Full disclosure, the following text was taken from a post I made in [r/AfricanDwarfFrog](r/AfricanDwarfFrog) and we often get this question around this time of year. I know that this sub is much larger and has many more people from the Southern Hemisphere. This post will be eventually linked in the wiki so that it can be easily referenced at all times of the year!

It’s getting close to that time of year again in the Northern Hemisphere (which is when we most frequently get asked about this), so here is the yearly guide for keeping your froggies creatures cool when it’s hot outside!

Reminder:

DO NOT JUST DUMP COLD WATER INTO YOUR TANK TO COOL IT DOWN.

That risks putting your animals into shock or making the water too cold. The goal is to gradually bring the temperature down.

Some things you can do to keep the temperature from going up:

– keep blinds and curtains in the room that your tank is located in closed during the day, and limit the use of incandescent lighting/lighting that generates heat

– if you have central A/C and are able to run it during the day, try to find ways to divert that air flow towards your tank. This can be done by closing doors to unused rooms (closets, bathrooms, etc) so that the cold air stays in a smaller area; using vent diverters to point the air flow outwards instead of up/down (depending on where your air vents are located); or moving things around to streamline the direction of the cold air.

– point a mini A/C or tower fan towards the tank

– attach a clip-on fan to the side of the tank and point it at the surface (pictured)

– if you don’t have A/C or cannot run A/C all the time, creating air flow with open windows and doors (doors that access outside) to get a breeze helps. It is a little counterproductive with having blinds and curtains shut, but take advantage of a breezy day when you can.

– bags of ice wrapped in washcloths lining the perimeter of your tank. If you can get it higher up than the bottom of your tank then definitely do that, but usually the easiest placement is on the surface that your stank is sitting on.

Those are methods for keeping temperature stable, but aren’t the best when the water temperature is already a bit high. The quickest and most effective way to bring the water temperature back down when it’s too warm is by putting CONTAINED ice in the tank.

Note: make sure your heater is off and/or unplugged while you do this!

This could be in the form of:

– frozen disposable water bottle (preferably with the cap seal unbroken)

– a gallon-size bag full of ice cubes (instructions found here

– or an ice pack that you don't plan on using for food.

It’s important to keep the ice contained and secure in some way and not directly in the tank. Putting plain ice cubes straight in and letting it melt is the same as putting untreated water directly into the tank, which is not good, especially for smaller tanks.

I don’t recommend doing this in a normal kitchen freezer, but if you for some reason have a fridge with a freezer that is specifically used for aquarium things, you can put some tank water into an ice cube tray and freeze it. But definitely don’t do this if you only have a kitchen fridge.

Note for amphibian keepers: Tools and substances for your tank should not be in contact with food or areas used for food preparation to avoid potential salmonella contamination.

I hope this helps! If you guys have more tips and tricks for keeping your tank cool, please share!!