heat problem

[piranhaking]

The temp in my 10 gallon is running a little bit high, because of the 70 watts of flourcent lights im running on it and the 4 90 gph powerheads running in it. What is the cheapest way to cool the tank. I think I have a glass top on the tank, that i would rather not get rid of because id rather not have to deal with the extra evaporation. The lid doesnt seal the entire tank because of the filters. I'm kinda leaning toward some type of fan to put in my diy hood, but i dont know what i could get that would be small enough. any help would be greatly appreciated. It was running as high as 86, so i have had to start timing the lights with some off time during the day to allow for some cooling.

 

[Konadog]

Well, the cheapest way would be to remove the glass top

You could buy a small clip on fan and aim it at the open part of the top, but that will cause evaporation too, so it's easier just to remove the glass top.
Another way is to get a small computer fan, found at Radio Shack, to pull hot air out of your DIY hood. Just set it to come on the same time as your lights.

 

[rayjay]

First of all, I would remove that glass that you're not crazy about removing. Then, put a computer fan blowing across the water surface.
I don't understand "id rather not have to deal with the extra evaporation". How much can a ten gallon tank evaporate? You can't get much easier than adding a cup or two of water to top the level up each morning or night.

 

[asphaltpilot]

It seems like that things that you need to do are things you don't want to do, understandably. Putting a fan on your lights to deflect the heat is probably the cheapest thing to do, but youââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢re still going to have evaporation. Your glass top isnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t helping much either. Water changes would be quick but the sudden temp change would shock the critters in the tank.

Also, ff itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s possible without loss of light penetration, expand the distance between your lights and the top of the tank.