# Lets talk CHILLERS



## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

For the last two months my CRS tank has been steady at 72 degrees. I took a look today and it's at 75 which is not good since it's only early March. What are my options in the upcoming few weeks? It's a 20 gallon high with two hang on filters (Aquaclear 50 and Aquaclear 20). The only cool thing is that I can take out my gignatic 200 watt heater which is an eyesore across my entire back wall. 

I have never had a chiller or anything of that nature. What can I buy or make to drop my temp to 72 degrees? I'm not really looking to drop bags of ice or any bandaid solution.

Thanks in advance.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

fan blowing across the surface can lower water temp by 10 degrees. Causes evaporation though.

Definitely take the heater out, no reason to have one in a shrimp tank


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## Redneck Badger (Jan 13, 2012)

from what Ive seen, chillers are pretty expensive. £250-400! but there are wee clip on fans, they clip onto the side of the tank an blow onto the surface of the tank. 
Heres another type for small nursery an fry tanks.

http://www.novatecproducts.com/iceprobe_aquarium_chiller.htm


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

+1 on the fan! Get a $5 one at your local big box store that clips on.

Or spend $25 for a fancy 2-PC fan rig that's speed controllable and silent.


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## azjenny (Dec 2, 2011)

I like the aquatec fans. I know it's unnecessary to actually get one that is for aquarium use, but I like the way these are set to blow across the surface of the water and they don't look terrible.
I've seen from some of your posts that you're not necessarily anti spending some cash as long as its worth it . I feel the same way, but as skeptical as I was, and as interested in a chiller, a fan really does work. The only thing is the evap. It's pretty brutal on a hot day. So before I go on vacation this summer I'm going to have to set up an auto top off system of some sort. I think it'll work out fine. And I'm in Phx, so things get really hot!


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

azjenny said:


> I like the aquatec fans. I know it's unnecessary to actually get one that is for aquarium use, but I like the way these are set to blow across the surface of the water and they don't look terrible.
> *I've seen from some of your posts that you're not necessarily anti spending some cash *as long as its worth it . I feel the same way, but as skeptical as I was, and as interested in a chiller, a fan really does work. The only thing is the evap. It's pretty brutal on a hot day. So before I go on vacation this summer I'm going to have to set up an auto top off system of some sort. I think it'll work out fine. And I'm in Phx, so things get really hot!


Depends. If I have to spend $100+ on aquarium fans for 6 tanks or take an old pc power supply, some phone cords from the dollar store and a bunch of fans I pull out of dead xboxes and pc's, then it's make fans myself and have a $100 for shrimp, or $100 in fans. lol.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Nice, thanks all. It looks like a fan is definitely the way to go instead of an actual chiller.

I don't really want a loud fan or some bulky thing that they sell at Target. Any suggestions or links to some nice sleek sexy aquarium fans?

Also, I'm open to the idea of making my own but would need some type of instructions....I enjoy DIY projects once in a while.


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## FreedPenguin (Aug 2, 2011)

mordalphus said:


> fan blowing across the surface can lower water temp by 10 degrees. Causes evaporation though.
> 
> Definitely take the heater out, no reason to have one in a shrimp tank


Hey Liam, I was wondering, whats the lowest temperature your tanks go to without heaters? I live in San Diego in a house with pretty much no heating or AC, and it is a bit hot during summer (but bearable) and a little cold in the winter (but bearable).

The thing is my tank I've noticed go as high as 80* in the summer and down the mid 60s in the cold. So I use a heater and plan on using PC fan setups across all my tanks in the summer. 

I was wondering this same thing and thanks OP, gleaned some useful information!


