Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi All

I'm in Central Florida and have just started my system less than 5 months ago
Being summer I'm struggling with high water temps 83.1F -- 89.5F

I was wondering if using either Liquid Nitrogen or Liquid Oxygen would help ?

either (a) as a spray

https://www.amazon.com/Boost-Oxygen-Natural-22oz-Cans/dp/B00U1P3B1Y/ref=pd_bxgy_121_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00U1P3B1Y&pd_rd_r=EF74TT49QG7T3JK9WAD1&pd_rd_w=o7hAy&pd_rd_wg=7cdcC&psc=1&refRID=EF74TT49QG7T3JK9WAD1

or (b) in a "canister" wrapped around the water pipe between sump tank and fish tank ? Basically water flow INTO the tank


Thanks in advance

Hi and welcome to the forum. I'm not sure what you need to accomplish, other than cool the water obviously. But I would try simpler approaches first as the liquid N or O sound expensive, complicated, potentially dangerous.

Have you tried to use shade to the best advantage? What about an evaporative cooling method like a cooling tower - a couple of sprinkler heads upside down spraying into your FT for example?

What are the issues you are trying to resolve, are your plants not doing well due to the higher temp? Are you trying to raise cold water fish like trout? Is your system small / does it have a large temperature swing from day to night? Maybe you have shallow GBs that heat up too easily and transfer the heat to your water.

I raise channel catfish and tilapia in So Cal and my summer water temps are often in the mid 80s but I think I've only seen 90+ for a short period.

I'm not sure what you think is in those linked cans from Amazon, but it sure isn't liquid oxygen, and it isn't cold unless you store it in the fridge

If you seriously need to cool your water down, you'll need a water chiller. It operates with a compressor and expands refrigerant gas to remove heat from water, just like an air conditioner does from air.

If you just need to cool it down a few degrees every now and then, and don't want to buy a chiller, make lots of ice and store in a large capacity freezer, to be used on demand.

Have a read of this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=26563

Thanks all
YEs my #1 priority is to lower my water temp at least to peak around 86 and not 89.6F

My plants are not doing well due to high temps, this is true so I'm thinking if I can get the water temp down this will help with the plants

My fish are blue tilapia and goldfish they appear to be doing well, more so the tilapia than the goldfish

I have though of a chiller but they are a bit expensive. I will certainly look into the evaporative cooling. I know when I have a fan blowing the air above the tanks, I loose water in the sump tank, due to evaporative cooling. When I have no fan running the water level is constant.

Thanks for all your support

I found a used 1HP chiller on Craigslist for $300. Cost new was about $800. It works well when I test it but I have not used it in the real world yet.