chilling tank without chiller?

[Cabinetman]

Using a fan pointing at the water will cool water even cooler than ambient room temps. It all has to do with the evaporation process. The water changing from a liquid to a gas takes energy and that energy is heat which it draws from the water. You can feel this on a hot day when you are sweating. When you stand in front of a fan you feel chilled. It's because of the water evaporating off your skin. It's why we sweat. Natural cooling system. That's even how chillers work. It's the process of liquid turning to gas then back that is taken advantage of. Then the heat is dispelled thru the hot coil and a fan. Or vice versa with a heat pump.

 

[Fin]

If you have a canopy, make sure it is well ventilated. Keep fresh air moving in and out with fans. Same with your stand. What kind of pump(s) do you use? Changing over to a dc return pump can help if you are using something like a Mag pump. I have used dc fans mounted on a bracket, blowing straight down on my sump before and it helps. Melev's Reef makes some cool brackets for sump fans: http://www.melevsreef.com/catalog/fan-tray-bracket

 

[Browner20]

I have two 10" plastic box fans mounted above my sump. $10/each from Walmart so super easy to replace if one goes bad, however they have been running 24/7 for over a year in that salt rich environment and I have only sprayed them down once. My stand area is vented behind the tank out through the hood with DC fans in the hood so I assume you would have more maintenance with a closed stand.

Like others have mentioned above you would need a robust auto top off with a fan setup as the evap can be significant but the cooling is way more efficient than a chiller as far as energy consumption and cost. Most people get a chiller and don't realize that the chiller should be plumbed to the tank external to the stand and if possible in a separate room. Chillers put off a tremendous amount of heat and I have seen some setups where the chiller is basically just counteracting the heat it is introducing to the system.

 

[Waterjockey]

I have two 10" plastic box fans mounted above my sump. $10/each from Walmart so super easy to replace if one goes bad, however they have been running 24/7 for over a year in that salt rich environment and I have only sprayed them down once. My stand area is vented behind the tank out through the hood with DC fans in the hood so I assume you would have more maintenance with a closed stand.

Like others have mentioned above you would need a robust auto top off with a fan setup as the evap can be significant but the cooling is way more efficient than a chiller as far as energy consumption and cost. Most people get a chiller and don't realize that the chiller should be plumbed to the tank external to the stand and if possible in a separate room. Chillers put off a tremendous amount of heat and I have seen some setups where the chiller is basically just counteracting the heat it is introducing to the system.

You mean I can't just open the door to my fridge to cool off the kitchen? :)

 

[FishOfHex]

Any ideas on how to chill a tank without a chiller?

I live in miami,FL so the summers can get quite warm. Last year, tank was about 84 F

Would like for it to be around 78-80 if possible.

Just don't have $200-$400 to dish out for a chiller right now.

I have two big fans built into the canopy that kick on when the white lights come one. you could always hook them up to something like an apex to trigger if the tank got to whatever temp you chose, this way it would evap some water causing the temp to go down.