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## Redneck Badger (Jan 13, 2012)

hedge_fund said:


> Nice, thanks all. It looks like a fan is definitely the way to go instead of an actual chiller.
> 
> I don't really want a loud fan or some bulky thing that they sell at Target. Any suggestions or links to some nice sleek sexy aquarium fans?
> 
> Also, I'm open to the idea of making my own but would need some type of instructions....I enjoy DIY projects once in a while.


ebay has them, nice wee dual mini fans made for aquariums and silent too but it wont allow me to put a link up, it keeps removin it. you can look for them there.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

FreedPenguin said:


> Hey Liam, I was wondering, whats the lowest temperature your tanks go to without heaters? I live in San Diego in a house with pretty much no heating or AC, and it is a bit hot during summer (but bearable) and a little cold in the winter (but bearable).
> 
> The thing is my tank I've noticed go as high as 80* in the summer and down the mid 60s in the cold. So I use a heater and plan on using PC fan setups across all my tanks in the summer.
> 
> I was wondering this same thing and thanks OP, gleaned some useful information!


My tanks don't drop down so far, I have my shrimp room climate controlled. But the lower end for shrimp is mid 50's, lower than that and they kinda freeze up and don't do anything. Most peoples homes don't get into the mid 50's, so that's why I never recommend using a heater in a shrimp tank. It's just another accessory in your tank that could fail.


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## metallicanick78 (Apr 26, 2011)

Before I sold my 220 I was contemplating a trout tank. I was going to use a mini fridge and like 100' of tubing. Hook the tubing up to a power head or something small, run the tubing into the mini-fridge, stuff most of the tubing inside it and run it back to the tank.

With a good volume of water I think it could keep up with the summer heat in CT even with the windows open. Plus Id have a fridge for anything perishable for my tank. Also a fraction of the cost of an actual aquarium water chiller.

For your situation a fan is deffinetly where its at... just talkin' chillers


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

******* Badger said:


> ebay has them, nice wee dual mini fans made for aquariums and silent too but it wont allow me to put a link up, it keeps removin it. you can look for them there.


Thanks.

What is the exact title that you searched? I did "aquarium fan" and there were hundreds of items.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

Mini fridge doesn't work, you end up killing the fridge very quickly, and it doesn't drop your temp. Fridges are meant to work for a few minutes, then turn off and rely on the insulation to keep the temperature from going up. When you run warm water into the fridge it will never get to temperature, so will be constantly running, which they're not made to do, and it will burn out the fridge very quickly (especially on a warm day).


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

hedge_fund said:


> Thanks.
> 
> What is the exact title that you searched? I did "aquarium fan" and there were hundreds of items.


*ChillMaster Saltwater Aquarium Cooling Fan (2 fan) 

*


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## metallicanick78 (Apr 26, 2011)

Good to know mordalphus! Never actually did it, it was just my mental plan, then the tank sold and I started my rack...


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

mordalphus said:


> *ChillMaster Saltwater Aquarium Cooling Fan (2 fan)
> 
> *


Thanks. This is easier than buying the parts and trying to DIY. I was contemplating this but then couldn't think of how I would mount the fan to the aquarium.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

Yeah, and aquatek is a forum sponsor as well.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

It's actually cheaper than DIYing a two-fan system. I have one of the four-fan versions on a huge tank and it does a solid job.

If you ever do go the DIY route, though, Coolerguys has a ton of great stuff. Easy to put a rig together without any real splicing or DIYing. Expect to spend about $40 to get two fans, a speed controller, power adapter and splitter.


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## ohbaby714 (Feb 23, 2011)

I have the same set up and also using Aquaclear 20 and 50 on the tank.
Reasonly i just bought the iceprobe and modify the Aquaclear 20 to fit the iceprobe.
I drilled 1&1/4" hole on top of the lid and fitted the iceprobe. I had been running it for 2 days in the row now and the temp is pretty steady at 72F.

Anyway, i know the reviews on the iceprobe are not very good on bigger tank, but so far this work great on my 20 long.
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x461/ohbaby714/2f81f96e.jpg

Btw, it been +80 in the house in FL all week.


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## Lifeblood (Jan 31, 2012)

I am debating, either one of the fan setups or I was thinking about getting a mini-fridge for the man cave and drilling some holes got a metal coil and then running the tank water through that.

Probably just going to go with the fans but I can dream right?


