Awhile back I wrote about what temperature is too cold for axolotls. While some people, in certain times of the year especially, may have issues with their axolotl tank getting too cold, the reverse is much more common. Axolotls like cool water, between 58*F and 68*F. Around 65*F is a good temperature to aim for in your axolotl aquarium. Temperatures above 70*F are too warm. Extended amounts of time over 75*F can be dangerous for your axolotl. If you see your aquarium temperatures started to climb to up around 70*F it’s important to have a way to cool them down. But how, exactly, can you keep your axolotl tank cool, especially in the summer heat?
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Aquarium Chillers
Most people know that aquarium heaters exist, but may not be aware that chillers are a thing. Aquarium chillers are typically external devices that, through an intake tube, pump aquarium water through a heat exchanger. A refrigerant is used to cool the water to your desired temperature before it’s pumped back into your aquarium.
Aquarium chillers are the most effective way to keep an axolotl tank cool. They work passively, which means you don’t necessarily have to constantly monitor your aquarium’s temperature and manually do things to cool the water. Sure, check that your chiller is working properly often, but you don’t have to worry as much if you go out or otherwise can’t be checking your aquarium temperatures constantly.
The downside? Chillers aren’t cheap. The size chiller you need will depend on the size of your aquarium. Even chillers for smaller sized aquariums can be expensive, and axolotls, ideally, need large aquariums. Aquarium chillers typically run from around $250 to $500 depending on the model and your tank size. While paying that much to keep your axolotl cool might not be ideal, I personally recommend that, unless you live somewhere very cold, every axolotl owner eventually upgrade to using a chiller.
Fans
Aquarium fans can work to cool an axolotl tank through evaporative cooling. They are much cheaper than chillers, and can generally be effective at lowering your aquarium’s temperature by around 5 degrees. Fans can be a good solution if your tank water trends just a little bit too warm. How you set up your aquarium fan matters. Fans are more effective if you can position them to blow air diagonally across the top of your aquarium. Fans will cause water to evaporate out of your aquarium more quickly, so you may need to top off the water levels more often.
Cool the Room
This is a good option if you need some relief from the heat yourself too! Cooling the room your keep your axolotl in can keep your aquarium cooler as well. This is typically done using some kind of AC unit. Sometimes where you place your aquarium in your house, or even in a room, can matter. For example, rooms in finished basements will typically stall cooler than other areas of a house.
Although it might not be ideal for other reasons, usually placing a tank lower down to the floor will keep it a bit cooler. Be careful not to place aquariums on the floor in rooms where they may get kicked or bumped into. Aquariums are also harder to clean when they are placed lower down, assuming you are using a gravity vacuum to clean your tank.
Ice
Using homemade ice ‘packs’ is a cheap, easy way to cool down an aquarium, however this method will require stricter monitoring. On hot days ice will melt faster meaning that you may have to replace it multiple times a day to ensure your axolotls don’t overheat.
Rather than using straight ice, I recommend creating homemade ice packs by freezing bottles of dechlorinated water. You can keep multiple bottles stored in your freezer so when one thaws out, you can quickly swap it with a frozen bottle. Repeat this process as often as needed to keep your axolotl tank cool.
This method works, is free, and is easy. However, it has downsides. You’ll need to closely monitor your aquarium and replace ice as needed, which may be multiple times a day in especially hot weather. It requires you to be home to monitor your tank and takes up quite a bit of freezer space.
Ice can be used in addition to fans and/or cooling the room your axolotl is in if it’s really hot and you need a two prong technique. I recommend home made ice packs, i.e. frozen water bottles, over regular ice because it’s important to use only dechlorinated water/ice in your axolotl tank. Water in a bottle can be dechlorinated so if any of it leaks into your tank it won’t be an issue.
Water Changes
This method is more work than some of the others, but completing water changes can help cool down an aquarium. Remove the water that is too warm, and replace it with cool, clean, dechlorinated water. Unfortunately, after a water change if the room your aquarium is in is hot the water will slowly heat up again. If you’re lucky and you time your water change, you may be able to do one a day to keep your aquarium cool for the rest of the day. This can be an ok way to deal with unusual spikes in temperature, such as during a heat wave. It’s probably not something you’d want to do daily forever, through.
In a Temperature Emergency, Tub Your Axolotl
If you are having a hard time cooling your aquarium, or your aquarium temperature is extremely high, consider tubbing your axolotl until you get your tank temperature under control.
Tubs are smaller than your axolotl’s regular tank, so preforming daily (or more frequently, as needed) water changes is easier. Make sure to add a thermometer to your tub so you can monitor the temperature. Tubbing should always be a temporary measure, so while your axolotl is tubbed work on a way to maintain your tank temperature. Tubbing is a way to keep your axolotl comfortable and safe until they can be safely returned to their aquarium.
How Do You Keep Your Axolotl Cool?
Do you have a chiller, use fans, ice, or a combination of methods? It’s currently summertime in the US so the issue of keeping axolotls cool is a topic I see come up often. A lot of people who have experience keeping reptiles and amphibians are probably used to having to keep their animals warm, so dealing with an axolotl for the first time can sometimes be challenging. Remember that axolotls prefer cool, clean water between 58*F and 68*F. Axolotl owners should be aiming to ensure that their aquariums never reach temperatures above 70*F, even on the hottest summer days. It can be a challenge sometimes for sure, especially without a chiller. But remember it’s our job, when we take in an animal, to ensure we are providing the best environment possible! Keep those axolotls cool!
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