Clip on Fan to Lower Tank Temperature
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MarsRover
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To clarify,
Evaporation is inherently a cooling process.
These fans work to cool your tank by increasing fresh, dry air flow over the surface of the water in your tank or sump. Basically "blowing away" the more humid air that exists just above the surface of the water, replacing it with the dry air it pulls in. This dry air can accept more moisture, there by increasing evaporation and cooling the water.
This process is completely limited to the difference in relative humidity/temperature between the above-tank-water air and the fresh air source from which the fans are pulling air.
Considering home air temperatures and humidities swing depending on outside values and how much you open and close your doors to outside, if you're running HVAC, etc..... you're effectiveness at cooling will change too.
Buy a chiller. They aren't super expensive and they are well worth the investment if you plan to be serious about this hobby.
Additionally, being in socal myself, our hobby is very water intensive. Save water for things like water changes and replenishing unavoidable sources of evap, don't increase wasted water by increasing evap just because you don't want to spend a few hundred on a chiller.
Consistency and stability is key in our reefs thriving. Our animals' lives are chemical-process driven, and chemical processes are pretty sensitive to temperature, especially our highly specialized animals.
Evaporation is inherently a cooling process.
These fans work to cool your tank by increasing fresh, dry air flow over the surface of the water in your tank or sump. Basically "blowing away" the more humid air that exists just above the surface of the water, replacing it with the dry air it pulls in. This dry air can accept more moisture, there by increasing evaporation and cooling the water.
This process is completely limited to the difference in relative humidity/temperature between the above-tank-water air and the fresh air source from which the fans are pulling air.
Considering home air temperatures and humidities swing depending on outside values and how much you open and close your doors to outside, if you're running HVAC, etc..... you're effectiveness at cooling will change too.
Buy a chiller. They aren't super expensive and they are well worth the investment if you plan to be serious about this hobby.
Additionally, being in socal myself, our hobby is very water intensive. Save water for things like water changes and replenishing unavoidable sources of evap, don't increase wasted water by increasing evap just because you don't want to spend a few hundred on a chiller.
Consistency and stability is key in our reefs thriving. Our animals' lives are chemical-process driven, and chemical processes are pretty sensitive to temperature, especially our highly specialized animals.
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jasonrusso
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Why doesn't a fan that turns on and off via a temperature switch perform the same function as a chiller?
For my 210 I'd spend over $1000 for a chiller, and then run a 1000+ watt compressor. I have a RODI with an ATO. Water costs pennies.
MarsRover
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1. I explained in my post why it doesn't perform the same as a chiller. Yes they both serve to reduce the temperature. But I explained in detail why a fan via evap is less efficient and more limited in its ability vs a chiller. The rate of cooling is directly dependent on the rate of evaporation which is directly dependent on the relative humidity and temperature difference between the free stream air and the air over the surface of the water in your tank....especially in florida with the massive humidy you all carry in your air, evap will be less efficient than put here in cali. You probably run your HVAC in your house (R134a likely) which has to pump all the moisture out of the air you're adding from chilling your tank.
2. As I stated in my previous post, and I guess I should have actually inserted the quote
I have 4 fans i bought from Target over my DT. Keeps my temp between 78-79 even during hot summer days in SoCal
In socal, cheap or not, fresh water is a limited resource and shouldn't be wasted. Making RO/DI, at best, you get 3:1 waste:RODI...
3. For a 210 you'd spend $1k on a chiller? Pretty sure I just purchased a chiller for my 270gallon system from BRS for $701.99 shipped to my door with a free gift.
Since you seem to know more than my basic schooling about thermodynamic stability and efficiency, can you explain to us all how a machine designed for chilling is less efficient than basic forced convection evaporative cooling? I'm also curious why then we don't all use swamp coolers in our houses, cars, aircraft, spacecraft if chillers (refrigeration units containing R134a) are less efficient than pure evap?
Lastly, being cheap in this hobby rarely bodes well for the well being of our animals. Not saying it's impossible. But there's a reason why most pro-level tanks have chillers. Our hobby, at its core, stems from love for wildlife and its husbandry. Wasting energy and water just so you can save a few bucks (while also forgoing electronic, closed loop monitoring and control of your tank WATER temperature - see specific heat capacity if you don't know why I specify measuring water temp) is really not in that vain....
I use a cheap $8 clip on fan from Walmart over my sump. That can bring temps down 3 or 4 degrees. I also have a chiller. The chiller is more as insurance. I came home from a short vacation once and the home AC had gone out. House temp was 95. Tank was 93. So I now have a chiller. You can get a good used one for a couple hundred bucks. That's cheap insurance! I have about 150g.
I think everyone is free to judge risk VS benefit on their own.Dhoggs
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I guess I should have provided more details when I posted.
I also have a chiller fed via manifold but only for redundancy. Apex will turn the chiller on if the temp goes higher than 79 degrees. The 4 fans (which were daisy chained so only use one outlet) are also being controlled by the Apex. Fans will turn on if the temp goes higher than 78.2. I also have an ATO so even if the tank gets a lot of evaporation per day, the salinity is being maintained.
I've always used fans over my DT since I started in this hobby and have not experience any negative effect to my livestock. I use to have a 70gal bowfront with thriving colonies of corals. I took it down to upgrade to a bigger tank which is what you see on the photo. I have my corals in my frag tank while my new tank matures.
I am no where close to having the knowledge or understanding that you have with physics or chemistry but due to having very limited funds I have to find ways to succeed in this hobby without breaking the bank.
I also have a chiller fed via manifold but only for redundancy. Apex will turn the chiller on if the temp goes higher than 79 degrees. The 4 fans (which were daisy chained so only use one outlet) are also being controlled by the Apex. Fans will turn on if the temp goes higher than 78.2. I also have an ATO so even if the tank gets a lot of evaporation per day, the salinity is being maintained.
I've always used fans over my DT since I started in this hobby and have not experience any negative effect to my livestock. I use to have a 70gal bowfront with thriving colonies of corals. I took it down to upgrade to a bigger tank which is what you see on the photo. I have my corals in my frag tank while my new tank matures.
I am no where close to having the knowledge or understanding that you have with physics or chemistry but due to having very limited funds I have to find ways to succeed in this hobby without breaking the bank.