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

:icon_eek:


Lifeblood said:


> I am debating, either one of the fan setups or I was thinking about getting a mini-fridge for the man cave and drilling some holes got a metal coil and then running the tank water through that.
> 
> Probably just going to go with the fans but I can dream right?





> Mini fridgedoesn't work,you end up killing thefridgevery quickly, and it doesn't drop your temp. Fridges are meant to work for a few minutes, then turn off and rely on the insulation to keep the temperature from going up. When you run warm water into the fridge it will nevergetto temperature, so will be constantly running, which they're not made to do, and it will burn out the fridge very quickly (especially on a warm day).


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## Moe (Jan 22, 2004)

My shrimp are in a room that reaches the lower 80's in the summer, so what i did was I insulate three sides of my shrimp tanks (10G) with foam insulation. I have one DIY PC fan over each tank, running during the light cycle blowing over the waters surface. I have no problems keeping the water temps in the lower 70's


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## azjenny (Dec 2, 2011)

mordalphus said:


> *ChillMaster Saltwater Aquarium Cooling Fan (2 fan)
> 
> *


This is the one I have, like and was referring to in my pp...


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

I'm going to DIY some for this summer. I did last summer but they were just put together, used different wallwarts, etc for power. I am going to use a PC power supply, which I use to power some of my LED's and moonlighting anyways and 1 PC power supply could power hundreds of fans. 80cm fans on thebay are $1.97 each, free shipping. For 1 old power supply, some dollar store phone cords or speaker wire to use for wiring and $30 in fans, I can 15 fans to use for cooling. Just need to make some sort of bracket system. A cheap switch and I can switch between 12v and 5v from the power supply, so that will be my speed adjustment. So for $50 and an old power supply and some scrap metal or wood, I will make enough fan modules to cool 8 or 9 tanks instead of 1.


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## al4n (Nov 18, 2008)

I ran a fan over my tank, it works but a hassle and doesn't look pleasing. In the end I bit the bullet and bought a chiller. Ever since never looked back. And no need to top up a few liters everyday which caused the water conditions unstable.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

al4n said:


> I ran a fan over my tank, it works but a hassle and doesn't look pleasing. In the end I bit the bullet and bought a chiller. Ever since never looked back. And no need to top up a few liters everyday which caused the water conditions unstable.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


Not so easy when you have 11 tanks to buy 11 chillers. lol.


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## randyl (Feb 1, 2012)

GeToChKn, how hot does your water get in the summer? I mean, Hamilton can't be that hotter than Markham... is it necessary to get cooling fans in Southern Ontario?


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

randyl said:


> GeToChKn, how hot does your water get in the summer? I mean, Hamilton can't be that hotter than Markham... is it necessary to get cooling fans in Southern Ontario?


I'm on the 3rd floor too, so it gets warms up here, no central air, just an AC and fans in my place. I only used them on my crystal/tiger tanks to keep them around 70 but they probably only got to 78 without them, just that's pushing the bounds of what they like, so I aimed for cooler. Probably just have to see how you'rs get and go from there.


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## GDP (Mar 12, 2011)

mordalphus said:


> Mini fridge doesn't work, you end up killing the fridge very quickly, and it doesn't drop your temp. Fridges are meant to work for a few minutes, then turn off and rely on the insulation to keep the temperature from going up. When you run warm water into the fridge it will never get to temperature, so will be constantly running, which they're not made to do, and it will burn out the fridge very quickly (especially on a warm day).


Beat me to it lol.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

It's good to prepare early I guess....I can see tons of these threads popping up once it gets really warm. Prepare people...


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

hedge_fund said:


> It's good to prepare early I guess....I can see tons of these threads popping up once it gets really warm. Prepare people...


Yup, I plan on building some soon. I just have to figure out what I am going to do to support it. Last year I just took some strip aluminum and screw fans to that but it just rested across the tank and I knocked them in the water more than once. lol.


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## Redneck Badger (Jan 13, 2012)

hedge_fund said:


> Thanks.
> 
> What is the exact title that you searched? I did "aquarium fan" and there were hundreds of items.


This is the title, I copied it as it wont allow the link. Thats no a bad wee one. 
Azoo make them too. Theyre tidy. 

