stock 12g jbj nano cube overheating - with ambient temerature ~75F

[rsteagall]

This time of year I don't run my AC much with cool nights and days not so bad. I have a stock 12g jbj nano cube dx that is getting up to about 83F when lights are on and ambient temerature of the room is 75F during the day. What do you guys think is wrong? Surely this isn't normal and/or even acceptable. 83F is definitely high end of the scale for a reef Aquarium. In the same room, my 58gal is stabil at 77-79F.

Also, please don't tell me to go get a chiller. This is stock and shouldn't require a bunch of aftermarket products or modifications to regulate temperature.

 

[bil2k]

My 12dx hits 85F in an ambient temp of 78F. Sorry to say it, but seems evap cooling or the ICA chillers are the best solution.

 

[reefwick]

83 isn't bad at all. I ran my 12 gallon DX at 83 for 8-9 months with no ill effects. Flip open the front lid and adjust the nozzle to aggitate the waters surface a bit I found that helped me bring it down a little. Make sure your heater (if you have one) is turned down a bit also.

 

[rsteagall]

water surface is agitating already. I'll see what I can do about doing more. First I'll have to fix the seal at the top. JBJ does a poor job sealing the top rim to the glass. I know a mod to increase water flow is to use a mj900 or mj1200. Do these generate less heat than the stock jbj pump? Other than that, I don't think I'd like to do many or any other mods. I wonder if jbj had added 1" more clearance for the lights would there be such heat issues. I'd rather control heat more by my heater than other equipment.

Bil2k. your information is consistant with mine. I think its safe to say that a stock jbj nano WILL run 7F-8F higher than whatever the ambient temperature is.

Reefwick, thanks for the agitation tip. I'll fix the seam and try to do more surface agitation. I'd rather not flip open the front lid unless absolutely necessary.


-Ryan

 

[reefwick]

The stock pumps are known for running hot. When I mentioned before that I ran the tank at 83, it was when I was using the stock pump. Then when I switched to a MJ 606 it dropped 2-3 degrees. They're cheap like 12 dollars or so if I remember correctly.

 

[davidryder]

are there not cooling fans installed? if they are, and there is two, you could try turning one around... that temp. swing is not good. stability is very important, especially if you plan on doing corals.

 

[reefwick]

Davidryder- That's a good idea but I've got to chime in and say it did nothing for me. There are two vents that are cut into the hood to pull air into the hood and then there are two fans that pull the air out. When I switched the direction of one of my fans The temp showed no difference.

 

[davidryder]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7102612#post7102612 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefwick
Davidryder- That's a good idea but I've got to chime in and say it did nothing for me. There are two vents that are cut into the hood to pull air into the hood and then there are two fans that pull the air out. When I switched the direction of one of my fans The temp showed no difference.

wow that is crazy... i have the standard nano 12g and actually added 18w of lighting and still don't have that problem. i also only have one fan installed...

have you tried pointing the pump return toward the surface of the water? it will increase turbidity/gas exchange/evap and maybe keep the temp a little more stable

 

[davidryder]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7101180#post7101180 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefwick
83 isn't bad at all. I ran my 12 gallon DX at 83 for 8-9 months with no ill effects. Flip open the front lid and adjust the nozzle to aggitate the waters surface a bit I found that helped me bring it down a little. Make sure your heater (if you have one) is turned down a bit also.

oh, guess i missed that! if you want to get your hands dirty, you can move the ballasts out of the hood and into it's own enclosure, like so:

<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=797686">http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=797686</a>

but then we are back to modding the factory setup...

 

[reefwick]

Ballast

I thought these were my ballast. Housed in here, externally.....

 

[ej1698]

I got the idea from dirk on reef central and it worked great! I couldn't get the temp under 83 degrees so he told be to drill out the feeder opening and install a fan. I drilled out the hole and put a 40mm fan hooked up to a 12 volt adapter, connected to the light timer so it goes on when the lights go on. temp is steady at 79 degrees. it's a current aquapod 12 gallon tank.

EJ

Picture:

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[bil2k]

The problem is that in the non OG nano cubes, the splash guard seals the lights away from the fan. As a result, there is very little evaporative cooling taking place. A is that plus you don't have to top off your water that often with the trade off being heat.

Of course you can always install a fan to blow on the surface like EJ did, but then you're going to be topping off more. I think the key is to find a balance between the two by just cutting slits / drilling holes in the feeder lid until your temps drop enough.

 

[rsteagall]

bil2k, I think I agree with you.

Reefwick, my ballasts aren't in the hood either. I don't think the fans do much since the bulb "compartment" is seperated by acrylic. The fans don't move much if any air near the water surface. Does that MJ606 have more or less flow than the stock pump? I don't even know what the stock pump is.

 

[reefwick]

The stock pump is 106 gph and creates more heat than the MJ 606 that pumps 156 gph. So its a win win situation.

 

[bil2k]

If we can install fans blowing directly on the bulbs & heat shield I think it would make a dramatic difference. I'm going to take my lid apart when I get some time and see if theres any room to improve the cooling design.

heck maybe I can even mount a heatsink or two to something. We'll see

 

[bil2k]

I just switched to a Maxijet 900 + Hydor Flo. Happy to report my max temp dropped between 1.5 and 2 degrees F.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7109074#post7109074 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefwick
The stock pump is 106 gph and creates more heat than the MJ 606 that pumps 156 gph. So its a win win situation.

 

[rsteagall]

Which Hydor Flo did you get? Did you have to do any modifications or does it slip right on?

 

[bil2k]

Hydor Flo

Just slip the stock NC duck bill / loc line type fittings off and then use the best matching adapter that comes with the Hydor Flo to attach it. I had to use just a bit uf super glue to secure it better. Don't worry about glueing it, you can still remove it later.

 

[aural]

i have a maxijet 900 replacing the stock pump, and a tunze mini in the display and my temp stays around 78-79 - i do leave the front flap open most of the time though to promote evap.

 

[DarthBaiter]

I have a 12g Aquacube and also found that a maxi jet(900 in my case) brought the temp down a good 3-4 degrees. I aslo have it attached to a Hydor Flo. On the AP the maxijet was a tight fit and I had to cut the strainer on the intake to get it in.