Cooling problem

[dnkygirl]

[Hello all!

Got a problem with cooling... I installed (2) pc fans on the top of the tank and have them directly pointed at the waters surface and this really cools things down. My problem is... if i forget and leave them running for a few hours.. things get too cold... like 76 degrees.

Is there a way to add some sort of temp controller to have the fans turn on when they hit a certain mark and turn off after they reach the desired temp. I tried putting them on a timer and still had the problem of them over cooling.

The room temp remains around 75-74 degrees... without the cooling the tank rises to 82 degrees... any ideas on this one? I guess i'm wanting to create a more advanced fan system... )]

 

[FaithWarren]

[Find your peak temperature during the day, then set your heater 2 degrees below that, provided it is not a temp that is dangerously high.

Ideally you don't want the tank to fluctuate too many degrees or some fish tend to get stressed. This is sometimes a factor when people see ICK in their tank.

Have you thought of those thermo/humidistats that work on attic fans to vent your house?

You can also use a temperature controller to turn the fans on and off based on the temp in the tank.

Even a timer is sometimes used to turn on the fans only when the lights are on, or during peak heat times.]



Edited By FaithWarren on 1096905360

 

[dnkygirl]

[Yes i am using a heater it is set at 78 degrees. It's sitting in the sump... At night i noticed that the temp remains the 78-79.5 during the night then jumps up into the 80-81 range... during the day. I tried putting the fans on a timer and I can't seem to figure out exactly when the peak heating period is. My first thought was to have the fans on when the whites are on.. the actinics don't really heat up as much as the whites. I had them set to 2 hours and it wasn't enough time to cool down to the 77 range.

If i leave them on for 3-4 hours the temp lowers to 76-75 range. What type of temp controller can i get to switch them on and off?

So far I've not lost anything.. the change is gradual, but i don't want to keep doing this so i need to resolve this quickly.]

 

[Anonymous]

[I dont see a problem. Temp swing is not dramatic and seems stable, are your fish showing signs of stress? My tank starts out at 78 in the morning and at 8pm is at 82 and my chiller kicks on and brings it down to 80. I use to run into the high 84 range and low 77 range without chiller. I think your ok with your current setup without fans.]



Edited By misery on 1096907008

 

[crash519]

[In my opinion, not that it accounts for much, 82 is not a bad temperature. My tank has a fan blowing across the water surface 24 hrs a day and it still gets to 82.5-83 during the day with the lights on, but only drops to around 81 at night with the heater. Of course, this is at the expense of about 1.5 gallons of evaporated water a day.]

 

[Guest]

[@dnkygirl wrote:

I don't understand why your display is going below 78 with the fans on for 3-4 hrs. It sounds like you heater is really set lower than 78. It may say 78 on the dial, but it sounds like from what you said that it's lower. What brand are you using?
My fans in my canopy are on the whole lighting period. I added a clip on fan from Walmart to the sump for additional cooling. My heater keeps my tank from going lower than 79.
HTH]

 

[BnG]

[Dont trust the temp number on your heater.

If you want to be precise about it all...

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_controllers_medusa.asp?CartId=

I use the 2 stage Medusa to control my chiller and my heater. It would work just as well with fans and heater]

 

[FaithWarren]

[For some, 82 may be an okay temp. but for others it is not. You have to research you tank and it's inhabitants to decide on an acceptable temperature.

I personally keep mine from 76-78 degrees with a chiller. But I keep alot of rare acros.

The same temperature controller you use to run a chiller is what works to turn on/off other items. It makes it so you can plug anything into it, even heaters, if you want one to run your heaters more efficiently. I would look at the voltage of what you want to run and find a controller that works for that wattage.

I have used a controller to run 3-4 Ebo Jager heaters before without a problem, so I am assuming you could use it to run a couple clip on fans.

Digital Temperature Controller]

 

[dnkygirl]

[Well I suppose i'm just a little shocked... with the swing in temp. After moving into a bigger setup I'm not use to the swing. I use to keep a constant 77 degrees in my 18 gal. My heater is set at 78 degrees i double checked it. Really strange... it's a Visitherm Deluxe Heater 150Watts. It just seems like it's not working when the temp drops.

I'm wondering if i set the heater higher with the fans running longer if i can keep a constant. I'm thinking that water flow from the sump compartments may cool the water down some before it hits the return. Maybe even moving the heater to the return compartment... might do the trick. My sump has 3 compartments first the protein skimmer area, then the refugium, then the return. I have the heater in the skimmer area right now. Maybe?]

 

[dnkygirl]

[Hi Faith... yes that's what i'm looking for... something that will do the thinking and turn them on and off when needed. I would like to keep my tank at 77-78 my fish and corals are use to that temp range... my leathers hate it when it's in the 80's they start to lean over and turn purple.]

 

[Guest]

@dnkygirl wrote:

[Although the dial may be set (read) 78, the heater may not be actually heating the water to that. I have set my heaters like that lower than what the dial says to keep the temp accurate. I have a Von digital readout on my other tank so I adjust the heater to create the lowest temp swing. It actually has been reading a steady 79 since adding the fan over the sump and raising my Mag 9 above my sump instead of in my sump.
I would raise turn the dial a little at a time and see what the temp is in the morning. Eventually you'll find a sweet spot. Don't worry about what the dial says on the heater. It's lieing to you anyway.]

 

[dnkygirl]

[I need to do an external test on my heater.. your right it's lying to me. I found a digital read out heater on ebay that has an external controller. I'm going to buy one and cut the heater off and use the controller with a extension cord end. Should work the same as any temp controller. Here's the unit i found:

Heater w/temp controller]

 

[Maldivan]

[Mine stays at about 81 during the day and at night all my fans shut off bar the 1 over the sump. The fans are on a auto-contoller named ...........Andy. I walk over and shut them off when when i get home at 1am.The heaters also in my sump , and I set it by adjusting it until it came on during the day , then turned it down until it went off. Then I raised the temp until I felt it was about to come on again and left it.Takes a few times of turning it on /off to get the feel of when its gonna come back on again. My temp in the day is 81 and at night it goes to 80.

Andy]

 

[Anonymous]

[Does that auto ContRoller come with a warranty?]

 

[Nautilus]

[My temp runs 76.5 to 79.9
I run my fans off a timer. they come on and off several time during the hot parts of the day. from 10 am to 6 pm them go off and on around 15 times.

When my new hood is built it will have Coralvue 4x4" fans called smart fans that are temp sensitive.

alt="">]

 

[Maldivan]

[Ya Eric,
Matter of fact its a Life time warranty . Maybe one of these days Ill get automated - ive seen the temp controlled fans on ebay b4 .Might go for it this winetr when I do my closed loop.]

 

[dnkygirl]

[Hum temp fans... interesting... I'm going to try this temp controller idea first. If it doesn't work I'll take a look at those fans. ....Andy controller... He..he.. I'm about ready to retire from that position. My memory is bad enough... don't need extra tasks to forget to do. :smart:]

 

[A_Sig]

[I keep one fan i bought from walmart for 10 bucks running 24/7 blowing on the water surface on my 58. It keeps a constant temp of 79.2 degrees. I set my heater to 79 degrees. I even added another halide to the tank and it still keeps constant. I think if your cooling tool and your heating tool kind of cancel each other out, you can keep a constant temperatur all throughout the day.]