Gill Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 So i have never used MH until recently. I was surprised at how much my tank heated up (scary) I have a 125 and i added a 250 watt HQI, i unplugged the heaters and now run around 80 in the day and around 76 at night. This does not leave much margine for error and i know for sure it is going to get too hot this summer (sad) In an effort to be pro active i thought i would ask what people usually do in the summer, i am already using a desk fan, i will definitely get more when the stores start selling them again. I have used ice in an emergency situation in the past, but want to know if anyone has any better ideas. I am still surprised that one 250 would heat my tank up so much since most people would use at least two on a tank my size? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmike Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 time to invest in a chiller... expensive but a necessary part of most large reefs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael7979 Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Is the fan blowing across the lights? Or is it blowing on/in the sump? If it is blowing down on to the water in the sump it will cause evaporation. Which should cool the tank some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 Is the fan blowing across the lights? Or is it blowing on/in the sump? If it is blowing down on to the water in the sump it will cause evaporation. Which should cool the tank some. I have it aimed at the water surface directly below the light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Position the fan to blow across as much surface area as possible. It isn't necessary for it to be directly under the light. It's more important to cover more surface area instead. As to what I do: 1: I have a large 3 speed fan that pulls heat out of the upper cabinet. (Necessary because it's enclosed) I run it at high during the summer. (Medium the rest of the year) 2: I keep the house at about 78 degrees. 3: I change my lighting schedule so the lights run in the early morning hours. (Between about 3 AM and 8 AM) 4: I have a small fan that blows air across the sump. 5: I raise the lights a few inches higher than normal. 6: If temps rise too far I open the upper cabinet and use a couple of floor fans blowing across the top of the water. The last 3 I only do when the temperatures rise enough to do so. (When the tank temps push past 83 degrees) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefStar Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Bed Bath and Beyond have the fan now, use the $5 off $15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaticEngineer Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Lose the tropical reef and come sit at the "Cool" kids table LEDS & COLDWATER TANKS FTW!(laugh) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 LED's FTW!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaticEngineer Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 My 50w LED spotlight I made has a lens surface temp of 118 degrees F. I should be able to drop it even more after I get a high CFM fan and a heatsink with more surface area. Did I mention its putting out 400 par at 12" deep and only cost me $74 to put together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saltfinsax Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 If you don't air conditioning, (like me) then I open my windows at night and then close them in the morning. This works till we get that one week a year that gets over 100. Then I use ice a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electrokate Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Get a digital thermometer with alarm. I use the Marina ones, they are cheap and the batteries are available at Safeway, although they don't seem to last more than a couple years... Especially if you drip saltwater on them (: They can be set to alarm you when the temps vary beyond whatever range you program in. These have saved me so many times both from cold and hot. Best use of 30 bucks yet. Used to use a small box fan laid across the sump blowing down and then do a lot of topoffs. I like the small boxfan better because it rests on the rim and cannot fall in unlike my clip fans which eventually droop at the joints. If you are working a lot you probably should just get a chiller, that way you don't have to worry about constant topoffs. You can use an auto topoff but I keep hearing nightmare stories about when those go wrong so I won't try them. Either way you want to make sure your lights are adequately cooled because whether or not they heat your tank they run a lot more efficiently and last longer at lower temps. Also cheap insurance: you could plug the lights into a heater controller with probe, and set the heater controller to like 83 or whatever it is you want to be the temp where the lights turn off. Did that one vacation when I was gone 10 days in summer. Only I accidentally set it to 78 so the lights were off the whole time. Everything looked great when I came back, very little algae. So I guess if it is really hot I can shut my lights off for a few days (: Kate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electrokate Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 My 50w LED spotlight I made has a lens surface temp of 118 degrees F. I should be able to drop it even more after I get a high CFM fan and a heatsink with more surface area. Did I mention its putting out 400 par at 12" deep and only cost me $74 to put together Did you ever try lenses to make it less of a spot? Saw your thread, it looks amazing. Kate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 I have central air so my house doesn't go above 72 but if i were in your position i would adjust the temp controller on my tank to have a high of 77 and a low of 76. This will give you some leeway should the temp rise to 80 or so. The fans, as suggested, are a must. You could also adjust your light cycle to be on when its cooler outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaticEngineer Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Did you ever try lenses to make it less of a spot? Saw your thread, it looks amazing. Kate It started with a 120 degree angle, which is no lens at all, then we put the 60 degree on it and it casts a 12x12 square at a 12" height. I'm sure I could get more of a light spread with the 90 degree optic, but I was looking for something more focused like this anyways. The goal for these is to only have have 2 small light fixtures that produce little to no heat, use little to no power, and project visible light into a 48" deep tank. I'll probably keep a pair of them running over the lobster tank I use for my green anemones in the garage. I'm still going to get the 90 degree lens to try out since its only like $6 when I build my next one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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