Aquarium Chiller Marine Fresh DC Cooling Clip FAN 02


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

So I bought this fan today.....less than 35 bucks with shipping. Cheap price to pay when you have hundreds of dollars invested in shrimp. haha


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Kamil, thats nice. where did you get it? I think i'll need a few for the summer also.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

h4n said:


> Kamil, thats nice. where did you get it? I think i'll need a few for the summer also.


Ebay. 
Just type in the item number in the search field: 230759308395

It's probably good to get prepared instead of trying to order all these fans etc when your temp changes and stresses your shrimp.


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## moonwasaloon (May 24, 2011)

How could I cool down the fluval edge? I was thinking about adding ice cube/small ice pack type to my filter. Would this work? The room is air condition from 6pm to 6am. I would add the ice cube before I left at work at 7am.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

moonwasaloon said:


> How could I cool down the fluval edge? I was thinking about adding ice cube/small ice pack type to my filter. Would this work? The room is air condition from 6pm to 6am. I would add the ice cube before I left at work at 7am.


Not sure but that seems like it would stress sensitive shrimp since the temp would be constantly changing as the ice cube would melt. A fan is not the greatest solution but it seems to be more stable. People are claiming that a fan can lower the temp by up to 10 degrees which is all that most people need.


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## moonwasaloon (May 24, 2011)

I would love to add a fan, but the lack of room for the fluval edge, there isn't enough room on the top to add a fan.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

hedge_fund said:


> Not sure but that seems like it would stress sensitive shrimp since the temp would be constantly changing as the ice cube would melt. A fan is not the greatest solution but it seems to be more stable. People are claiming that a fan can lower the temp by up to 10 degrees which is all that most people need.


I just did this and get a 10F drop on 20g crystal tank with 1 12v PC case fan mounted to the hood over the tank. Lots of evap though. lol. Rather have my crystals at 72 than 82 though so I'll deal with the water loss. I may switch it to run at 5v though instead as I have to keep turning it on and off to keep it stable. Granted in the wild, they experience temperature shifts all the time but rather have it slowing lower the temps over the day than in an hour or so and if I can keep the fan on 24/7 and keep it at 75ish instead, I'd rather do that.


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## ZID ZULANDER (Apr 15, 2008)

you could try this...A little more expensive than a fan.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewi...aign=mdcsegooglebase2&utm_content=PST1-CW1111


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

ZID ZULANDER said:


> you could try this...A little more expensive than a fan.
> 
> http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewi...aign=mdcsegooglebase2&utm_content=PST1-CW1111


Seems like a lot of work. You have to drill your tank for that to fit in, and then still run a separate temperature probe and controller to actually shut the thing on and off. If I was going to go that route, I would go chiller over that and plumb it into a canister filter rather than need more equipment and drilling a tank.


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## ZID ZULANDER (Apr 15, 2008)

no you can just drill a hole in the top of a HOB filter and do it that way.

http://www.marinedepot.com/chillers_coolworks_microchiller-ap.html


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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

I was thinking about the fan route, but I usually travel on weekends. I don't know how well the tank would hold up with me being gone for three of four days with temps in the 80s to high 90s. We don't get temps near 100 for long, but when we do, the room the tank is in gets really hot. I live in a 187 year old house with no insulation. The south facing walls hold a lot of heat in the summer. $160 for a chiller and controller sounds pretty good to me.
You could build a PVC or Lexan housing and plumb your canister/powerhead to it, or mount it to a HOB like ZID mentioned. A cheap prefilter unit could be drilled to mount this as well.


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## Mr. Leg (Feb 2, 2011)

I used a fan for the edge but had to top off every day or so. also going to need to match the aged water perameters so it wont be a change every time you top off.


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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

Actually, you would want RO/DI to top off. Only the water evaporates. Everything in the water stays, concentrating it. Topping off with RO/DI brings it back to the same concentration, topping off with water at the same parameters raises the concentrations.


