How Do You Keep Your Tank Cool?

[pvh]

Just curious how some people keep their tank cool in the summer months. I have a fan blowing on the water surface and when the weather is really hot I have a window AC running.

 

[JayM]

I put in for AC in my answer, but I think my real answer is ~200 gallons in my basement setup.

 

[stingythingy45]

^^^
Same here.
A good part of my water volume is in the basement.

 

[Tphamster]

"Nothing at all" for me. 100 gallon sump in the basement. Last year on the hottest day, my tank was 84 F. I just

 

[Dave McReeferson]

I selected AC, our place is a pretty consistant temperature year round and I rarely have to worry about keeping the tank cool nor do I need a whole lot of wattage in heaters to keep it warm in the winter. Controlling ambient temperature in the house makes for a happier me, and a happier more efficient reef to boot.

 

[Jennifer]

4 - 4 inch fans. 2 blowing into the canopy come on everyday with the MH. 1 when my temp controller asks for cooling it blows out of canopy. 1 more over the tank next to it also comes on with the controller. These tanks are on the same sump. also these tanks are in my basement so I do not have any real heat issues till after a 90 degree heat wave.

 

[marine mike]

I voted for fan also, but I do have central air in the house and a good portion of my water is also in my basement sump like the responses above!

 

[ReeferMedic]

I use a room ac along with some fans mounted in my canopy. The ac gets you a 2 for 1. It dehumidifies as well as cools the room and tank off. A chiller will most likely heat the room up a bit as will most dehumidifiers. Also, most of the water volume is in the basement.

 

[delta]

Room AC, with fan on a heat controller over my sump.

 

[saltwaterB]

I don't know if I can take the poll. I use a combination of methods, and it also depends on which tank we are talking about.

How about an all of the above option.

Right now my 125/30/ 40breeder/ and 250gal coral grow out system.

All are in the basement, I have central AC, I have fans hooked up if needed, and I have a 1/2 HP chiller. And on the 40breeder, I do nothing



Now if that wasn't confusing enough..lol

-B-

 

[MikeG]

I have my fans and lights connected to my aquacontroller. Fans come on at 79 and lights start turning off at 83. Last summer my tank hit a high of 81. Entire system is in the basement though.

 

[chew*]

I have a fan on my display controlled via ACJR,
HET ON @ 78.0
HET OFF @ 78.5
FAN ON @ 79
FAN OFF @ 78.5.

May get a DC4 to control my AC during the summer.

 

[pat_man_ta]

I have usually relied on a window A/C but my tank is bigger now and it resides in the warmest room in the house so I'm starting to look into additional options. I just purchased a 4" fan that I intend to put in my sump area. I've discovered that even mild airflow down there seems to help the temperature considerably.

I'm very interested in what sort of controllers people are using here. I'd like something I can use to control my tank that's a bit more intelligent than dial timers (and not a POS like those $40 programmable power strips are)!

 

[Ray]

I have a fan in my canopy and room AC when needed.

 

[NateHanson]

My previous setup was cooled by a basement sump, and 2 fans over that sump running during lights-on hours in the summer. Before I moved the sump down there I relied on turning down lights, and air conditioning, but it was always stressful. Moving the sump to the basement was not too hard, and proved a very reliable solution.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I use cold tap water to cool my system. It runs through a coil of plastic tubing in my sump, then out to the pond or plants that need water. For folks around here it is a great way to go as our tap water is usually quite cool.

I won't give all the model numbers as I expect they are no longer available. I put this together years ago.

The cooling uses a lab controller (a Dynasense Thermistor controller) that has a high sensitivity, but could be any hobby on/off controller.

The solenoid is just an on/off solenoid that can accept water line pressure. It is normally off unless electricity is applied. Many places sell these, such as Cole Parmer, I believe.

The solenoid is on the cold water line. It attaches to tubing from Home Depot. I'll check, but I think it is 1/4" OD polyethylene (maybe polypropylene) tubing in a big coil in the sump.

When the temp is high, water runs through the tubing, and then out to the yard. Early in the summer, when the tap water is colder, I throttle back the line pressure a bit with a valve so that the flow is lower, but later I open it up so the flow is only limited by the back pressure from the coil.

The flow is probably on the order of 1 gallon per 5 minutes when on. In my setup, it never runs more than 50% of the time, and usually much less. I only have it operating from about June until late September. The rest of the year I need heat rather than cooling.

 

[marine mike]

Great idea Randy! Definitely less expensive than a chiller and water you would be using anyway. As long as your setup permits you to run the water to the sump and then outside, seems like it would be pretty easy. How much tubing do you actually have coiled up in the water? Just curious how much it would take.......thanks.

 

[reefsmurf]

I leave my AC on energy saver mode at around 85-86 during the day, tank usually stays at 80-82 with a fan on.. cheap way to keep it cool without wasting too much electricity.

 

[pvh]

I use cold tap water to cool my system. It runs through a coil of plastic tubing in my sump, then out to the pond or plants that need water. For folks around here it is a great way to go as our tap water is usually quite cool.

I won't give all the model numbers as I expect they are no longer available. I put this together years ago.

The cooling uses a lab controller (a Dynasense Thermistor controller) that has a high sensitivity, but could be any hobby on/off controller.

The solenoid is just an on/off solenoid that can accept water line pressure. It is normally off unless electricity is applied. Many places sell these, such as Cole Parmer, I believe.

The solenoid is on the cold water line. It attaches to tubing from Home Depot. I'll check, but I think it is 1/4" OD polyethylene (maybe polypropylene) tubing in a big coil in the sump.

When the temp is high, water runs through the tubing, and then out to the yard. Early in the summer, when the tap water is colder, I throttle back the line pressure a bit with a valve so that the flow is lower, but later I open it up so the flow is only limited by the back pressure from the coil.

The flow is probably on the order of 1 gallon per 5 minutes when on. In my setup, it never runs more than 50% of the time, and usually much less. I only have it operating from about June until late September. The rest of the year I need heat rather than cooling.

That sounds interesting. How big is your total volumn? How long of the coil do you have it in the sump? I'd be interest in the solenoid part number or any information on it would be great.

 

[Miller]

I leave my AC on energy saver mode at around 85-86 during the day, tank usually stays at 80-82 with a fan on.. cheap way to keep it cool without wasting too much electricity.

Thats my plan....to bad today the new window AC unit has decided it will not work. Looks like I'll be staying home this weekend during the heat to be there in case the fans can not cool the tank enough.