LizardQueen Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 Hello all- I am having big problems with heat in my 10 gallon nano. The lights (PC 2X36) are about 5" off the water in a DIY hood (the back is open) the highest is have reached has been 84* way too much for me. And too much od a swing from 79*-84* I have used a 4" fan blowing in and have and extreem evaporation rate. With no auto top off and the lights so close to the water I worry about my SG & salt creep. So now I think the Micro chiller would be the ticket. Does anyone here use it? If yes, are you happy or unhappy & why? Thank you everyone Link to comment
Hinecken Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 I have a 175 halide over my twenty gallon. The bulb is 9 inches from the surface of the water and the back of the canopy is open. I purchased the 4" ice cap thermo fan and it works beautifully. I have it drawing air out and a small clip on fan pushing it away from the tank. The ice-cap fan is the key to solving my heat problem because it comes with a temperature probe that increases RPM of the fan as the temp. in the canopy rises. Infact, it works so well that I bought a Won Pro Heat II digital heater to keep my temperature regulated. Now I only fluctuate about .3 degrees from 78.5-78.8. It may be a less costly option for your nano. HTH Link to comment
tinyreef Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 lizqueen, you may want to try an auto top-off. it's an issue you'll have to address sooner or later for nanos anyway (auto top-off). i highly recommend physh's system (look in diy forum). i bought two of his systems and they're great! another option is attaching a cpu fan (or more than one) to the hood, spliced with a 12v adapter and on the same timer as your lights ($25~$30 max at radio shack or computer supply house). i'm waiting for my second cpu fan (w/heat sink) to attach to the tank glass (diy ghetto ice probe). hth Link to comment
Physh1 Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 Thanks for the plug tinyreef:D I have a 7 bow with a 150 HQI on it and my temp was swinging pretty badly. I've recently added a Coolworks IceProbe to it along with my previously installed evaporation system. The combonation has really made my life easierB) The temp was getting high (around 85) so the chiller brought it down and slowed my evaporation a little but I still really prefer a evaporation system to top off for me......it can be a HUGE pain in the a$$ to do it on a daily basis to keep our salinity in check. Here is a link to my chiller install: http://www.californiareefs.com/tank7reef.htm Here are 2 links to some info on my evaporation makeup switches for you too: http://www.californiareefs.com/forsale.htm and http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...=&threadid=5799 Cameron Link to comment
LizardQueen Posted January 8, 2003 Author Share Posted January 8, 2003 Wow, thanks everyone! Maybe I should give that fan one more try. I have an icecap 4" lurking about, I just need to figure out where to attach it. Physh1, great info. it really helps. Hehehe, that auto top off looks perfect! Look out for an email from me soon. Link to comment
Lunchbucket Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 why spend 100bucks on a chiller when you will solve it w/ a fan. just top off 2x's/day or get a top off system. heck an iv dripper in a 1/2gallon container will HELP Lunchbucket Link to comment
Crakeur Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 Originally posted by Lunchbucket why spend 100bucks on a chiller when you will solve it w/ a fan. just top off 2x's/day or get a top off system. heck an iv dripper in a 1/2gallon container will HELP Lunchbucket added water flow and the chiller works so it removes the fear that a fan won't work. My microchiller worked so well I had to keep a heater on in the summer to maintain a steady temp. Unfortunately, I have an aquafuge on the back of the tank so the microchiller hangs on the right side of the tank, thus forcing me to move the lights off to the side. not pretty but effective. If you want to buy the microchiller, search the net for the best price and email cory@premiumaquatics.com. He will usually match prices. Link to comment
Hinecken Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 Make sure that when you find your ice-cap fan that it is the one with the temp. probe. If I remember correctly, the older ones don't move quite as much air. Also, it is just as important to get the air away from the tank if you mount the fan in the back like I did, a cheap clip on desk fan....8.00 at walmart will work quite nicely. Good luck. Link to comment
LizardQueen Posted January 8, 2003 Author Share Posted January 8, 2003 All of this advice is a great help. I do appreciate it. I found my icecap fan. It is the I actually have two fans that I could use. I need to sell the other. My 75 gallon tank cracked and broke so I have a ton of equipment left over from that setup. I have it in place now and I will monitor how well it controlls the temmp more diligently this time. I am still leaning torwards the chiller but am looking at my options. Perhaps if I sell some equipment from my old setup I can make a quick buck. Thank you again. I am going to post some pictures of my tank in the members tank forum later this afternoon. Maybe I will get some more good setup advice to make things work better for me. Link to comment
spoondigity Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 One thing I thought about. You mentioned that your fan is 'blowing in' to your tank. You have to keep in mind that you are not actually attempting to cool the water with your fan, but cooling the lights with the fan and sweeping the heat away before it heats the tank. If the fan is pointing down some toward the tank then you may be blowing some of the heated air into your tank. I use a single 5" fan on my system with 2x36w pc's and I have to have a heater to keep it at a constant temp even in the summer. I don't point the fan into the tank, but I have it set up at the same level as my lights blowing directly across them to move the air horizontally across the surface of the lights and away from the tank. Just a thought... Link to comment
Vish Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 Originally posted by Hinecken I have a 175 halide over my twenty gallon. The bulb is 9 inches from the surface of the water and the back of the canopy is open. I purchased the 4" ice cap thermo fan and it works beautifully. . HTH Hinecken: Question for you. Do you have any pics of your tank? And more set up details. I am asking because I am planning to have a similar set up as yours, 20G with metal halide. I was wondering if you can provide me more details about your set up. Thanks --Vish Link to comment
Hinecken Posted January 9, 2003 Share Posted January 9, 2003 Vish....I'm not sure what kind of details you are looking for. basically, it is a AGA 20XH. I have a 6 inch sand bed and an icecap fan pulling air out of the canopy. Along with that fan, I have a cheap wallmart type clip on fan that blows air away from the tank. Unfortunatley I don't have any pictures yet of my set up, nor will I post them until I feel that my tank should be looked at. I'm not 100% pleased with it's appearance, so I don't plan on posting until I am. Good luck with your set up, I hope all goes well for you. Link to comment
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