somewhere else or move the air conditioner . i have used the ac units in the bedroom and in my opinion it will cool the tank way too much , maybe someone else can comment as well.
i have not run a tank over top of an ac unit .i just know how cold the air is comming off the ac unit .
cheers 
welcome to the world of MTS its so addictivie we want to put a tank anywhere there is a spot.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

I agree, too cold, too hard to maintain the temp even with many heaters. consistancy is important and having an ac blowing on it would be bad.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

I did it for years and never had an issue it might over work your heater but having two will help even things out.
I also aimed the air away from the tank.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

pyrrolin said:


> I agree, too cold, too hard to maintain the temp even with many heaters. consistancy is important and having an ac blowing on it would be bad.


Is this true? This is often related on this and many other forums. I spoke with Dr Ron Coleman when he spoke at out dinner, in February. the rivers he frequents in Costa Rica have a temperature range of 20 to 28C, daily. This area has wild fluctuations in water level many times per year. Unlike the Amazon that has an annual rise and fall in water levels, this area has huge changes of 30 or more feet in water level in a day. I personally always believed that the need for unchanging temp was overstated. When I see statements like "slowly change the temp over several days" (perhaps for disease treatment) I kind of laugh.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

There are places in nature where the temp changes fast, but those fish have adapted to those conditions. In most places the temp of water changes slowly and the fish are used to that.

There are exceptions to almost everything. Fish are cold blooded remember.


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## snaggle (Feb 19, 2010)

The big key to keep the temperature stable in this case will be a strong heater and nice even flow in the tank (little to no dead spots). Unless you are using the AC to cool your room and hang meat you will be fine. In the summer month not having AC can cause more of a problem then having too much AC.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

if its blowing right on the tank it could be a problem. Also, if the ac is just above the tank, the tank gives off some heat and can confuse the thermostat of the ac unit itself.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

pyrrolin said:


> There are places in nature where the temp changes fast, but those fish have adapted to those conditions. In most places the temp of water changes slowly and the fish are used to that.
> 
> There are exceptions to almost everything. Fish are cold blooded remember.


Again, this is what I would have surmised, but, even around here, it isn't really true. This one surprised me, but, during a rain, the water temp can rise rapidly in streams. seems odd, because rain tends to be cooler, which it is. It is cooler, until it hits pavement (especially), (and sun heated ground) and then warms rapidly causing the water flowing into streams to rise significantly and quickly. This is an issue for many native cool water species, here. Fish being cold blooded adapt to temp changes fairly quickly, assuming the temp isn't huge and sudden. Cool water used to induce spawning, is often 10 or more degrees lower than normal tank temp.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I sometimes wonder if fish keepers just worry a bit too much. It's a fair investment of time and cash, so I can't blame anybody for being worried that fish might die for any number of reasons, whether or not it's actually a valid reason in reality. Sometimes the only way to find out is to experiment, but that means being prepared for adverse outcomes.

My own AC is in the middle window between & behind my two larger tanks. I never turned it on last year, fearing it would over chill the tanks. Instead I ran fans, for the tanks and me too. 

This year, I may just try turning it on to see what happens, but only on a day I am prepared to check the temperatures every couple of hours to see what effect the AC actually has on the tanks, or if they block the input or output so much the AC does not manage to cool ME off, in which case, what's the point of running it ?


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## robert77k (May 27, 2012)

I think thgat the heater in the tank should be more powerful than the air conditioner in the room. If it can keep your tank at 82F in the winter when the room temp is in the low 70’s, then it can handle it when the room is hotter with an AC running. If the heater thermostat is set to say 82F, then the water temp of the tank won’t drop below that. If the room temp is over 82F, then the water temp will also be over 82F and the heater will not be doing anything. If the AC comes on and cools the room, then the water in the tank will also start to cool down, but only to 82F as that is when the heater will turn on. So you will have a small fluctuation, but not too much, and never below your low thermostat set point.

Also, a large tank has a huge thermal mass. It would take allot of energy and a long time to change the water temp. You could run the AC and check every few hours just to see if it affected. If you notice that the heater turns on and stays on, then it isn’t enough and as YYZ mentioned, you can add a second heater. But my guess is that won’t be the case.

When checking temperature, the stick on temperature gauges might give a false reading if they have cool air blowing on them. It would be best if temperature is actually measured in the tank water.


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