scubalauren
New member
I need a cooling system for my tank because it's on about 85 degrees. My corals are not very happy.
What systems do you like and how much are they running?
What systems do you like and how much are they running?
Cooling Systems
- Thread starter scubalauren
- Start date
scubalauren
New member
I have a fan for my metal halides, but still too hot this time of year. Turning lights on later is a good idea too!!! I would imagine I would have to acclimate the lighting slowly to go that route.
The0wn4g3
New member
A true cooling system is usually very expensive. A couple 120mm computer fans can really bring down the temp effectively in most cases.
Some questions:
What wattage halides are you running, and for how long?
Do you have a retrofit or fixture, and is it in a canopy?
If you have a fixture, is the fan you're referring to part of the fixture?
Do you have a sump?
If you change the photoperiod, time-wise and not length, I wouldn't worry about any acclimation. The corals will be confused for a day, but they'll get over it soon enough.
Some questions:
What wattage halides are you running, and for how long?
Do you have a retrofit or fixture, and is it in a canopy?
If you have a fixture, is the fan you're referring to part of the fixture?
Do you have a sump?
If you change the photoperiod, time-wise and not length, I wouldn't worry about any acclimation. The corals will be confused for a day, but they'll get over it soon enough.
scubalauren
New member
Yes, I have a sump. I have one 14K MH and one 25K MH. They are in a canopy my lovely husband engineered himself. He did a great job!!! He cut two Radio Shack fans one blowing in and one blowing out in the canopy wall. I noticed during my water change yesterday one of the fans was acting up and turned off completely. There is a window next to the tank so I closed the shutters yesterday. I took the temp about 6:00 and it was 81. So if I keep the shutter closed and replace the fan I hope I can bring the temp back down. Also, I keep my lights on for about 12 hours so after reading about 6 hours I will cut back on that too. So six hours is enough for the corals?
I have a Pacific Coast chiller on my system and I have been very happy with it so far. I bought it used from a forum member.
I searched chillers in the F/S section...
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...wresults&searchid=11007765&sortby=&sortorder=
I would go with a CL-280 1/10 hp. It is worth its weight in gold right now. My tank hasn't been above 80 with all four 400watt MH's running and four 2500+ gph pumps running.
I searched chillers in the F/S section...
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...wresults&searchid=11007765&sortby=&sortorder=
I would go with a CL-280 1/10 hp. It is worth its weight in gold right now. My tank hasn't been above 80 with all four 400watt MH's running and four 2500+ gph pumps running.
The0wn4g3
New member
Ok, cool.
Like Gnoles said, adding a fan blowing over the sump will help increase evaporation and decrease the temperature effectively. They have nice little desk fans at Wal-mart that are perfect for over sump use.
6 hours is plenty for coral. Anything more is really just asking for algae growth.
Another option, if the fans cut it, would be to cut 2 squares out of the top of the canopy and cover then with a vent. That helps a lot of the hot rise up through the vents while cool air will be sucked in by the fans. That's somewhat more involved than just adding a fan over the sump though!
If it's already down to 81, I bet cutting the lights down to 6 hours will put the nail in the coffin for the >80F region. But I'd still add a fan to the sump just to make sure.
Like Gnoles said, adding a fan blowing over the sump will help increase evaporation and decrease the temperature effectively. They have nice little desk fans at Wal-mart that are perfect for over sump use.
6 hours is plenty for coral. Anything more is really just asking for algae growth.
Another option, if the fans cut it, would be to cut 2 squares out of the top of the canopy and cover then with a vent. That helps a lot of the hot rise up through the vents while cool air will be sucked in by the fans. That's somewhat more involved than just adding a fan over the sump though!
If it's already down to 81, I bet cutting the lights down to 6 hours will put the nail in the coffin for the >80F region. But I'd still add a fan to the sump just to make sure.
LovenBama
New member
Fan over the sump worked for me as well. Temps where up to 85 and now down to 77 lots more evaporation was about 2gal a day now up to 3-3 1/2 gals a day but it is a quick easy not to mention cheap fix for now till I move the tank from being on an outside wall that heats up pretty good in the heat of the day
scubalauren
New member
Thanks so much!!! I have a desk fan that I could put in with the sump. I never thought about that. Also I will look at my canopy and see if we can drill some holes in the top without hurting any of the wiring. I think I've lost my green slimer, darn it!!!! Also, I've had some hair algea. I thought it might have been due to high nitrates, but it may be because I keep my lights on too long. I will cut down to 6 hours, do a small water change weekly and get my temp down. Thank you for all the advice!!
