I need a small chiller

[Nashvegas]

After replacing my light to t5 retro I am experiencing higher than avg temps (80-85). I would prefer to keep it at 78 but I am thinking fans just won't cut it. Does anyone have a chiller for sale reasonable. Also I don't have much space underneath so it would have to be small as well. I have a 76 gallon tank.

 

[ocd_mariner]

I had two fans, one over the top and over the sump, keep my tank at 79 degrees steady, competing against two 400w metal halids 6 inches over the surface.

Im betting fans would work on t5's

 

[platax88]

Yeah i think so too. I run 3 250 MH with no problem. Temperature is set to 79 degrees. I have two computer fans blowing down on the sump and one 8" fan in the canopy. I would give it a shot before dishing out cash on a chiller.

 

[Nashvegas]

ok.I'll check it out and see what fan options do for me

 

[james3370]

i bought a 6" clip-on fan from office max pretty cheap that i plan to use on my rimless/topless 12gal nano that has 150w halide (once it finishes cycling), but i thought about getting one of THESE to see how much cooling they put out. anybody ever used one of them before??

 

[mamagoose45]

Yate Loon computer fans are cheap, put out a good deal of air, and are almost dead silent (there is NO way you'll hear them over your return pump if you have that under the tank). You'd just need an AC to DC converter.

 

[james3370]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13460357#post13460357 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mamagoose45
Yate Loon computer fans are cheap, put out a good deal of air, and are almost dead silent (there is NO way you'll hear them over your return pump if you have that under the tank). You'd just need an AC to DC converter.

i am thinking about having 6 or so blowing in our out of my canopy i am building & thought about using the power supply from an old pc. those have connections for at least 4 or so & can get y-adapters to run more than that........

 

[jhutton]

like others, i have a small 6 inch fan from walmart, keeps my tank cool, it was under 10 bucks, its a little one like people have on their desks at work

 

[DMBillies]

i am thinking about having 6 or so blowing in our out of my canopy i am building & thought about using the power supply from an old pc. those have connections for at least 4 or so & can get y-adapters to run more than that........

This got me to thinking about a thread I was reading on thermal exchange using fans that had some good debate between a couple of science heads. What got the discussion started was one guy saying he would build his canopy to have fans pushing in on one side of the canopy and out of the other to get a cross wind.

Unfortunately I can't find it, but they all pretty much agreed that was a bad idea. First, the fans pushing out are matched to the fans pushing in and the air can just move in a straight line between the two sets of fans, so you don't get additional airflow within the canopy despite having more fans. Second, cold air would be coming in from one side blowing along the bulbs and picking up heat/humidity on the way to the other side, keeping one side of the canopy always more hot and more humid.

There was significantly less agreement on the "best set-up" but if you can get your fans to blow directly onto your bulbs, I'd say inward blowing fans opposing each other from opposite ends of the tank would be better. This forces cool air onto the bulbs and shoves the hot air out of the canopy via the back or through vent holes in the top where the heat will naturally rise.

Anyway, I guess the point is that if you can get fans to actively vent the canopy and stand and bring in lower temp/humidity air, you can do a LOT through evaporative cooling. If you're lucky enough to have a controller, you can even using the light timers and tank temperature to ensure they aren't running an excessive amount of time and that these areas are vented on a regular schedule to keep the humidity down around the electrical stuff in those areas.

 

[leezer]

DMBillies' points are very valid. I distinctly remember having a similar conversation with a friend from college going for his PhD in chemistry (also had a BS in engineering) a few years back and the same conclusion was reached. The airflow in the hood can become limited to whatever amount the inward blowing fans can push plus whatever extra air the outward blowing fans can pull through various vent holes/gaps in the hood. I would tend to agree that having vent holes on the top with the fans all blowing in from different directions to create crosswinds would be the best way to go when contemplating a multi-fan design.

 

[james3370]

yes, i had actually came to this conclusion from various "enclosed" amp racks in car stereo systems over the years LOL

i got ahold of a "bulk buy" on ebay of (15) 120mm....which is about 4-3/4" square....pc case fans a few weeks ago for $40 shipped.

my plans for my canopy are a 1/4" gap all around the tank. i plan on mounting (3) of these case fans on each side blowing inward across the lights & (6) across the back (probably on a 45degree angle) blowing downward on the water.

that leaves me (3) fans left over.....thought about putting them on the front part that flips up for feeding & have them blowing air out the top. figure those blowing out & the overhand all around will be enought for air circulation & the ones blowing on the water should definately help cool the water down