Canopy fans Question

[toosalty]

What type of canopy fans does everyone use and how easy are they to install?

 

[murph145]

i just got some 6" fan from wal mart and just sat it up there blowing across my lights and water surface which works fine and i think cost me like $8 bucks

 

[ilovemytank]

I use two IceCap variable speed fans. Yhey are 4 3/4" inches square. I cut two holes in in the back of my canopy and mounted them flush. I use heavy lighting in a fully incased hood that traps alot of heat before I installed the fans my water was staying at 82 degree. I thought I was going to have to get a chiller. After instalation my lank is kept on a constant 77-78 degrees.
The fans are about $60.00 each at Dr Fosters and Smith. They also have some real good ones that don't have variable speeds that will cost $23.00 each. Good luck.

 

[toosalty]

What tool did you use to cut 2 perfect squares in your canopy?

 

[40 galons]

jigsaw would work

 

[ilovemytank]

I marked out my square and then drilled a hole in each corner ( a couple next to each other) until I was able to fit in the blade of the jigsaw. Works great !

 

[lovethemfish]

I've got 2 fans on top of my canopy blowing out to suck the hot air out, and a fan on each side of the canopy to suck cooler air in. It works quite well. they are about 6 inch fans.

 

[toosalty]

I like the ideas you guys have given out and I do need to install some fans to my canopy for air movement, but spending $45 on some fans is kinda overpriced in my opinion. I was thinking about getting some computer fans, but how would I power them? Can anyone lend me a hand here?

 

[tr1gger]

PC fans are all 12v, If you wanted to go the PC fan route i would recommend 180mm fans. They are great in size and you will get a lot of air circulation. Best bet is to get yourself a PC Power Supply and mount that in the hood. Connect the 12v power from the Power Supply to the fans and plug in the Cable to a standard 110 House Outlet.

 

[ilovemytank]

I think the money I spent on my fans was well worth it. I guess it all depends though on what size your tank and canopy is. Then factor what type of lights you are running and how much heat you are trying to eliminate. I'm running three 4' VHO double bulbs on at the same time. When I first installed them in my 15" high canopy that has no air flow, the heat was awful. It imediately started increasing my water temperature to a scary level. I was ready to buy a chiller but the fans solved everything. They are completely quite too. I promise I'm not getting a commision for trying to sell these fans, but I highly recommend them.

 

[maxalmon]

I use the fans from radioshack, you can get them in various CFM's, ultra quiet and somewhat inexpensive. The best design is a push/pull, one fan pulls air into the canopy and and another exhausts or pulls it out.