Help with pump choice for 24 Gal. Nano Cube DX...

[bonebrake]

I posted a thread about two weeks ago on this topic and here is what I have come up with:
My JBJ 24 Gal. Nano Cube DX has been full of water for about two weeks and it is consistently 86 degrees at night due to the fans being off and 84 degrees during the day since the fans are on when the lights are on. This seems a bit warm to me. The stock pump is the only contributing factor to the temperature; it is running at 25 watts. Would a Maxijet 900 running at 8.5 watts be enough flow at 230 GPH? Would a Maxijet 1200 at 295 GPH be the right amount of flow but still too much wattage to make a difference? The Maxijet 1200 runs at 20 watts. I would like to have the tank temperature dependent on the heater and not the pump for obvious reasons.
P.S. - No livestock yet; live rock arrives 3:00 PM, Nov. 9th, 2005. Ambient room temperature is ~75 degrees.

 

[hedonic]

May be an obvious question, but you don't have a heater in there currently, right? In my expeirence with small tanks, espcially those nano cubes, the pump has not been enough to keep it running that hot. In fact most of the people I have helped with them need a heater to keep their temp above 75deg. How long do you run your lights during the day? are they on a timer? is the tank near a heating vent?
I don't mean to be redundant but these factors are, on average, more of a culprit then the stock pump.

 

[bonebrake]

Originally Posted by hedonic
May be an obvious question, but you don't have a heater in there currently, right? In my expeirence with small tanks, espcially those nano cubes, the pump has not been enough to keep it running that hot. In fact most of the people I have helped with them need a heater to keep their temp above 75deg. How long do you run your lights during the day? are they on a timer? is the tank near a heating vent?
I don't mean to be redundant but these factors are, on average, more of a culprit then the stock pump.
Here is some more information. I do have a heater, however, it is not plugged in. The lights are on a timer for nine hours per day (12PM - 9PM), and the fans are only on when the lights are on. It is not near a vent. Also update on ambient room temperature, it is 78 degrees.

 

[bonebrake]

When I first set it up I turned everything on, heater, pump, lights, and two days later it was consistently 86 at night and 84 in the day. I had the 50 watt heater set at 78, but I turned it off and all this past week it has continued to be 86 at night and 84 during the day.

 

[jacksdad]

The easiest thing to try is to upgrade your fans. Or at the very least, re-wire them to their own power supply. This is very simple and made a big difference for me. If you need a step by step let me know. If this doesn't work you may need to get a chiller or an ICA.
Again, let me know,
Bob

 

[bonebrake]

Hey Bob, thanks for the assistance on this issue of mine. I would be interested in rewiring the fans if it is easy enough. I can just see the look on the wife when she comes home to me playing with the hood of my tank in the middle of the living room!

But before we do all of that, do you think the 16.5 watt difference between the Maxijet 900 and the stock pump would solve the problem? I unplugged the pump and took it out last night and it was quite warm to the touch. Or should I go ahead and do both? I need some wise counsel on this one.

 

[jacksdad]

I would swap the stock pump out first. See if that makes enough of a difference. If not, then do the fan mod.
Bob

 

[bonebrake]

Awesome. Thanks Bob. I am ordering one as we speak on flea bay.

 

[jacksdad]

No problem, hope that solves the issue. Also, on a different subject, if you are ever interested in upgrading the lighting on your cube. The guy who did mine is now working for the place that sells the ICA. Both he and Chris do fantastic work and it is worth every penny, or I should say dollar spent!
Bob

 

[bonebrake]

I am definitely interested, however, I will have to put it on the backburner for awhile. I have blown about $600 bucks setting this beast up, my wallet has to recooperate for a few months before I blow any more jack. What did your hood run you total?
P.S. the stand I got for my 24 Gal. Nano is awesome. It fits perfect with 1/2" on all sides of the surface still showing. Very sleek and professional looking. It was $69.99 plus tax at IKEA. It is made by KAXAS if you want to check it out. It comes with metal legs, but I opted not to put those on.