MH lights heating my tank.

[KurtG]

If it's not one thing, then it's another...

I came home this evening and my tanks temp was pushing 86.4. Ouch.

I turned off one MH, turned on the AC, and have a fan on the tank. It's
starting to cool off, but what now? Chiller? Any other tricks?

--Kurt

[sdsdevelopment]

"KurtG" > wrote in message
...
>
> If it's not one thing, then it's another...
>
> I came home this evening and my tanks temp was pushing 86.4. Ouch.
>
> I turned off one MH, turned on the AC, and have a fan on the tank. It's
> starting to cool off, but what now? Chiller? Any other tricks?
>
> --Kurt

Kurt,
Try one of the 6" clip on fans blowing over a sump if you have one. I use
2-250 watt MH and 2 VHO actinics on my 65 and 90 and with 2 fans in canopy
and one blowing over my sump and I never have a heat problem. I do have a
1/10hp chiller just in case though. Tanks stay at 78-80 max even in the
summer. On our 29 frag tank we do have a heat issue with 1 MH but a bigger
fan helped.
Water surface cooling does wonders for dropping tank temp but also
accelerates evaporation

[Wayne Sallee]

Yep, fans do a great job of cooling the water. I prefer to
put it over the tank instead of the sump for 2 reasons.
(1) more surface area to evaporate
(2) fan in sump can tend to get salt spray into the air.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



sdsdevelopment wrote on 1/12/2007 8:11 PM:
> "KurtG" > wrote in message
> ...
>> If it's not one thing, then it's another...
>>
>> I came home this evening and my tanks temp was pushing 86.4. Ouch.
>>
>> I turned off one MH, turned on the AC, and have a fan on the tank. It's
>> starting to cool off, but what now? Chiller? Any other tricks?
>>
>> --Kurt
>
> Kurt,
> Try one of the 6" clip on fans blowing over a sump if you have one. I use
> 2-250 watt MH and 2 VHO actinics on my 65 and 90 and with 2 fans in canopy
> and one blowing over my sump and I never have a heat problem. I do have a
> 1/10hp chiller just in case though. Tanks stay at 78-80 max even in the
> summer. On our 29 frag tank we do have a heat issue with 1 MH but a bigger
> fan helped.
> Water surface cooling does wonders for dropping tank temp but also
> accelerates evaporation
>
>

[KurtG]

I added a fan that blows across the surface and light fixture. It's
staying cooler, but evaporation is higher too. I doubt that's a long
term solution given my locale, but it will hold me until next month.

--Kurt


Wayne Sallee wrote:
> Yep, fans do a great job of cooling the water. I prefer to put it over
> the tank instead of the sump for 2 reasons.
> (1) more surface area to evaporate
> (2) fan in sump can tend to get salt spray into the air.
>
> Wayne Sallee
> Wayne's Pets
>
>
>
> sdsdevelopment wrote on 1/12/2007 8:11 PM:
>> "KurtG" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> If it's not one thing, then it's another...
>>>
>>> I came home this evening and my tanks temp was pushing 86.4. Ouch.
>>>
>>> I turned off one MH, turned on the AC, and have a fan on the tank.
>>> It's starting to cool off, but what now? Chiller? Any other tricks?
>>>
>>> --Kurt
>>
>> Kurt,
>> Try one of the 6" clip on fans blowing over a sump if you have one. I
>> use 2-250 watt MH and 2 VHO actinics on my 65 and 90 and with 2 fans
>> in canopy and one blowing over my sump and I never have a heat
>> problem. I do have a 1/10hp chiller just in case though. Tanks stay at
>> 78-80 max even in the summer. On our 29 frag tank we do have a heat
>> issue with 1 MH but a bigger fan helped.
>> Water surface cooling does wonders for dropping tank temp but also
>> accelerates evaporation
>>

[Tristan]

Thats one of the most common in use methods of keeping a tank cool
though. Short of a chiller, fans are the fine. They do become
marginal at best once this region (where you and I both live) starts
to get a bit warmer........I find I can not keep my tanks cool enough
in spring with just fans if the ambiet temp gets much arounfd the 80;s
so it gives us a good excuse to turn on the AC.

