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keeping cool.

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by mthomp, Mar 15, 2010.

  1. Mar 15, 2010 #1
    mthomp

    mthomp Inactive User

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    so with the summer months on their way, i am starting to get concerned about the temp in my tank. when i started this adventure i had no idea that my lights would heat my tank up so much. around 80 at this point.  I have looked at chillers and im finding them way out of my reach right now. I have concidered fans but my problem lies with not having a canopy so placement could be an issue.
    so my question is, how hot is too hot?  At what point am i going to find myself with a lot of dead coral? and are there any other options available to me?
     
  2. Mar 15, 2010 #2
    Matt

    Matt Inactive User

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    DIY chillers check out Nano-Reefs some look pretty easy, saw one that used a dorm fridge.
     
  3. Mar 15, 2010 #3
    Slurpeshark

    Slurpeshark Inactive User

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    You could freeze RO/DI cubes and drop some in when the water gets too high... drops it a little, short term answer to the problem, but the water can heat back up pretty quick. I used to have a floor standing fan that helped to keep the temp down fairly well. Hope that helps.
     
  4. Mar 15, 2010 #4
    snowman82

    snowman82 Experienced Reefkeeper

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    how bout a fan on your sump? thats where my fan is and it works great
     
  5. Mar 15, 2010 #5
    xroads La Porte City, IA

    xroads Veteran Reefkeeper Vendor

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    Do you have a sump? How big is your tank?

    If you have a sump, a small fan can make a world of difference. If you dont have one, there is a good excuse to get one.

    I am assuming your lights are on a timer. You can always run your lights less, especially when you are not home. 40 min on, 20 min off.

    Corals can take 82 or so, but much hotter may be a problems. Not so bad if it heats up slowly, but 78-83 in a couple of hours will really stress them out quick.
     
  6. Mar 15, 2010 #6
    mthomp

    mthomp Inactive User

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    id love to get a sump but i really do not have room for one, its a 55gal tank on one of those cheap walmart stands with the center brace in the middle. hence why all my stuff is HoB. iam thinking i maybe able to move somethings around, and fit a 20 inch fan between my skimmer and filter. anyone have some insyght as too how much one of these may drop the temp?
     
  7. Mar 15, 2010 #7
    Matt

    Matt Inactive User

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    Should be enough, even if it cools to much your heater will stabilize that. But I would guess if you have a hanging metal halide, and you put the fan between the fixture, and the tank, you would see 5 degrees or so, a lot of the heat from the fixture would be pushed away which is what is heating your tank up. What kind of light, and fixture might help too?
     
  8. Mar 15, 2010 #8
    mthomp

    mthomp Inactive User

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    sunpod light, it isnt hanging it sits on legs right on my tank.

    heres a link its the 1064 model

    http://www.current-usa.com/sunpod.html
     
  9. Mar 15, 2010 #9
    Matt

    Matt Inactive User

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    I got bored, So I thought I would help you out, this should clip somewhere on your tank. Also read the testimonials,pretty much explains your deal!

    http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+20169+14701&pcatid=14701
     
  10. Mar 15, 2010 #10
    mthomp

    mthomp Inactive User

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    sweet, thanks for looking that up matt. I think im going to get the 4 fan unit or maybe go with 2 2fan units
     
  11. Mar 15, 2010 #11
    Matt

    Matt Inactive User

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    Yea I was really bored, should be doing homework, but I knew I had saw something, and the Dr. F&S catalog was near!
     
  12. Mar 15, 2010 #12
    Waverz

    Waverz Expert Reefkeeper

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    Just be prepared to keep topping off your tank with fresh RODI water. Blowing a fan across the surface of the water causes a lot of evaporation which can mess with your salinity.
     
  13. Mar 15, 2010 #13
    Gered

    Gered Experienced Reefkeeper

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    Ya I agree with waverz on this. I used to use fans on my nano and evaporation was crazy. Luckily I was running a top-off so I didn't get affected too bad. I just had to keep on top of my top off container.
     
  14. Mar 15, 2010 #14
    mthomp

    mthomp Inactive User

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    yeah i was already thinking this, i typically have at least 5 gals of ro water on standby. i may have to double that
     
  15. Mar 15, 2010 #15
    ransomed4ever

    ransomed4ever Inactive User

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    you can always just get one of theose 6" clip on fans from walgreens or something too. I think they are usually only around 15 bucks or so and it could just clip on the edge of your tank. Before I moved my sump to the basement my tank ran consistenly at around 80-82 with no problems, so if you run your AC hopefully it won't get too much higher than it is now anyway.
     
  16. Mar 29, 2010 #16
    mthomp

    mthomp Inactive User

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    thought id bring this back up.

    in case some of you are looking for a fan for this summer to help keep things cool i found this little guy for around 20 bucks at homedepot.

    http://www.homedepot.com/Appliances-Air-Conditioners-Fans-Dehumidifiers-Fans/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xmiZas3i/R-202019807/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
     

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