What can I do to cool down my tank?????

[east tx]

We are getting hot in Tx. already.
I have a 55 Gal. with 2--50/50 and 2 175 watt
Halides, 1-- 6" fan on hood.
I have been freezing 1/2 gal. jug of water, & when I get home from work I put it in the sump, but it doesn't last long.
If I got a clip on fan & attached it to the back of the tank, would that help?
Is there anything else, I can do?
It reads 80 to 82 and one side reads 84 sometimes. I only have the stick ons on 3 sides of my tank to read the temp.
Could they be off?
I don't want to cook my fish and corals, getting worried.

 

[tanker newbie]

dont get too worried, 84 of your hightest temp isent good, however you wont boil your fish, thell tollorate it however not really like it
now on how to fix it you have a few choices the most economical way is to do what you been doing freezing water and putting it into the sump(not allowing the frozen water to get into the water)
the 2nd way is you can lower the lenght of the lights a little, and on top of that add fans, for the lights,and of thers any areas that contact air that has no heat you can add fans there too
or the more expensive but consitant way of keeping your tank within the right range is to get a chiller which water will pass though it and kool down then be returned to the tank, however these units are pretty pricy

 

[mr2die4]

You could build a chiller out of those $100 office fridges. Saw a few howto's on Here is one exmaple:
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Dunno how it works I'll be putting one together shortly to see the results. If you decide to go this route let me know.
I am sorry but links to this site are not aloud............ the admin has asked us not to allow there links,,i know you are new to this board .. please reread the rules on links to selling sites...please consider this a warning.. thanks you
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RLV695
[ May 16, 2001: Message edited by: RLV695 ]

 

[east tx]

Let me know how it works.
I don't think I could do anything like that. (Not building anything)
Sounds good!! Good Luck!!

 

[mr2die4]

Oh dude its such cake. Look in the Recycler/Classified in your area for a Used Mini fridge. Get 50 to 100 feet of 3/8 inch hard plastic tubing (depending, vinyl isn't as gooda choice here). Something that will conduct fairly well. I'm sure copper tubing would be the best but I don't know what kind of substances will be introduced if you used copper tubing so try to stick to some kind of thin walled plastic tubing. simply drill a input and output hole barely big enough through the side of the fridge so that the tubbing can pass through and start winding it inside. Make sure you don't kink the line anywhere. Also make sure as your wrapping it through the fridge that each loop passes through the "Freezer" section on mini fridges its sort of a L shaped peice of metal that also houses the evaporator unit. Then find an adequate flowing powerhead move water and walla. Havn't tried it myself but I will soon as I find a fridge. You'll need to play with the thermostat in the fridge to get a stable temperature...paired with a good heater the temperature should always stay fairly constantly. you can go ahead and turn the unit off when winter time comes in. Really a very simple do it yourself project. If you live in the Los Angeles area I would be happy to help. I have plenty of different tools.

 

[sonny]

Another thing you could do is add a window a/c to your room with the tank. You can buy used a/c's or get a small one at a walmart or lowes. They are usually available for $150 or less. Small used ones for $50 or less. Try adding a fan under the tank first though. The heat could be coming from your pump. You can get a small fan at those same places for around $10. Point it at the pump.
Sonny

 

[broomer5]

Everything sounds good except please do not use copper tubing - even if a FO tank. Best practice is to eliminate all metals in contact with saltwater systems. I'm considering making one of these DIY chillers myself someday.
thanks for the tip
Brian

 

[fau8]

Some day I want to go this route also, in the mean time I am using a cooler with holes drilled through the side and a power head. The cooler has about 75 feet of coiled plastic tubing in it, I keep about 2 inches of water in the cooler and twice a day switch out 2 one gallon milk containers that I fill with water and freeze. I'm in south florida and with a house temp of 80 degrees the cooler keeps the tank stable at 77-78 degees. it is a 50 gallon tank...

 

[blue marlin]

Guys, that is a great idea; do you think the good old frisge will do the trick on my 200 gal. tank. I need to take action soon; it is already getting hot in TX.