Cooling down my tank

[lost66]

Temperature in my 240g peninsula tank is to high. I have AC set to 76/75 during the day and 78 at night. Tank is not exposed directly to sunlight, it is in central place in the room where 2 vents blows on it, from 18 feet distance or so. And my tank is still 82F.
I opened canopy and opened glass covers, I even opened tank stand. I even dropped some ice cubes to see how much I can cool the tank. And for the whole day it dropped to 81.1.

I have 4 hydra 26hd, bubble magus curve 9 skimmer running 75% of power, Jebao return pump running 100% of power and UV. I assume all these components heat a little bit the water.

I have 2 computer fans I can install and I have some questions :
1) Will it even help having 2 of them?
2) Where should I put fans? 1 in canopy and 1 in cabinet?
3) Should I blow in or out air?
4) I don't have any power supply for them, so I can buy 120v power supply but my apex power bar is full. I have Apex Classic, is there any way to use this system for low voltage fans?

Please advise

 

[fcmatt]

First thing I would figure out is what is the temp of a glass of water with a thermometer stuck in it after 24 hours. What is ambient. Sounds like 77-78 degrees about. Just sitting there.

Then I would make sure all my gear is working properly (especially the heaters). Examine and figure out which might be dumping the most heat into the tank. Because you will never get it to 78 without a chiller it sounds like.

Then I would consider if running at 82 is even that big of a deal considering some areas of the ocean, shallow areas, get mighty warm. Do things in the tank even look that bad?

In the end you might need a drop in chiller or inline to deal with it. Fans only go so far.

 

[andrewey]

Any reason you don't just hook the fans up to a 12V source and plug into the wall (bypassing the apex).

Have you completely removed all glass covers (not just opened)?
What wattage is your UV?
What temperature is your tank set to with your heaters?

I know the AC says 75/76, but have you measured the temperature in the house? Place a thermometer in a cup of water that's been left out to reach an equilibrium.

What is the temperature of the tank at night? Is that 81.1 or is that only at the end of the day?

 

[fishguy242]

fans 1 in 1 out of canopy,not going to help much
chiller is best option
82 is borderline 84 85 kills
freeze 3/4of gal bottles and rotate in meantime

 

[HuduVudu]

Jebao return pump running

I would suspect this first.

You can make a cables on your 24VDC line.
Use these fans:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D4KR9HY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You need to buy this cable:

DC24 to Bare Wire Accessory Cable

You can now use the 24vDC ports that are on the 1Link module and the EnergyBar 832. The 24v DC port will give you the ability to run solenoids, pumps, and fans off a single wire, without having to use any standard outlets for power. The 24v DC ports have give you full outlet style control in a...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Hugh Mann]

Following in case I ever need to chill my tank in the summer, chillers are bloody expensive.

I would think you could try a DIY chiller. There's plenty of designs floating around of various cost and effectiveness. Maybe a separate, insulated container filled with ice water, and run a pump to circulate it through a coil of reef safe tubing in the sump. Bags of ice cubes or frozen gallon jugs. Maximum surface area to aid heat transfer.

 

[fishguy242]

chiller is a one time buy,1000 bucks ,to secure the 1000's invested for years to come 1/2 hp will be sufficient

 

[lost66]

I will not use chiller, this is for sure. Too expensive. I will use all given advice, make advice measurements and monitor closely my tank. I just got apex temp probe today so I don't know any historical data.

Removing glass tops will be first thing to follow if temp won't go down till tomorrow evening.

 

[DaddyFish]

More things to consider...

What is the wattage of the UV? Whatever it is, that's how much heat is dissipated into the water stream. 36-watt UV is a 36-watt heater that's constantly ON.

How old are your pumps, all pumps? Bearing/shaft friction produces heat that is typically dissipated (again) into the water stream. If you have multiple matching pumps, run a current/amperage check on each to see if one is drawing significantly more current than the other. Consider replacing a high-current consumption pump or altering your plumbing to reduce head pressure.

