Teresa Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Hi All, I've got a 12 gallon nano cube and a 29 gallon biocube. With the rise in temperature outside, I've seen a significant rise in temperature in my tanks. I keep my house at 78 to conserve energy - but my tanks have been rising to 83/84 degrees! Everything seems to be adapting okay, but I'm scared it will continue to rise and I'd prefer to keep the temp at 78 - 80 at the most. I already have fans in the hoods. The hoods are also flush with the tank so I can't put a fan on top of the tank. Any ideas? Teresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
absolut_racer Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 (edited) I used to prop open the door in the lid and sit an Azoo fan over the opening. The Azoo had 2 x 80mm computer fans in it. Before I had the fan, I propped open the lid and sat a table fan next to the tank to blow over the water surface. Edited March 25, 2011 by absolut_racer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 I used to prop open the door in the lid and sit an Azoo fan over the opening. The Azoo had 2 x 80mm computer fans in it. Before I had the fan, I propped open the lid and sat a table fan next to the tank to blow over the water surface. I would strongly encourage you to add some fans or a chiller. Around 84-85 degrees is were I start running into problems though I have seen systems run higher without problems. Over the years heat (more correctly AC issues) has probably caused more catastrophes than anything else. I like fans since they're cheap and usually quiet (you can run a 12vdc fan at 8 vdc to cut the noise bear in mind it runs slower ie less air flow). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Yeah, some time of fan action is the easiest and not to mention cheapest alternative. You'll just have to make sure you have an auto top-off system running of some sort or you'll be filling the small tank daily with top off water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Walmart Clip on fans 10 bucks I have 3 on my 150. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzobob Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Two other quick thoughts (now that fans seem to be covered) Make sure your pumps are well maintained. A good clean pump generates less heat. Consider switching your tanks 'daylight hours'. Last summer I switched most of my tanks to lighting up about 5pm. As I keep the house cooler at night this helped balance out lights on / off temp swings. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+etannert Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Teresa, I found these fan mods you can do to the 'cube hoods. I bought all the stuff to do it at Fry's for less than $25. I never ended up installing it (moved my tank directly in line with an A/C vent and haven't had issues since) but it doesn't look too terribly hard. The guys at Fry's were extremely helpful and even sold me a power adaptor that had the right connectors so I didn't have to wire anything. http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t153951.html http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=148535&hl= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaJMasta Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Yeah, those temps are a bit too high. I've heard that elevated temps can also shorten life spans if it doesn't do outright damage.... and this is only march, the weather will be hotter outside soon enough. The organisms don't really adapt to higher temperatures, they cope with them. It's just like trying to have a temperate fish in a tropical tank - sure it can survive for a bit, but not as long as it normally would. What kind of lights do the tanks use? There's a bunch of options if you're handy to mod the stock hood and get some extra ventilation for the lights - or if there's already a fan in place you can upgrade it. A fan on the open rear chambers is another option. Getting a more efficient pump/powerhead/skimmer can reduce some of the heat put into the tank, and switching to a different lighting system or a custom hood with better ventilation is a more expensive way to go. It sounds like your lights are building up some extra heat, but it may be worth an experiment if 77 or 76 degrees as a room temperature drops it significantly enough. The difference may not be linear, especially if you already have some ventilation over the tank, so a small reduction in house temperature may make a big difference. If it's happening with both tanks, maybe this is worth it. I've got a small apartment, so I can aim my room temperature at 74 or 75 and keep my tanks just fine (with the halides, now that I'm on LEDs I could probably go to like 77....), but I've always considered my heating/cooling system as something that works hand-in-hand with the tanks. Just like you have to pay for the electricity for the high intensity lights, maybe running a lower temperature is what's required to keep the critters healthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teresa Posted March 26, 2011 Author Share Posted March 26, 2011 Hi Everyone, Thanks for all the suggestions! And please - keep them coming! I already added a third fan to the hood of the 12 gallon tank (a while ago), but I learned a few things from the nano-reef thread that is listed above. I'm going to take that hood off tomorrow and cut back the reflector from over the fans and I'm going to place my third fan in a more effective place. Not sure yet if I want to drill holes into the lid before investigating other options, but the mod shown in the thread actually looks nice. Ideally, I want the tanks to continue to be display tanks, i.e. I would rather mod the hood then attach a clip on fan. I don't know all that much about wiring so I am a bit nervous about how I would add more fans and link them all together (the one I have right now is stuck in the hood using velcro and has a separate power supply). I'm afraid I would buy the completely wrong supplies at Frys - all the way down to the proper shrink wrap for the wires. If anyone knows how I can learn more - without having to be too techy - all knowledge is appreciated. I plan to look into all the suggestions - even lowering my house temp by one or two degrees to see what effect that may have. Thanks again! Teresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgun Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 You can get more cooling if you direct the fan to hit the surface of the water (if you aren't already) through evaporation. I'm going to be adding a couple of controlled fans to my hood to better control temps too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Evaporation is the key. The thermodynamics of evaporation is 1000 BTU per pound of water evaporated. One gallon evaporated is 8500 BTU's of cooling. An average size oak tree will evaporate 100 gallons per day. One tree will cool the eviroment by 100 gal/day X 8.34 lbs/gal X 1000 BTU/ lb = 834,000 BTU/day. Now you know why the forest is cooler than the field. Good luck on your cooling. The interface between air and water is the active zone to work with. Anything that moves the air and the water at this interface will help. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.