Keeping tanks cool in the Bama heat?

[usctrack]

Guys, I am heading into my first Bama summer in this hobby and I am wondering how you guys keep your tanks cool?

My background and why I am asking: I have 2ea 90g tanks with 1 running PC's and the other MH (2@250w) and T12 Actnic's.

I am in the process of adding an Apex controller and when I hooked up the temp guages I was shocked. I keep the small thermometers in there but they always look to be close to 80. Yesterday my PC tank was over 82 and the MH tank got to 86!!

Even with no lights on all night they are still above 80 this am. The MH tank is just 2 clowns, a couple GBTA and a rabbitfish and until I get this under control not much more will be going in there.

Both tanks have enclosed canopys and I have heard of creating a vent that will vent to another area - like the garage or outside. Then cooling with fans inside the canopies (the MH has 2 fans blowing in and one pulling out right now).

Option2 is Chillers - but since I have 2 tanks I have to buy everything twice and those are not cheap.

Any thoughts to help me out? I am just trying to come up with some options.

 

[wpecoul]

I've got a 90G with 2x250W MH over it in a hinge-front canopy. I have a 40 cfm fan in each end blowing air into the canopy with the exhaust flowing out the back side. The room the tank is in faces the afternoon sun and gets fairly toasty, but the temp peaks on the hottest days at around 82. When it's not as hot, I switch off one fan, and in the winter, both stay off.
IMO, higher temps (82 and even 84-86) aren't by themselves a problem, but big swings are. You definitely wouldn't want a tank to routinely get up to 82 in the daytime if it dropped to 72 at night, but going from 78 to 84 or 80 to 86 isn't as big of a problem. At least it hasn't been for me. Tropical oceans aren't a constant 78 degrees. Higher temps will cause you more evaporation issues, but as long as the top isn't too high and the swing isn't too great, the animals will adapt and even thrive.

 

[RUGDOG]

I agree with Will...I run 2x400 over my tank that is about 135 gallons with fans and try to keep the house itself at 74. It gets warm in the tank but not big swings and I have never had an issue other than it seems to me like I fight cyano more in hot weather. I have seen other folks relate cyano to heat but I probably neglect my tank more in the summer than I do in the winter too.
Terry

 

[jasontammy]

I agree as well.I have a 210 acrylic tank with an enclosed canopy with only one fan pulling air out and I dont seem to get over 81-83.I also have the house a/c set at 74-76.
You should try and make the meeting this Saturday ay our place.You to Terry.
Almost forgot I am running 3x250 MH and 2x54watt T-5's.
Jason

 

[wpecoul]

In the heat of the summer, I can't keep my house below 80 in the afternoon, and I still keep the tank at around 82, 84 tops.
I'm envious of you guys who can keep your house at 76 or better. That's what I get for a west-facing house and no trees.

 

[jasontammy]

We face West with Lake view.All of the tanks in the back stay at or below 80.There is 10 MH and 1x 4 bulb T-5 and 1x 8T-5's.The electric company loves us.

 

[gflat65]

Chillers are a good way of ensuring you don't spike too high, but other methods can help. I just got my systems all combined and turned the skimmer back on (Pan World 250PS pump), and two returns for the three tanks (Mag 12 and PCX55). The temp was getting to 83, which is approaching the edge of my comfort level (was only swinging up from 79.5-80, but with as little as I feed my fishes, more temp means more metabolish, etc...).

I put an oscillating fan right next to the skimmer pump so that it hits the pump, then moves over the water surface of the sump. I've not gone over 81.7 in the last three days and am getting a nightly low of lower 79's. I've not plugged the chiller in back there yet, but am sure I'll have to before it's all said and done. Our insulation is crap and the AC unit is overworked and dying, so there'll be days when the max inside tmep reaches 87-89...

 

[usctrack]

Again today - PC tank goes from about 80 to 82 or 83 and the MH tank went from around 82 to 86. I even floated some frozen gallon jugs to see if I could bring it down a degree or two. The one with the fans is by far the hottest. I may look at getting more fans and adding them to the equation.

Are these temps ok for reef or should I designate that tank to FOWLR? Will coral be ok in those temps without adding a chiller?

 

[JR's Reef]

Open canopy(let heat out) and add bigger fans you dont have to have ones that mount in the canopy just some that blown alot of air. I like the black honeywell fans from walmart for like $10 they move a ton of air. If that dont work cut back on light run time and you might have to start running lights after dark when the house is at a cooler temp and that will also help the your air from working as hard during the day and will keep your house cooler.

Other things you have sumthin thats putting off alot of heat pumps is a big source of heat. You could always change those to better pumps that dont put off as much heat. I change out my mag 9.5 for a eheim 1260 and my temp went down by 2* so there are alot of ways to help cool your tank.

My tank ran at 79* with nuttin on but pumps and with lights on during the summer went up to 83* since Ive changed all my pumps and went to T5s and now have to run a heater to keep it at 76* at night and goes up to 77-78* during the day without any fans

 

[ct103]

...

 

[ct103]

Open canopy and air conditioning, we generally keep our house between 72 and 74 degrees.

 

[usctrack]

It probably doesnt help that my AC is on the fritz right now. I hope to have it back running tomorrow before it gets too darn hot. May invest in a portable ac unit to keep in the room to keep it nice and chilly - thoughts?

It might be cheaper than a chiller and I could keep both tanks temp down at one time.

 

[gflat65]

A friend of mine in Nashville had a small portable AC unit he used in his garage for his business tanks. I think it had a flex hose run for venting. I didn't get a good look at it, but it sounded like it did the trick for him. His garage was on the bottom story, somewhat built into a hill, so it had some natural cooling to start with, though.