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 11:01:49 -0500, KurtG
> wrote:

<<>>
<<>>I added a fan that blows across the surface and light fixture. It's
<<>>staying cooler, but evaporation is higher too. I doubt that's a long
<<>>term solution given my locale, but it will hold me until next month.
<<>>
<<>>--Kurt
<<>>
<<>>
<<>>Wayne Sallee wrote:
<<>>> Yep, fans do a great job of cooling the water. I prefer to put it over
<<>>> the tank instead of the sump for 2 reasons.
<<>>> (1) more surface area to evaporate
<<>>> (2) fan in sump can tend to get salt spray into the air.
<<>>>
<<>>> Wayne Sallee
<<>>> Wayne's Pets
<<>>>
<<>>>
<<>>>
<<>>> sdsdevelopment wrote on 1/12/2007 8:11 PM:
<<>>>> "KurtG" > wrote in message
<<>>>> ...
<<>>>>> If it's not one thing, then it's another...
<<>>>>>
<<>>>>> I came home this evening and my tanks temp was pushing 86.4. Ouch.
<<>>>>>
<<>>>>> I turned off one MH, turned on the AC, and have a fan on the tank.
<<>>>>> It's starting to cool off, but what now? Chiller? Any other tricks?
<<>>>>>
<<>>>>> --Kurt
<<>>>>
<<>>>> Kurt,
<<>>>> Try one of the 6" clip on fans blowing over a sump if you have one. I
<<>>>> use 2-250 watt MH and 2 VHO actinics on my 65 and 90 and with 2 fans
<<>>>> in canopy and one blowing over my sump and I never have a heat
<<>>>> problem. I do have a 1/10hp chiller just in case though. Tanks stay at
<<>>>> 78-80 max even in the summer. On our 29 frag tank we do have a heat
<<>>>> issue with 1 MH but a bigger fan helped.
<<>>>> Water surface cooling does wonders for dropping tank temp but also
<<>>>> accelerates evaporation
<<>>>>



-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

[RubenD]

I knew someone who put a 2 litter bottle with water in the fridge and then
put it in the sump when it really got warm.

It seemed to help.

Ruben


"KurtG" > wrote in message
...
>
> If it's not one thing, then it's another...
>
> I came home this evening and my tanks temp was pushing 86.4. Ouch.
>
> I turned off one MH, turned on the AC, and have a fan on the tank. It's
> starting to cool off, but what now? Chiller? Any other tricks?
>
> --Kurt

[Tristan]

While that may help it does not do any good if your not there to put
that frozen bottle of water it in the tank....
Best bet is to address the problem and correct it. Use a fan if yu can
not afford a chiller. They are easy to mount under a typical hood etc.
and if yuu power it with an adjustable power pack (wall Wart) you can
speed the fan up or down and vary airflow to suit temp conditions. I
normaly run my fans on 6VDC most of the year. In early spring before
the AC is turned on, and its getting warm outside and inside I turn
the voltage up to 9.6 or 12 volts and give it more powewr and provides
more cooling flow so tanks run cooler eventhough its getting hot
outside. Same for when we have to fire up the heat, I speed up the
fans to push more air flow over the tanks surface water for more
evaporaiton and more cooling. The drawback is increased evporation so
more or larger top offs are required, but its stil better than having
a hot tank to deal with. Iyts also a failry good idea to keep a heater
pushed up and working against the fan so they more or less work
against each other. Thhis usually accomplishes a fairly constant temp
range the tank runs in., and with a bit of experimenting, you can
figure the ideal tank temp to run...


On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 15:13:07 -0800, "RubenD"
> wrote:

<<>>I knew someone who put a 2 litter bottle with water in the fridge and then
<<>>put it in the sump when it really got warm.
<<>>
<<>>It seemed to help.
<<>>
<<>>Ruben
<<>>
<<>>
<<>>"KurtG" > wrote in message
...
<<>>>
<<>>> If it's not one thing, then it's another...
<<>>>
<<>>> I came home this evening and my tanks temp was pushing 86.4. Ouch.
<<>>>
<<>>> I turned off one MH, turned on the AC, and have a fan on the tank. It's
<<>>> starting to cool off, but what now? Chiller? Any other tricks?
<<>>>
<<>>> --Kurt
<<>>



-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

[Sally Green]

"Tristan" > wrote in message
...

