During the summers I often use a fan blowing across the top of my reef tank as part of the temperature control plan. The fan that I have been using for many years just recently stopped working and my replacement fan arrived today. While I was setting it up - it is controlled my my Hydros - I was wondering who else uses a fan on their tank? If so, what type of fan do you use? Do you have it on a controller or timer?
Just adding for anyone who is researching:
- I found a thread on here titled “air gyre” and knocked it off. That the 3 smaller fans above the water. They really do help.
- I have two 18” metal industrial fans on the other end set to high.
- both of the above fan setups are on my apex. They are controlled via thermostat, except they are always on when my halides are on.
- I have a whole house dehumidifier rated for 2,200 sq ft in my 180 sq ft fishroom.
- I have a 12k BTU portable AC in my fishroom soon to be switched out for a mini split system in a couple weeks. Portables aren’t great in a fish room. Heat rises cool air sinks. There is 5 feet height different between my lighting rack and the portable AC vents.
- my issue is a feature and benefit to my system. It’s my very intense lighting package. 4 halides, T5s and 8 XR30s. Display tank is 96x36. I also have a grow out tank with halides and a LED too.
- I’ve been riding the razors edge and not in the good side of the razor. I keep my tank heaters set to 76 degrees. My heaters haven’t been on since late January. Tank sits around 77. A “good” normal day sees it float between 77 and 80 then back down to 77. Now, if no one is home and my nests determine it’s time to save some money, the AC in my house goes from 70 to 76. The tank instantly jumps up an additional 1-2 degrees. My lights start shutting down at 80.8.
- the humidifier puts out decent heat. I don’t have the house AC vents in my fishroom open. My tank is a peninsula that straddles the 2 living spaces.
As my system sits today, it has about 525 gallons. I am evaporating 12 gallons a day! I pull no air from one living space to the other. I have 2 vents in my fishroom that take fish room air and push it outside. Replacement air gets into the room via cracks, coming and going, gaps around the tank, etc etc
Fans won’t get me all the way. Next week I am adding a 48x48 display frag tank (-60g) and a second overflow sump 24x48 to my system, plus a 60g cryptic. My evap is going to go up even greater once I get this frag tank swapped out. The fans are rather loud also. So I went and purchased a chiller, it will be undersized, yes. So, it’s rated at 500G. Considering I only need to pull the water down a handful of degrees, I did the math and it shouldn’t be an issue. Chiller will be remotely installed outside. As I type this all my doors and canopy to my fish room are closed and I am about 25 feet away and it sounds very loud from here.
