fans

[txstateunivreefer]

ok so i have a halide system now and its going to be hot hot hot inside of my canopy and need some insight on how to run/get my fans are there any that i can get at radioshack that run AC current

[Chicken_Eye]

You can get any fan as long as you get a 12v outlet. But for the price from dr fosterand smith you can get the aqualight 4.75" fan that is like 67cfm for 20 bucks and it comes with a plug and on off switch. Also with your canopy I would run 2 fans blowing air into your canopy and cut you a few vent holes on the top of your tank.

[erick]

Rabio shack sells ac fans, no sweat. I run the fans directly onto the water, as that is where you need the evaporation/cooling effect! Just blowing heat out of your hood does not affect water temp that much. I have 1-6" circular a/c fan that I bought from Hobogato (came from Texastodds set up) I dont need it, and I will sell it to you for what I paid for it, $15....pm me if you are interested....

[Ram_Puppy]

couple things to keep in mind:

1) Icecap sells a great fan designed to be in a saltwater environment, and the temp probes on it will keep its speed relative to the heat in the canopy. i.e. hotter = faster.

2) as ace educated me this week, you don't want to pull air out, you want to push it in. that will make the fan last longer because it won't be pulling caustic salt water vapor w/ it.

[erikharrison]

go to Altex! They have fans which do not have the wires attached, but they are right next to them. They say FUJIYA or something on them. If you go on a monday-friday there is a guy there named TOM who does alot of custom camera setups etc, and he will solder and heat shrink the cord to it. I think total you'll pay about 30 bucks, but the fan pushes 110 CFM. It's small and packs one heck of a punch!

[captexas]

It may not be an issue to you like it is to others, but some fans are noisier than others. If noise is an issue, ask around to find specific models that are quiet.

[LoneStar]

Look for ball bearing fans if your going the quiet route.

[jc]

So canopy fans don't do much unless they are pointed at the water? I thought cooling was done because the trapped hot air was pushed out.

[erikharrison]

the above stated fan is pretty quiet... Also, you don't have to move the air out, pushing cold air on top of the hot air will cool the hot air down.

[erick]

Light from MH lighting heats the water radiationally also! This is a big thing, much bigger than the hot air in the canopy. By pushing air at the waters surface, you move air through the canopy expelling the trapped air, and get the added benefit of evaporational cooling, which could save you the expense of getting a chiller in the summer.

[Chicken_Eye]

With my 2 250watt MH my tank temp was getting up to 83-85 by the end of the day. I thought I had to do something so I grabed a 10" fan from walmart and sit it on the center support of my tank with the center door on my canopy open. The fan is in no way pointing at the water infact it is blowing at the back wall where there is a 4" gap where the canopy meets the wall. Now my water temp never gets about 77 So just haveing any air cirulation will help your water temp. Yes having it blow at your water is perfered but it is not a necessity.

[DaBird47]

I think everyone's right....Moving air=Lower temps...

[brewercm]

Open top or sloted canopies are great also since the hot air will just rise out of the system.

[erick]

Open top or sloted canopies are great also since the hot air will just rise out of the system.

Good Point!!

[jc]

What about canopies that are open in the back. Couldn't the air just drift out of the back. I hate to put a hole in the top of my canopy. Is there a way to do it without having the light shoot up to the ceiling?

[Chicken_Eye]

That is the way mine is my back is open and my fans force air out of the back

[txstateunivreefer]

if i wanted to diy my own fans from radio shack what would i need to run 4X 4" fans

[LoneStar]

if i wanted to diy my own fans from radio shack what would i need to run 4X 4" fans

It depends on if you get AC or DC fans.