Evidently Roy Tristan is out peddling his wares destroying other ngs.
No, yu owud rather **** around and bitch with what was
opsted, than takeup the info and go with it. Hope your freaking fish
croaks now dude, sorry, but your not fit to keep fish if yu can not
take a suggestion and have to fuss in stead! I suggest re-reading that
reply and doing what was suggested if your really at all concerned.
Get the **** over it!

>
> On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 11:01:49 -0500, KurtG
> > wrote:
>
> <<>>
> <<>>I added a fan that blows across the surface and light fixture. It's
> <<>>staying cooler, but evaporation is higher too. I doubt that's a long
> <<>>term solution given my locale, but it will hold me until next month.
> <<>>
> <<>>--Kurt
> <<>>
> <<>>
> <<>>Wayne Sallee wrote:
> <<>>> Yep, fans do a great job of cooling the water. I prefer to put it
over
> <<>>> the tank instead of the sump for 2 reasons.
> <<>>> (1) more surface area to evaporate
> <<>>> (2) fan in sump can tend to get salt spray into the air.
> <<>>>
> <<>>> Wayne Sallee
> <<>>> Wayne's Pets
> <<>>>
> <<>>>
> <<>>>
> <<>>> sdsdevelopment wrote on 1/12/2007 8:11 PM:
> <<>>>> "KurtG" > wrote in message
> <<>>>> ...
> <<>>>>> If it's not one thing, then it's another...
> <<>>>>>
> <<>>>>> I came home this evening and my tanks temp was pushing 86.4.
Ouch.
> <<>>>>>
> <<>>>>> I turned off one MH, turned on the AC, and have a fan on the tank.
> <<>>>>> It's starting to cool off, but what now? Chiller? Any other
tricks?
> <<>>>>>
> <<>>>>> --Kurt
> <<>>>>
> <<>>>> Kurt,
> <<>>>> Try one of the 6" clip on fans blowing over a sump if you have one.
I
> <<>>>> use 2-250 watt MH and 2 VHO actinics on my 65 and 90 and with 2
fans
> <<>>>> in canopy and one blowing over my sump and I never have a heat
> <<>>>> problem. I do have a 1/10hp chiller just in case though. Tanks stay
at
> <<>>>> 78-80 max even in the summer. On our 29 frag tank we do have a heat
> <<>>>> issue with 1 MH but a bigger fan helped.
> <<>>>> Water surface cooling does wonders for dropping tank temp but also
> <<>>>> accelerates evaporation
> <<>>>>
>
>
>
> -------
> I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

[Reef Rock]

"Tristan" > wrote in message
...
>
>
Troll any old grandmothers today Roy Tristan?

> While that may help it does not do any good if your not there to put
> that frozen bottle of water it in the tank....
> Best bet is to address the problem and correct it. Use a fan if yu can
> not afford a chiller. They are easy to mount under a typical hood etc.
> and if yuu power it with an adjustable power pack (wall Wart) you can
> speed the fan up or down and vary airflow to suit temp conditions. I
> normaly run my fans on 6VDC most of the year. In early spring before
> the AC is turned on, and its getting warm outside and inside I turn
> the voltage up to 9.6 or 12 volts and give it more powewr and provides
> more cooling flow so tanks run cooler eventhough its getting hot
> outside. Same for when we have to fire up the heat, I speed up the
> fans to push more air flow over the tanks surface water for more
> evaporaiton and more cooling. The drawback is increased evporation so
> more or larger top offs are required, but its stil better than having
> a hot tank to deal with. Iyts also a failry good idea to keep a heater
> pushed up and working against the fan so they more or less work
> against each other. Thhis usually accomplishes a fairly constant temp
> range the tank runs in., and with a bit of experimenting, you can
> figure the ideal tank temp to run...
>
>
> On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 15:13:07 -0800, "RubenD"
> > wrote:
>
> <<>>I knew someone who put a 2 litter bottle with water in the fridge and
then
> <<>>put it in the sump when it really got warm.
> <<>>
> <<>>It seemed to help.
> <<>>
> <<>>Ruben
> <<>>
> <<>>
> <<>>"KurtG" > wrote in message
> ...
> <<>>>
> <<>>> If it's not one thing, then it's another...
> <<>>>
> <<>>> I came home this evening and my tanks temp was pushing 86.4. Ouch.
> <<>>>
> <<>>> I turned off one MH, turned on the AC, and have a fan on the tank.
It's
> <<>>> starting to cool off, but what now? Chiller? Any other tricks?
> <<>>>
> <<>>> --Kurt
> <<>>
>
>
>
> -------
> I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

[George Patterson]

RubenD wrote:
> I knew someone who put a 2 litter bottle with water in the fridge and then
> put it in the sump when it really got warm.

