for those w/o a chiller....

acroaddict

acroaddict

Member
how do u maintain a cool tank without a chiller. for the last couple of days, my tank reached a temp of 86 in the daytime. i have to put ziplock bags of ice in to cool it down which doesnt even work unless i use alot of ice. how do u guys maintain a cool temp if u dont have a chiller?
 
dmyers557

dmyers557

Member
I found that if you keep your ambient temperature around 78 degrees, you can just run a fan across the top of your tank. Works wonders.
 
spiderwoman

spiderwoman

Active Member
Just remember to keep your eye on the topoff amount when you use a fan. I noticed this in our 75 when I ran a fan in the sump... amount needed to topoff increased by 50%. Now the room temp is low enough to keep that tank at good temp.
 
tomato clown

tomato clown

Member
Internal air flow in the room helps a lot believe it or not. As well if you're using equipment under the DT, you need to realize that heat rises. In this case it's rising to the bottom of your DT, the substrate is acquiring that heat and creating the warmer water from below. Then your lighting creates the top of the water to hold heat in turn causing that similar to a greenhouse effect. (Yes I've put some thought into this because I'm too cheap to buy a chiller..ha ha)
Now I've taken a cieling AC vent and directed it towards the tank (They sell directional vents for assorted opeinings). I don't run a straight lighting schedule, I'll turn off for 2-3 hours in the middle of the day. (I call it fishy nap time). I have no hood, I leave the lights on legs, and all my mechanical equipment is off to the side and not under the tank. I use the space under the tank for supplies, cleaning items, food, etc...
 
rael

rael

Member
Well, I try to keep the tank about a gallon low and drip in slightly colder water. Once it hits 81 or 82, I start the drip to get it back to 79 or 80.
 
howard947

howard947

Member
a lot depends on your lighting (MH lighting may be too much for a system w/o a chiller). the further the lights are from the water, the cooler it will be. be sure to use fans.
 
sly

sly

Active Member
Don't use a glass canopy. Replace it with egg crate material. Space the lights several inches above the tank to create an air gap. Then use a couple of fans in the hood to bring cool air in and carry hot air out. Keep the tank in a room that is air conditioned... That's it.
I have a 72 gallon tank with 324 watts of T5 lighting and the temperature stays at 79 degrees day and night. I measured the max temp that the tank reaches in the day and then set the heaters to keep the tank that warm at night. This way the tank doesn't very more than 1 degree ever.
 
acroaddict

acroaddict

Member
wow. thanks for all the help. i have a fan on my canopy but never thought that it was lower my tank temp even on hot days.i keep it on 24/7 now. this forum helps out a lot.=]
 
sly

sly

Active Member
The fan not only helps cool the tank dramatically, but it also carries out condensation from under the hood at night when the lights are off. I used to have a problem with my fixtures trying to rust in places above the tank but once I left the fan on 24/hrs, that was no longer a problem.
I cut a square hole on either side of my canopy and mounted computer fans in them. One draws air in and the other exhausts it out.
 
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