chrisfowler99 Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 I'm having some wild heat issues this summer with the 250W MH lighting. I staggered them. One light kicks on at noon, the second at 2pm. Between noon and 2pm I see a 1.2 degree rise in temperature. At 2pm, when the 2nd light turns on, I see a 1.7 degree rise in 20 minutes...and then the Apex turns them off...I've seen a 1.1 degree drop in the 10 minutes since they turned off. The lights are about 14" above the tank. I have no canopy, so the air isn't getting trapped, but I have no fans running and I have a feeling that there's a lot of dead air in my office when the A/C isn't on. A/C is set to 75 for the house. I'm wondering if I'd be better off with fans cooling the lights, the tank, the sump, or some combination...and what kind of fans are recommended? I think, in the short term, I'm going to add a stand fan to the room blowing between the lights and the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma13 Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 How are the lights mounted/hung etc.? Just trying to figure out what the options would be for mounting fans and creating airflow specifically in the the space between the lights and the water. A number of options are available: http://www.aquacave.com/searchresult.aspx?CategoryID=372. I have used just about everyone of these options depending on the location where I was needing to get some air and the capabilities for mounting. Some have worked better than others (for example the Azoo fans have some exposed wiring inside the fan that seemed to corrode after about 8 months). With a picture or description of your lighting setup I may be able to give a more targeting suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisfowler99 Posted July 23, 2010 Author Share Posted July 23, 2010 The lights are suspended from the ceiling on a small frame I made. It's an open gap to the tank. I'll try to post a picture after I get home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffT Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 (edited) It isn't very elegant, but you could pick up a $10 clip on style fan and point it at your sump to see if it helps. I picked up of these types of fans last week and have it blowing across the top of the water. My temps have stabilized between 79-80.....before the fan I was creeping into the 83-84 range. Edited July 23, 2010 by JeffT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadodge Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 I hv one of the AZOO fans blowing across my fixture as well as 2-4" icecap variable speed fans exhausting heat outta canopy to attic. My canopy is completely closed. I have used some plugin fans they sell at Lowes for like $8. Thnk they hv them at Wal-Mart also. just zip tie them in the canopy to blow across the top of the water. When the humidity gets realy high its harder to keep ur tank temp from rising. To much moisture in the air to cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medi Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 This is the exact fan that I use under my 250w MH. It has worked great for two years now and is still running strong. It is also nice and quiet which is very important to me. Here is the ebay link: http://cgi.ebay.com/Aquarium-Chiller-Marine-Fresh-DC-Cooling-Clip-FAN-04-/400059318971?cmd=ViewItem&hash=item5d2564c2bb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadodge Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 thats just the same as my AZOO fans. they work petty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisfowler99 Posted July 23, 2010 Author Share Posted July 23, 2010 I am paranoid about one of the clip-on fans losing grip and falling into the water... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 After some extensive online research, I've decided to incorporate these fans (Noctua NF-P12 ) into my new canopy. They're supposed to be strong, efficient, and super-quiet: Fans: http://www.svc.com/nf-p12.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbMUui0e4SY&feature=related Power Supply Adapter: http://www.svc.com/pa-ad-ul.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadodge Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 ya, those do look nice, when u get acnopy done i may hv to come and take a listen to them. I may be persuaded to buy, would be nice if they had temp probe to control the speed as it heats and cools like the icecap fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisfowler99 Posted July 24, 2010 Author Share Posted July 24, 2010 For now the stand fan blowing between the top of the tank and the lights looks to be keeping the temperature more steady. Also realized that leaving the pair of T5s on all day probably wasn't helping. Just set those to turn off while the MH are on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Rangoon Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 I also strongly suggest cooling the actual reflectors or lights themselves. Keeping your housing/reflector cooler will be more efficient, but will also reduce the chance of stale hot air above the tank. If you only focus on using fans to cool the surface of the water (or even the air directly above the tank) you will still have an increase in evaporation. Also, be sure to keep ballasts OUT of your stand and canopy - keeping them cooped up inside aquarium furniture only makes them run hotter and less efficiently, not to mention they will radiate heat to your other equipment, or the water in your sump. If you don't currently have them mounted/installed to a breathable area where they're allowed to vent or cool easily, try moving them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisfowler99 Posted July 27, 2010 Author Share Posted July 27, 2010 Ballasts are on the wall separate from the tank. The air from the fan should be hitting the lamps/reflectors as well. Adding a stand fan and turning off the T5s has resulted in both MH staying on for 6+ hours before reaching too high a temp instead of 20 minutes. Still getting a little warm later in the day, but much better...for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 ya, those do look nice, when u get acnopy done i may hv to come and take a listen to them. I may be persuaded to buy, would be nice if they had temp probe to control the speed as it heats and cools like the icecap fans. It's probably easier and more cost effective to not get fans with a temp control and instead get an Aquacontroller. You can set it to turn the fans on or off based on temperature, as well as automating all your lights, fans, pumps, etc. Mine was the best $300 I've spent on my tank. I have the AC3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisfowler99 Posted July 27, 2010 Author Share Posted July 27, 2010 It's probably easier and more cost effective to not get fans with a temp control and instead get an Aquacontroller. You can set it to turn the fans on or off based on temperature, as well as automating all your lights, fans, pumps, etc. Mine was the best $300 I've spent on my tank. I have the AC3. Yup. My Apex is doing all of that for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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