Canopy fans?

[AquaWave523]

i need to keep my tank cool....as some of you have followed my post...i removed the glass top and open the canopy to drop from 88F to 80F.

Now its at 79F and has been steady since last night...if i shut the canopy, it'll be at 80 to 81F. Keeping in mind the lights are off (40 Watt All-glass single strip fixtures)

I need to invest in a fan for the canopy. Any recommendations?

[mfinn]

I've used several different 12v pc fans but always come back to the Vantec Stealth 120mm fans. Very quiet for the amount of air moved.

[AquaWave523]

How many do I buy for a 90 gallon?

[jaybfresh]

I use 2 of these (4" version):

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...ld~CP5913.html

They are quiet and move a lot of air

[der_wille_zur_macht]

It's hard to guess how many you'll need for a specific application, but they are so cheap it can't hurt to get more than you think to give you some flexibility.

You want the fans blowing across the surface, not AT it - for best cooling. If you are handy, this is absolutely something to DIY rather than buying an off the shelf product meant for aquariums - the aquarium-targeted fans are extremely expensive.

[mfinn]

I did a quick google search and found them here for $13.24 each.



http://www.compuvest.com/Desc.jsp;js...AQj?iid=956497


I can't give any scientific reasons, but I would guess 2 would work for you. I use 3 on a 72'x30" canopy.
One of the reasons I like these is the very low dba's they make.
Model Number: : SF12025L
Fan Size: : 120x120x25mm
Voltage: : 12 V
Current: : 0.08 Amp
Airflow: : 53 CFM
Power: : 0.96 W
Noise: : 28 dBA
Speed: : 1500 RPM
Bearing: : 2 Ball Bearings

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Those are pretty impressive fans.

Here's a cheaper alternative I've used:

http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=16724+FN

79 cents each! They're quiet (quieter than the Vantec Stealth) and move a fair amount of air. If they die every few years, just keep a spare on hand. Two of these plus a $2 wall wart and you've got a great cooling system for less than $5.

[mfinn]

WOW those are really cheap. Nice deal

I try and balance the amount of air moved vs. the noise level. dba's. The Vantecs at 28dba's are silent.
I've found others that are as quiet and move more air, but they wear out I tried Scythe Slipstreams which move 88 cfm's at 33dba's, but they seem to wear out fairly fast.
I have a couple Vantecs that are 4 years old and still going. My fans are a real pain to replace so I have to look at the life of the fan also.

But if you have good access to that area, those 79 cent fans are a real great deal. Good find.

[AquaWave523]

der_willie_zur_macht, i noticed in the picture it doesnt have an outlet plug. Just the fan to connect to something....what do u use?

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Aquawave, any time you are DIY'ing a fan, you'll have to get creative with the wiring. Luckily, it's really easy. The fans always have a + and - for power. Sometimes they have other wires (stall detection, tachometer, etc) that you can ignore. 99% of the time, there is a wiring diagram included with the fan, or right on the fan itself. Otherwise, you can just try different combinations of hooking the wires on the fan up to a 12v power supply until you find the one that works.

To make the actual connections, you just need a solid way to ensure electrical conduction without being dangerous. You could use wire nuts, as long as you taped them well or filled them with silicone afterwards. Or, you could solder and heat shrink the connections. Or, use those crimp butt splices with the heat shrink built in.

If you want more than one fan, you can likely just use one power supply. The power supply has to be 12v DC. It'll also have a max current listed (in terms of amps or milliamps, mA.) Find out the current drawn by the fans you want to use - in the example of the Stealth posted above, it's .08 A, which is 80mA. Now, make sure your power supply's max is above that rating. If you are using multiple fans, add the currents up and make sure that is below the rating. So, if you wanted to power three of the Vantec Stealths, you'd need at least .24A (240mA) capacity. I'd add a bit for headroom and look for a supply that could do .5A (500mA).

Wiring one fan, just hook the + from the fan to the + from the supply, and the - from the fan to the - from the supply. For wiring multiple fans, you want them in parallel. That means ALL the + from ALL the fans to the + on the supply, and same for the - connections.

[monotreme_man]

these are quieter, and what i am planning to use in mine.

http://www.microbarn.com/details.aspx?rid=101547

[mfinn]

Originally posted by monotreme_man
these are quieter, and what i am planning to use in mine.

http://www.microbarn.com/details.aspx?rid=101547

Those have nice numbers as well.

[AquaWave523]

I was looking at a few fans on marine depot and they don't list the noise level. Anyone used any of these fans? For a 90 gallon - I was looking at possibly two fans at most. THe last few days, I've been battling the water temperature. It's been at 79 to 81....that's with the lights off and canopy wide open.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...CAF~tab~5.html

[AquaWave523]

anyone?

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I've never used that fan but I've been around fixtures that had it installed on them. It's reasonably quiet.

Though, I'll probably sound like a broken record here, but it's pretty overpriced. I can almost 100% garuntee that some of the other fans posted here (especially those posted by mfinn or monotreme_man) will be both quieter and more powerful - and they're cheaper, too. In the end, these are all just 12V DC fans, so don't place any extra hope on the fact that the Current USA fan is marketed as being suitable for reef use.

[ForSaleByAndy]

I just bought a $9.99 clip on fan from HD. I set it on a timer to sync with my MH and wham! cheap cooling.