I've dumped ice in my 125 with no noticeable effect. Good luck with that.

George Patterson
Forgive your enemies. But always remember who they are.

[that *other* annoying little troll]

George Patterson wrote:

> RubenD wrote:
>
>> I knew someone who put a 2 litter bottle with water in the fridge and
>> then
>> put it in the sump when it really got warm.
>
>
> I've dumped ice in my 125 with no noticeable effect. Good luck with that.
>
> George Patterson
> Forgive your enemies. But always remember who they are.

I usually have a couple gallons of slt water in the fridge just in case...

[Wayne Sallee]

Evaporation is one of the benefits of fan cooling, because
you can add more lime water.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



KurtG wrote on 1/14/2007 11:01 AM:
>
> I added a fan that blows across the surface and light fixture. It's
> staying cooler, but evaporation is higher too. I doubt that's a long
> term solution given my locale, but it will hold me until next month.
>
> --Kurt
>
>
> Wayne Sallee wrote:
>> Yep, fans do a great job of cooling the water. I prefer to put it over
>> the tank instead of the sump for 2 reasons.
>> (1) more surface area to evaporate
>> (2) fan in sump can tend to get salt spray into the air.
>>
>> Wayne Sallee
>> Wayne's Pets
>>
>>
>>
>> sdsdevelopment wrote on 1/12/2007 8:11 PM:
>>> "KurtG" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> If it's not one thing, then it's another...
>>>>
>>>> I came home this evening and my tanks temp was pushing 86.4. Ouch.
>>>>
>>>> I turned off one MH, turned on the AC, and have a fan on the tank.
>>>> It's starting to cool off, but what now? Chiller? Any other tricks?
>>>>
>>>> --Kurt
>>>
>>> Kurt,
>>> Try one of the 6" clip on fans blowing over a sump if you have one. I
>>> use 2-250 watt MH and 2 VHO actinics on my 65 and 90 and with 2 fans
>>> in canopy and one blowing over my sump and I never have a heat
>>> problem. I do have a 1/10hp chiller just in case though. Tanks stay
>>> at 78-80 max even in the summer. On our 29 frag tank we do have a
>>> heat issue with 1 MH but a bigger fan helped.
>>> Water surface cooling does wonders for dropping tank temp but also
>>> accelerates evaporation
>>>

[KurtG]

KurtG wrote:
>
> If it's not one thing, then it's another...
>
> I came home this evening and my tanks temp was pushing 86.4. Ouch.
>
> I turned off one MH, turned on the AC, and have a fan on the tank. It's
> starting to cool off, but what now? Chiller? Any other tricks?
>
> --Kurt


Just a follow up. I think 3 major things solved this problem:

* I added a second heater to keep the overall temp warmer
* Added a tank surface fan and sump fan that are on the same timer as
the MH lights
* drum roll...... Removed the ballasts from the sump enclosure. These
generate a lot of heat that the sump was picking up.

--Kurt

[Wayne Sallee]

Adding a heater to a reef tank to reduce temp
swings, is overrated.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets


KurtG wrote on 1/31/2007 5:20 PM:
> KurtG wrote:
>>
>> If it's not one thing, then it's another...
>>
>> I came home this evening and my tanks temp was pushing 86.4. Ouch.
>>
>> I turned off one MH, turned on the AC, and have a fan on the tank.
>> It's starting to cool off, but what now? Chiller? Any other tricks?
>>
>> --Kurt
>
>
> Just a follow up. I think 3 major things solved this problem:
>
> * I added a second heater to keep the overall temp warmer
> * Added a tank surface fan and sump fan that are on the same timer as
> the MH lights
> * drum roll...... Removed the ballasts from the sump enclosure. These
> generate a lot of heat that the sump was picking up.
>
> --Kurt

[KurtG]

Wayne Sallee wrote:
> Adding a heater to a reef tank to reduce temp swings, is overrated.

I have this down to a single degree. 79.7 by night and 80.8 by day.

Until the next thing breaks.....

--Kurt