Just looked up the cost of chillers.

[jcattanach2012]

Holy excrement...
The reason I looked them up is that I already have 4 perfectly wonderful MH fixtures for the 125, but last time I ran them I had a pretty serious heat problem, and it's especially hard to keep the temp even through the tank since it's a tall... that top column of water gets super-duper hot super-duper fast... but I apparently seriously can't afford a chiller. I'm thinking that perhaps it would be cheaper to sell off the MH's and use T5's instead. Is it true that they don't give off as much heat? Is there any way I could buy an efficient chiller for less than 500 dollars?

 

[salt210]

find one used.

 

[sepulatian]

Pick up some clip on fans at Wallmart. Point them toward the surface of your tank. It is only hot at the surface. Push the heat away and be sure to top off your tank.

 

[jackri]

I have some used CPU fans wired into a power source --- everythign was free and blows across the water under my halides and keeps the water 3-4 degrees cooler without the spendy chiller.

 

[jcattanach2012]

How can I retrofit them into my canopy?

 

[jackri]

Good question, mine is open top and my light fixture sets on top with 4 legs so I just used black sticky velcro so I can remove them when I clean (or if I ever clean back there)

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by jcattanach2012
http:///forum/post/3117996
How can I retrofit them into my canopy?

I used ice cap fans..there are cheaper ones out there.
I put one fan at and angle pulling air in, the other at an angle pulling air out...on opposit ends, on opposite sides of the top, blowing across the lights. I screwed them into the corner of the canopy.
I removed the lid portion. The retrofit lights sit where the lid once was. I used wood blocks to set the light housing on attached to the canopy. Then I have a strip of moonlights that sit in front of that.
I like the canopy. It blocks out the bright lights from hitting my eyes when I sit in the living room where the tank is.

 

[salt210]

for retrofits the reflector would be bolted to the top portion of the canopy. then just have the fan blowing around inside the canopy.

 

[jcattanach2012]

Okay. I just didn't know if the fans would kind of not help if they didn't have a space to pull air from... I guess I could put them in the back where it's open? I don't really want to drill through the canopy though, and I feel like I need to direct the hot air outwards.