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## randyl (Feb 1, 2012)

Beer said:


> Actually, you would want RO/DI to top off. Only the water evaporates. Everything in the water stays, concentrating it. Topping off with RO/DI brings it back to the same concentration, topping off with water at the same parameters raises the concentrations.


I agree in theory, but it depends on the substrate too. In my akadama tank I only top off and TDS doesn't go up, it does change a bit only for a short period of time but with RO/DI your parameters change a bit too temporarily too.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Glad I ordered that fan...temp today is hovering around 76 degrees and it's only March. I get a bit nervous once it goes past 72.

I just need that fan to arrive on Monday.


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## Zefrik (Oct 23, 2011)

Lol I keep my tanks in the cold dark basement! Yay!


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## UGA_Grad_Student (Feb 14, 2012)

So I recently moved to GA where the temp will get A LOT warmer during the summer than where I am from. It is already hitting 80s in march. I have never used a fan or a cooling system. What kind of methods are there besides those two, are there to help even a couple degrees? I assume creating more surface agitation and leaving the tops open/off would help but is that correct? Besides the obvious of keeping the AC low are there any other little tricks?


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## Moe (Jan 22, 2004)

I insulate 3 sides of my tanks, temps hold longer. The down side it doesnt look good on show tanks  but that doesnt matter to me


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## randyl (Feb 1, 2012)

Moe said:


> I insulate 3 sides of my tanks, temps hold longer. The down side it doesnt look good on show tanks  but that doesnt matter to me


Doesn't it hold the heat in the tank too so it doesn't cool off as quickly?


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## ChadRamsey (Nov 3, 2011)

what about larger tanks.

I have 125g that i would like to cool a few degrees, say keep it at 75 the HIGHEST. 

Im not sure that the little fans would do much good. Peeing in the wind actually.

Are chillers my only viable option?


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## Lifeblood (Jan 31, 2012)

I was looking at this: http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Snap-Cooling-Tempterature-Sensor/dp/B001TFFDN4/ref=dp_cp_ob_vg_title_2 

Any thoughts?

With a little work I think I can get it to mount to my lighting


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Lifeblood said:


> I was looking at this: http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Snap-Cooling-Tempterature-Sensor/dp/B001TFFDN4/ref=dp_cp_ob_vg_title_2
> 
> Any thoughts?
> 
> With a little work I think I can get it to mount to my lighting


At only 5V, I don't see it blowing a lot of air but it may be enough. I doubt I would count on the auto sensor to be able to do anything as the temps of an Xbox are way different than ambient air temps above a tank. I don't like the location of the plug for your purpose, seems like water could get in. The transformer looks pretty small for converting 220/110 down to 5v and can't be much more than a bridge rectifier and not much power safety. These things are like $4 wholesale on my lists. And finally, don't ever use anything like that on your Xbox 360. They are pointless. lol.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

hedge_fund said:


> So I bought this fan today.....less than 35 bucks with shipping. Cheap price to pay when you have hundreds of dollars invested in shrimp. haha


So I received this today and unfortunately it does not fit my black rim tank. The openings on the bottom are exactly half an inch and my black rimmed tank is bigger (it's the regular cheap petco tanks). So I want to return it to the seller but he wants to charge me 15% restocking fee and I have to ship it out to him. This fans are really quiet and seems pretty sturdy. If anybody wants it, you can have it for 27 shipped (I paid 33). If no takers then I'll just send it back to the seller. Maybe I should list it in the swap and shop section?

This will work perfectly on a rimless tank and good for up to 20 gallons. Wish it would fit.

[Ebay Link Removed]


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

Kinda dumb question but would make sense if you live in a _really_ hot area; can you pack your canister filter surrounded by bags of ice in a container? For _serious_ cooling? And replace them once a day? lol


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Geniusdudekiran said:


> Kinda dumb question but would make sense if you live in a _really_ hot area; can you pack your canister filter surrounded by bags of ice in a container? For _serious_ cooling? And replace them once a day? lol


You can but you really have no control of the temperature. In other words, how many bags do you need exactly to make the temp 72 degrees? What if you put too much and it drops down to 50 lol.


