Can I add ice cubes or cool water to aquarium in summers?

Can I add cool water or ice cubes to a fish tank to lower water temperature in summers?

Fish tanks look beautiful & improves the overall beauty of your home. However, in summers it is hard to maintain your fish tank especially if you are living in an area where weather is extremely hot in summers. Fish have different temperature requirements, some of them can survive even when temperature reaches 80 °F while cold water fish can’t tolerate high water temperatures. When fish are kept at warmer temperatures, then their metabolic rate and activity level enhance, so fish need more oxygen for survival. At high temperatures, water has less oxygen, which is another problem for the fish. You can find fish gasping for oxygen at the water surface which is a sign of rise in water temperature. 

How to Cool Aquarium Water without Chiller / Cooling Fan?

How to Cool Aquarium Water without using Chiller / Cooling Fan?

How a look at alternative methods of cooling aquarium water without using Chiller / Cooling Fans:

1. Using an air pump for adding more oxygen in the water due to surface agitation will release CO2 & add atmospheric oxygen in the water. Connect an air stone to an air pump via an airline to directly dissolve numerous small bubbles of oxygen in the water.
2. Open the tank cover & use a fan for cooling the water surface.
3. Add cool water to a bag & let it float on the surface of water for cooling the water. Do not quickly cool your aquarium water as fish can’t tolerate fluctuations in water temperature.
4. Do small water changes & add slightly cool water to the aquarium, but ensure that temperature does not quickly change.
5. Turn off the lights of the aquarium to lower the water temperature. But it could be a problem if you have live plants in the aquarium because plants use lights for photosynthesis.
6. If you have placed your aquarium near a window, then it is recommended to close the curtains to stop sunlight from heating your aquarium.
7. Turn on the lights for just a few hours & keep them turned off for the complete hot day to keep water temperature in control.
8. If you have setup an external filter, then it is easy to cool your aquarium. Running the tubes of the filter through cold water or through an ice box will lower the water temperature. Do not use this method in small tanks as it will fluctuate water temperature quickly.