Habitat - Indoor :: Summer heat

Turtle tank setups and other indoor configurations.

Post Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 11:14 am   Summer heat

Ok I've got yet another question :-P

We had the first really warm days here in MA this week (in the 90s today). We don't have AC in my apartment, and it was up to 80 in the living area (where my tank is) yesterday! We will probably do a better job of keeping it cool (we weren't quite prepared for it and had windows open all day) most of the time. But the apartment will not be COOL during most of the summer.

So, I was keeping my tank water at ~76 and basking area in the low 90s. But Yesterday the water went up to 80 and the dock over 100. So I turned the basking light off for a lot of the afternoon yesterday (UVB light is on though). And today I left the basking lamp off when I left this morning.

Sedge has been basking all the time lately, so I'm not too worried that he won't bask. But any ideas on home to improve this situation at all, other than just leaving the basking lamp off on very warm days? The temperature differential won't be more than a few degrees between water and land this way. But I don't want to fry him!

The only other simple solutions I thought of are frozen water bottles if the water gets hotter and maybe getting a low wattage heat bulb so that I can still have a basking bulb on (on more 'in between' days) without overheating the dock.

As a reminder, here's a pic of my setup.

Image

Thanks as usual!
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Kingbird44
 
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Post Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 1:17 pm   Re: Summer heat

I would google a TV station weather almanac that's near to you and see how many days that may be a concern. You could put heat lamp on separate timer and adjust time its on. Being a double fixture a lower wattage for summer time so not to interfere with the UVB distance. Or raise it some but keep in mind distance for the UVB. You could use that several inches on the left and extend basking area so to offer more temperature range and let Sedge decide for himself if he needs a cooler place. Turn fixture 90* to move main heat over a little or even slide it over so not directly over main basking area.
Is that top cover ventilated or solid , wire top (1/2" or 1" hardware cloth ) could solve heat problem just not a screen top that blocks UVB rays. Do you need that top cover Sedge is small yet or I forgot do you have other pets (cats) to keep out? If "ATBA to closed in tight can get like an oven. Turtles are smart they know what they need and will get in the water. Plenty of options , do you have a good thermometer , the IR type very accurate ! Can use that type everywhere , around the house and even cooking.
litefoot
 
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Post Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 3:46 pm   Re: Summer heat

Good point, I think I'm jumping the gun. I think this kind of heat wave will be fairly unusual. The lid is solid, but I can leave parts or all of it open (it is broken into 3 parts). I could maybe add a screen. The cats were a concern- they haven't really ever tried to get up there. But they are always looking for new adventures (just like Sedge).
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Kingbird44
 
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Post Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 1:57 am   Re: Summer heat

In addition to adjusting the distance or wattage of the basking bulb, he's got a lot of space up there so he can also move out of the way if it's too hot. The frozen water bottle technique does not work well for me so I resort to partial water changes if it gets too warm. Some people say having a fan blow over the water surface helps keep things cool but increases the rate of evaporation.
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steve
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Post Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 9:35 pm   Re: Summer heat

Yeah, I guess it's safe to assume he wouldn't stay under the light if it was too hot? Apparently he likes the occasional 100 degree basking...
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Kingbird44
 
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Post Posted: Sun May 21, 2017 1:46 pm   Re: Summer heat

For older RES, it's usually not a concern and sometimes they like it real warm! Having it too hot is usually a concern for smaller turtles.
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steve
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