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## Geniusdudekiran (Dec 6, 2010)

hedge_fund said:


> You can but you really have no control of the temperature. In other words, how many bags do you need exactly to make the temp 72 degrees? What if you put too much and it drops down to 50 lol.


lol I could see that happening. haha


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

above fan is sold to H4N. Thanks


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

Thanks


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## randyl (Feb 1, 2012)

I just DIY one today with an old computer power supply, I bought a case fan with only 25 cfm, I think it's not powerful enough but I just put it on and will see what happens tomorrow (will get to 30C/86F , the highest ever recorded in southern Ontario in March).

The tank water got to 25C/77F today, if this is not working out.... I'm moving three 20G long to the basement this weekend.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

randyl said:


> I just DIY one today with an old computer power supply, I bought a case fan with only 25 cfm, I think it's not powerful enough but I just put it on and will see what happens tomorrow (will get to 30C/86F , the highest ever recorded in southern Ontario in March).
> 
> The tank water got to 25C/77F today, if this is not working out.... I'm moving three 20G long to the basement this weekend.


The fan I salvaged from a pc must be hella powerful, it can drop it from 82 to 68 in a few hours and I had to keep turning it off and watching it and that ended in temp swings. I put it on a timer last night, 30mins on, 1 hour off and repeat for the 24h cycle, checked last night and this morning and seemed to be around 74 and holding, so hopefully as the cooling effects start to wear off and the water is getting ready to warm up, the fan kicks back on, cools and it keeps it within a few degrees.


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

You could make your own chiller with coiled metal piping, a pump, and a fan, maybe. 
Running the water through the metal piping with a fan blowing on it. 

Alternatively you may be able to use something from PC Water Cooling. 
They have radiator type devices you could run your water through to cool it down.

Effectiveness would depend on the size of your tank I suppose.


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## randyl (Feb 1, 2012)

Chlorophile said:


> You could make your own chiller with coiled metal piping, a pump, and a fan, maybe.
> Running the water through the metal piping with a fan blowing on it.
> 
> Alternatively you may be able to use something from PC Water Cooling.
> ...


Have you seen one (metal piping + fan) working? I'm not sure if it will work for tank water temp. The computer fan blowing to water works because of evaporation, a lot of heat is required in the process. 

My DIY with the 25 cfm fan kept the tank at 21C/69F degree while other tanks in the same room got 24C - 25C (76F). I'll get a bigger one tomorrow to see the difference.


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

randyl said:


> Have you seen one (metal piping + fan) working? I'm not sure if it will work for tank water temp. The computer fan blowing to water works because of evaporation, a lot of heat is required in the process.
> 
> My DIY with the 25 cfm fan kept the tank at 21C/69F degree while other tanks in the same room got 24C - 25C (76F). I'll get a bigger one tomorrow to see the difference.


So you are just blowing the fan over the tank? 

http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-Variable-Impeller-Vortex-Control/dp/tech-data/B002W7T59Q/ref=de_a_smtd

These fans are very quiet and at 70cfm would be a large improvement over your current fan.


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

Something like this would work for what I was imagining.
http://www.amazon.com/Super-Efficient-Stainless-Steel-Chiller/dp/B004D4QPQW

I am not sure if it would actually cool the water though.

The specific heat of the metal would be lower than the water temperature so it should in theory take heat out of the water..

edit: hrmm.. more research has made me confused, I think all the coil would do is make sure your tank water equalizes with room temp much quicker. 
However if you could put the coil in some sort of container with a misting system spraying it plus a fan to force extra evap you could definitely cool the water that way.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Chlorophile said:


> So you are just blowing the fan over the tank?
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-Variable-Impeller-Vortex-Control/dp/tech-data/B002W7T59Q/ref=de_a_smtd
> 
> These fans are very quiet and at 70cfm would be a large improvement over your current fan.


Yea that's what you do. The surface cooling will slowly lower the temperature throughout the entire tank. You don't have to buy such an expensive fan though, a simple $2 fan will work just as well.