No sense in spending a ton of cash when it's not really needed IMO

[AquaWave523]

Ok, so where do I buy the power plug? I'll pick up a cheap fan like you said somewhere and then connect it to the power plug

[SirToppemHat]

Vantec Stealth from Newegg.com Lifetime warranty.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Originally posted by AquaWave523
Ok, so where do I buy the power plug? I'll pick up a cheap fan like you said somewhere and then connect it to the power plug

Since these are 12V DC fans, you need a "wall wart" that puts out 12V. These are all over the place. For instance, from the MPJA.com site I linked to for the cheap fan above:

http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=17563+PD

Just make sure it puts out 12V DC, and the current rating (Amps) is ABOVE what your fan draws. Most of these fans draw very little current, so if you stick with a 1A supply, you'll be all set. You should be able to get something like this from any electronics or computer vendor.

[AquaWave523]

I'm looking at the tip of the connector and it looks like I'll have to cut off the tip and then connect the wires matching it up with the fan?

Is this correct?

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Yep - this is certainly a "hack" but a totally safe and reasonable one.

Just make sure your connections are secure and water-tight. The easiest way to do this if you're not handy with electronics is probably to use those little crimped butt splices, like people sometimes use for car audio work. I grabbed this image off digikey:



Any hardware store or big-box like Home Depot will have these. You strip the wires, put them in, crimp it shut, then give it a tug to make sure the crimp is secure. Then, shrink wrap or wrap with electrical tape, and you're set.

[AquaWave523]

Yeah, thanks der_willie_zur_macht....I researched some chillers...its about $299+ for cooling a tank my size.

So i'm thinking in the long run, a chiller might be worth it? What's your thought?

I wouldn't have to get an ATO since the evaporation wouldn't be so severe. Right now I have all of my top open and canopy lifted.

How many fans do you think I would need for a tank my size? Right now it's been steady at 79-80F, which I think is the temp if I leave the canopy open and no lights all day. I prefer to keep the lights on for at least 4 hours.

If I get one of those VHO and moonlights appear to be dimmer, would this produce less energy and wouldn't heat up the tank as much?

[der_wille_zur_macht]

It's personal choice, but I am really not a fan of chillers. They are expensive to buy, and (very!) expensive to run. If you only need a few degrees you can get that with fans, and IMHO evaporation is going to happen anyways - so having a chiller won't prevent you from needing or wanting an ATO. If your tank is sealed up tight enough that it's not evaporating much, then I can assure you you'll have gas exchange problems (high CO2 and low oxygen in the water.) So, don't equate using a chiller to not needing ATO.

In addition, if you ever make the switch to a reef tank with lots of corals, you'll likely need to dose calcium and alkalinity. Having lots of evaportation helps here, since you can replace the evaporated water with kalk water, instead of pure water - kalk supplements calcium and alkalinity in exactly the right ratio, but you can't use it unless you are evaporating a fair amount.

Plus, I can tell you that a $300 chiller isn't going to put much of a dent in a 90g tank!

At the least, you can throw the fans on now, and see if that works for you. If it does, you're all set. If it doesn't, well, go buy the chiller after all, and the $10-$20 you spent on the fan experiment isn't a big deal. I'd start with two fans, if you go with something like the vantec stealth or similar.

An ATO can be as simple as a pair of float switches and an aqualifter pump sucking water from a reservior tank. You can use a salt bucket or water jug for the topoff water, which should hold enough that you only have to fill it once or twice a week. Check out these places:

bulkreefsupply.com
autotopoff.com

[AquaWave523]

Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht
It's personal choice, but I am really not a fan of chillers. They are expensive to buy, and (very!) expensive to run. If you only need a few degrees you can get that with fans, and IMHO evaporation is going to happen anyways - so having a chiller won't prevent you from needing or wanting an ATO. If your tank is sealed up tight enough that it's not evaporating much, then I can assure you you'll have gas exchange problems (high CO2 and low oxygen in the water.) So, don't equate using a chiller to not needing ATO.

In addition, if you ever make the switch to a reef tank with lots of corals, you'll likely need to dose calcium and alkalinity. Having lots of evaportation helps here, since you can replace the evaporated water with kalk water, instead of pure water - kalk supplements calcium and alkalinity in exactly the right ratio, but you can't use it unless you are evaporating a fair amount.

Plus, I can tell you that a $300 chiller isn't going to put much of a dent in a 90g tank!

At the least, you can throw the fans on now, and see if that works for you. If it does, you're all set. If it doesn't, well, go buy the chiller after all, and the $10-$20 you spent on the fan experiment isn't a big deal. I'd start with two fans, if you go with something like the vantec stealth or similar.

An ATO can be as simple as a pair of float switches and an aqualifter pump sucking water from a reservior tank. You can use a salt bucket or water jug for the topoff water, which should hold enough that you only have to fill it once or twice a week. Check out these places:

bulkreefsupply.com
autotopoff.com

Thanks!!!

[AquaWave523]

Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht
Since these are 12V DC fans, you need a "wall wart" that puts out 12V. These are all over the place. For instance, from the MPJA.com site I linked to for the cheap fan above:

http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=17563+PD

Just make sure it puts out 12V DC, and the current rating (Amps) is ABOVE what your fan draws. Most of these fans draw very little current, so if you stick with a 1A supply, you'll be all set. You should be able to get something like this from any electronics or computer vendor.

Would I have to get two or three of these if i wanted more than 1 fan? From experience, how many fans would i need to drop 3-5 degrees on a 90 gallon? In the future, I can see myself upgrading to T5s for corals.