DIY Cooling

[Davisc1293]

Has anybody done some DIY cooling setups with small blower fans? I was planning on using some small laptop style blower fans to put under the hood of my bio cube. i have my apex turning my skimmer off when the tank reaches 80.8 but am still battling temperature swings from 79 at night to 82 if i leave the skimmer on I exceed 82 during the day. I found one fan but killed it with a 7v plug didn't think it would be a big deal. Just wondering if anyone out there has better solutions.

 

[RC51]

Has anybody done some DIY cooling setups with small blower fans? I was planning on using some small laptop style blower fans to put under the hood of my bio cube. i have my apex turning my skimmer off when the tank reaches 80.8 but am still battling temperature swings from 79 at night to 82 if i leave the skimmer on I exceed 82 during the day. I found one fan but killed it with a 7v plug didn't think it would be a big deal. Just wondering if anyone out there has better solutions.

Get a couple of fans blowing cool air on top of the water surface. It will work on pico and nano tanks but probably not on bigger tanks.

 

[Davisc1293]

Get a couple of fans blowing cool air on top of the water surface. It will work on pico and nano tanks but probably not on bigger tanks.

Its only a 32 gal but I have the stock hood so most aquarium fans will not fit under the hood that's why I'm contemplating the laptop CPU blower style fans.

 

[RC51]

Its only a 32 gal but I have the stock hood so most aquarium fans will not fit under the hood that's why I'm contemplating the laptop CPU blower style fans.

Can you temporarily remove the hood while it's hot in your area?

 

[RC51]

Its only a 32 gal but I have the stock hood so most aquarium fans will not fit under the hood that's why I'm contemplating the laptop CPU blower style fans.

Also, 32g might be a bit too big for fans to work. Idk, just a gut feeling

 

[Davisc1293]

Also, 32g might be a bit too big for fans to work. Idk, just a gut feeling

just keeping the feeding door open with the whole hood propped up about a half inch and Turing my ceiling fan on seemed to drastically slow the increase on my apex chart. so some airflow under the hood might not be enough but I think it'll be worth trying at least. was rly looking for ideas or fan recommendations I ordered a bunch of pc style fans but don't have highs hopes that they will last long under the hood.

 

[RC51]

just keeping the feeding door open with the whole hood propped up about a half inch and Turing my ceiling fan on seemed to drastically slow the increase on my apex chart. so some airflow under the hood might not be enough but I think it'll be worth trying at least. was rly looking for ideas or fan recommendations I ordered a bunch of pc style fans but don't have highs hopes that they will last long under the hood.

I wouldn't really suggest PC style fans because usually the wires are exposed and thats not the best thing to do in a tight space with saltwater around.

 

[Gtinnel]

I've never added a fan to my reef tank because I don't have issues with a tank getting too hot, but I did mount a pc style fan to a hood on a 10g tank that my son kept an axolotl in. It was a 120mm fan that plugged directly into a 120v outlet. It moved a lot of air and kept the tank cold, but it rusted fairly quickly and that was on a freshwater tank. On a saltwater tank I suspect corrosion is going to be your biggest issue.

 

[Davisc1293]

I wouldn't really suggest PC style fans because usually the wires are exposed and thats not the best thing to do in a tight space with saltwater around.

you're right I plan to use shrink tubing for that... the reason I'm leaning toward this type of fan is for the fairly standardized sizing for frequent replacement even though this is a somewhat short term solution

 

[Gtinnel]

Here is a link to the fan I used on the freshwater tank. I was very impressed with the quality of it for the price. It moves a surprisingly large amount of air, but it is not quiet. Also the power plug is a 2 pin plug with no exposed wires.

 

[RC51]

you're right I plan to use shrink tubing for that... the reason I'm leaning toward this type of fan is for the fairly standardized sizing for frequent replacement even though this is a somewhat short term solution

Nice. Good plan. But the rotating rods might rust and cause some trouble

 

[Paul B]

I built this evaporative cooler for my tank. Water runs down the plates and a fan blows air through it evaporating the water.
This device cooled down my 100 gallon tank about 3 degrees which isn't exactly freezing but all I needed. When I didn't need it in my reef any more, I used it to cool down by blackworms.

 

[Uzidaisies]

I too believe corrosion would be a real problem. Wouldn’t be surprised to see a fan rendered inoperable in a matter of hours. I wouldn’t necessarily predict that would happen, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

 

[Uzidaisies]

I built this evaporative cooler for my tank. Water runs down the plates and a fan blows air through it evaporating the water.
This device cooled down my 100 gallon tank about 3 degrees which isn't exactly freezing but all I needed. When I didn't need it in my reef any more, I used it to cool down by blackworms.

what kind of fan?

 

[Paul B]

Thats the same computer fan Gtinnel pictured above. It still runs and that was many years ago.

 

[Wasabiroot]

Had a temp spike one time due to a thermometer accidentally leaving the tank (cord). Used a fan blowing on the top and it definitely helped. Lowered my tank by 5 degrees in an hour or so. For reference, this is a 50g cube. You could even plug the fan into a temp controller so that it shuts off when it reaches the target temp. Certainly cheaper than a chiller.

 

[jrill]

Check out Harry's aquatics. Also check Amazon for aquarium cooling fans. Alot to choose from. And after using one off Amazon all summer on two salt water tanks I can say corrosion has not been an issue..

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

I just use two computer fans over my sump that are hooked up to a inkbird temperature probe. Works like a charm!

 

[Uzidaisies]

Lol guess I was being a little dramatic.

 

[Davisc1293]

WOW just posting here with some results from some testing...

I found an old 120mm computer fan and just placed it over the feeding hatch for testing... it was 12v 2amp fan and I found an old charger laying around the house that was 12v 1.5a (closest I could find) and wired it up to the plug and plugged it into my apex controller. It was able to bring my temps from a peak of 82.7 to 79 and then maintained by the controller to come on at 79.2 . Its an easily replaceable computer fan so I'm not worried about the constant cycles unless that's an issue with the controller itself to be making constant switches.

I plan to make some kind of aesthetically pleasing cover with a screen top so it doesn't look so bad.