If you do opt for a chiller, always keep in mind that nothing comes free, including cold water. It takes energy to remove the heat energy and relocate it elsewhere (exhaust air). If you are dumping that air into the same room as the tank and that room is already close to 78F, then you are burning power for nearly no purpose. Sorta like leaving the refrigerator door open.

 

[fishguy242]

a stand fan pointed at tank will help also ,but hard to regulate

 

[sharpimage]

Also, try another thermometer

 

[lost66]

Also, try another thermometer

I did, water is too warm.

 

[X-37B]

My tank ran 82 max no issues. Bought a $10 6" clip on fan for the sump.
Tank now runs 79.
Evaporation went up from 1 to 2 gallons a day but thats how it works. My tank is a 120.
Its the poor mans chiller.
I even have a chiller in the garage but dont use it lol.

 

[KrisReef]

Protein skimmers act like forced air heaters. If you’re running one, shutting it off during the day might help reduce heat input. Also, slowing down your return pump might also reduce heat input. Also, having the return disrupt the water surface will increase evaporation which lowers the tank temperature.

HTH

 

[DaddyFish]

I did, water is too warm.

Oh, I just noticed you are in FuquayV. I used to live further east in your neck of the woods. It gets freakin HOT there with bonus humidity that makes evaporative cooling ineffective.

 

[Webslinger]

fans 1 in 1 out of canopy,not going to help much
chiller is best option
82 is borderline 84 85 kills
freeze 3/4of gal bottles and rotate in meantime

Disagree... air over water surface works well for me. Chiller is great but expensive alternative.

Point a fan directly at the water surface.

 

[rusty hannon]

Temperature in my 240g peninsula tank is to high. I have AC set to 76/75 during the day and 78 at night. Tank is not exposed directly to sunlight, it is in central place in the room where 2 vents blows on it, from 18 feet distance or so. And my tank is still 82F.
I opened canopy and opened glass covers, I even opened tank stand. I even dropped some ice cubes to see how much I can cool the tank. And for the whole day it dropped to 81.1.

I have 4 hydra 26hd, bubble magus curve 9 skimmer running 75% of power, Jebao return pump running 100% of power and UV. I assume all these components heat a little bit the water.

I have 2 computer fans I can install and I have some questions :
1) Will it even help having 2 of them?
2) Where should I put fans? 1 in canopy and 1 in cabinet?
3) Should I blow in or out air?
4) I don't have any power supply for them, so I can buy 120v power supply but my apex power bar is full. I have Apex Classic, is there any way to use this system for low voltage fans?

Please advise

With a tank that large and all the money invested go the extra dißtance and get a çhiller

 

[Charles4400]

My tankn is at 83F and has been for a month. (Trying the high temp for Dino experiment). No ill affects towards fish or sps so you might be OK if it stays at that temp. This is on a RSM 650s.

I have found however that a strong fan aimed down at your sump helps the most in lowering Temps. Look for the strongest fan that will fit over your sump and blast away and see how that does.

I also have the ghl fans (really expensive but they do look nice) attached to the rim of the dt and they do help lower the temp as well.

Since I have raised the temp of my tank to 83 though those fans are almost never on.

I hate chillers and have used them inside long ago and they just generate too much heat. I think mine was a 1/3 hp jbj and I found it would raise room temp too much in the summer and was just on way too much making room temp hotter (or my ac on more!).

Definitely take off lids and look for powerful sump fan (more powerful than just clip on). It will look ugly but should work.

 

[fcmatt]

Only a savage runs ac at 76 to 78. Civilized folk run at 70-72 . ;-)

 

[t5Nitro]

Just picked up a cheap $8 clip on fan from Walmart a week ago clipped to my orphek light mount to blow across the surface. It's silent and keeps my 75g display 79F from 82-83F earlier this summer.