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

diwu13 said:


> Yea that's what you do. The surface cooling will slowly lower the temperature throughout the entire tank. You don't have to buy such an expensive fan though, a simple $2 fan will work just as well.


I have a lot of fans from that company, use them in all my computers as I am a silence enthusiast. 
Can't fathom the idea of using a noisy fan for aquarium cooling after the lengths I've gone through to soundproof my aquarium cabinets. 

Also those fans have a 5 year warranty, not that you would need to replace one within 5 years, they are incredibly long lasting. 

Plus they come with 2 speed adapters, which not only make the fan even more quiet but would be useful if your tank was getting too cool.
The op mentioned his tank was 69 degrees, which is pretty dang cool by my standards already.


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## Jorge_Burrito (Nov 10, 2010)

I thought I would add to this discussion that for about $25 you can get a temp controller for your fan(s) through e-bay. Make sure to get a 120 V version. They are a tiny bit tricky to wire, but not too bad and have proven to be surprisingly reliable for me. It is a great addition to keep your tank at a constant temp.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Jorge_Burrito said:


> I thought I would add to this discussion that for about $25 you can get a temp controller for your fan(s) through e-bay. Make sure to get a 120 V version. They are a tiny bit tricky to wire, but not too bad and have proven to be surprisingly reliable for me. It is a great addition to keep your tank at a constant temp.


That's really cool! Any chance you can post up a guide on wiring it? What fan did you use? How accurate is that controller with the actual tank temperature? You got me very interested roud:


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## randyl (Feb 1, 2012)

Jorge_Burrito said:


> I thought I would add to this discussion that for about $25 you can get a temp controller for your fan(s) through e-bay. Make sure to get a 120 V version. They are a tiny bit tricky to wire, but not too bad and have proven to be surprisingly reliable for me. It is a great addition to keep your tank at a constant temp.



That's interesting, I would get one except I don't know how to wire my computer power supply to that.... but I might try it in the future (after I find out which one of my friends knows about wiring ;-)

Also, the 140mm fan looks good, I believe that's around 50 cfm so not a very powerful one for a 140mm. Mine is just 90mm.... and cost me $4.99 picked up at a store. I'll get another one tomorrow to see the difference....gotta be prepared. The small one kept the temp just below 70 when other uncooled tanks hit high 70, not bad already.... considered the total cost of $4.99 + tax.


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

randyl said:


> That's interesting, I would get one except I don't know how to wire my computer power supply to that.... but I might try it in the future (after I find out which one of my friends knows about wiring ;-)
> 
> Also, the 140mm fan looks good, I believe that's around 50 cfm so not a very powerful one for a 140mm. Mine is just 90mm.... and cost me $4.99 picked up at a store. I'll get another one tomorrow to see the difference....gotta be prepared. The small one kept the temp just below 70 when other uncooled tanks hit high 70, not bad already.... considered the total cost of $4.99 + tax.


It's 64cfm. You can type 110.3 meters cubed per hour to cubic feet per minute into google and it will do the conversion for you.
Oddly enough I typed it in earlier and got 70 something CFM... 

If you wan't a powerful fan and don't care about noise look into Delta fans, I used those when I use to overclock Pentium 4's on air. 

I think they put around 250 CFM in a 120mm format, but of course it will be noisy. 

I bet you could drop temps to the low 60's with one of those buggers!
But your tank water may start spraying away...


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

Lol here is one http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=24415

But it's 35 bucks... Could definitely be used on that fan controller Jorge posted, wouldn't need to stay on very long to get the temps down, I bet.


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## Jorge_Burrito (Nov 10, 2010)

diwu13 said:


> That's really cool! Any chance you can post up a guide on wiring it? What fan did you use? How accurate is that controller with the actual tank temperature? You got me very interested roud:


I have it hooked up to a small clip on fan bought from Walmart. It measures high about 1 degree of actual (as measured using a calibrated lab thermometer...there are advantages to being a chemist) and regulates the temperature to +/- 1 degree. 

A nice thread can be found here that talks about these controllers, including wiring diagrams. They are using them for slightly different purpose, but all the information on there is relevant.


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