cooling a ten gallon

ok... I have a temp problem. It seems like my lighting system is putting the water temp to 86 or so....way to high (i dont have any coral yet). I dont have any fans in the canopy I made or a chiller. Im looking for a cost effective way to cool my tank. Chillers seem to be way to expensive and the DIY chillers invlove a fridge which seems ridiculous to me. Is there a way to cool down the tank without puting more holes in my canopy for a fan? I know Im probably backing myself into a wall but any suggestions would be helpful!!! Thanx!!

~beckalexis

Hmmm....the only ways I know are to use fans, either strapped onto the hood to extract hot air and input cold air, or to use it on inside the tank aimed at the water to create evaporation and thus cooling.

can you put small holes into the canopy? or place some spacers between the canopy and the tank to allow ventiliation? i just run a desktop fan on my nano and a upright fan on my main. it keeps them within reason (78-82F)

RADIOSHACK sells cheap fans, you wil need a transformer ( I believe I have used model railroad 12 volt dc transformers to do it cheeply). ALSO a verly low tech solution THAT EVEN I USE....

get a few 20 oz plastic bottles, fill them with DECHLORINATED tap

water 3/4 the way with the cap off. Place in freezer.... wait a few hours. remove, place on cap.... WHAOLA ! ICEBERGH !they will work well I use 3 bottles in sequence to lower the Temp. Dont add them all at once.... or yell flood it... HAHAH or temp Shock the tank.

Can't you just take a fan out of an old computer? I think everyone knows someone that has an old computer that they don't want.

I have about a dozen small holes in the back of my canopy. Also the canopy is 2-3 inches short in the back for the filter, heater, and powerhead to fit. I think Im going to go to radioshack and get a couple of fans and reverse the flow to suck out hot air through those dozen holes or so. Does that sound good or should I add/delete anything else? Thanx for all your help!!

Utilizing my 'Make everything yourself' motto, I have design plans that involve a homemade chiller. If you would like to see them IM or Email me.

They DO NOT involve a fridge...

beckalexis,

Did you get the email that I sent you thru the group, or is it not working?

LudavicoTechnique,

Can you post your plans for all of us to see?

drill holes on top of the hood then just have a fan blowing air into the hood. hot air will be force out the holes on top.

ok...i bought two 12V fans from radio shack. The thing that sucks is that it only runs off a battery:( ..... now....does anyone have any ideas about ghetto riging these bad boys:p ..... I have a bunch of hoels in the back of my canpopy that I could let the fan's flow go through or i have about an inch or so of the tank not covered by the glass covers and point the fans into the water. What do u think would be the best way to go and if u have any other ideas I apprciate hearing them. Also Im not to keen on the idea of mounting the fans on the sides of the canopy. I did some artwork on the canopy that I would rather not distroy.....Thanx!!

buy a ac to dc power converter at radio shack. that way you dont have to run the fan on batteries. if you have acces to a metal lathe then making a homemade chiller for cheap isnt very hard. you can make one using the peltier device out of a travel fridge from walmart. they come with the peltier, a nice big heat sink for the hot side and a nice block on the cold side that you can tap to attach a machined probe. then you just need to mount a fan on the heatsink and get the 6 amp 12v ac/dc converter and your set. i have one on my 28 gallon and it cools it nicely. i am gonna make one for my 7 gallon for when i get my metal halide.

Let's see a picture.

good Job..... NOW RE READ MY POST goof.

your post doesnt apply anymore. Im fine with the battery. I need to know what to do with the fans...duh!