# Aquarium Cooling. Fans?



## PM (9 Jul 2010)

My tank is normally and should be 24 degrees C.

Right now (at night), it is 27.5.

My room is very hot and even with windows wide open and a fan on, holds onto heat very well.

My question is, how can I cool the aquarium down? A water change is only very temporary in this heat.

I was thinkng of getting some fans for my tank, *but will fans cool an aquarium if the room is hot anyway?*


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## Stu Worrall (9 Jul 2010)

they should take a couple of degree off but if the ambient is as bad as they say itll get this weekend then youd really need a cooler like they use overseas. I think londondragon uses fans on his tank


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## PM (9 Jul 2010)

Hmm, I am a little worried as I have just added new fish and shrimp...


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## JamesM (9 Jul 2010)

PC fans cool a PC when the room is warm, so yes  As long as its moving the relatively stale air you should notice a small benefit.

Years ago I used to drop a frozen 2 litre bottle of water in the tank if it got too warm... these days I'm far too lazy and just leave it... trouble is, the extra warmth gets the cherry barbs all horny


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## PM (9 Jul 2010)

JamesM said:
			
		

> PC fans cool a PC when the room is warm, so yes  As long as its moving the relatively stale air you should notice a small benefit.:



Thing is a computer is obviously hotter than the room, whereas my room is two degrees hotter than the tank. (If you get me)!

Don't know if it's worth going on a mad one over the weekend to get fans or not. I can't imagine it will cool the tank in a room warmer than it? Though I could be wrong....

Cheers


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## PM (9 Jul 2010)

Speaking of fans, saw this today

http://www.johnlewis.com/230942835/Product.aspx

Yummy!


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## JamesM (9 Jul 2010)

PM said:
			
		

> Speaking of fans, saw this today
> 
> http://www.johnlewis.com/230942835/Product.aspx
> 
> Yummy!


The Dyson fan is amazing... shockingly overpriced atm though  

Think about it though, you'd cool down sitting in front of that Dyson fan, wouldn't you? Moving the stale air at the top of the tank (which is also heated by the lights) should give you a drop of a couple of degrees at least, like Stu says. 

Cheaper to find out with fans than a cooler


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## PM (9 Jul 2010)

Yeah I saw it at work and was like WOAH!

Wanted to get one, then saw the price   

Well I'll try to get a twin fan from my LFS, though it'll have to wait til Sunday now (I hope they're open)!

Thanks guys, stay cool    haha


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## Burnleygaz (9 Jul 2010)

It will still provide some degree of cooling because of evaporative cooling



> Evaporative cooling is a physical phenomenon in which evaporation  of a liquid, typically into surrounding air, cools an object or a liquid in contact with it. Latent heat describes the amount of heat that is needed to evaporate the liquid; this heat comes from the liquid itself and the surrounding gas and surfaces.



i used to use a couple of fans on 60 gallon tank a few years ago , they used to drop the temp about 1 degree , but these days i dont bother, most fish can cope with it as long as its not a sudden change in temperture, just make sure you have a decent amount of surface movement as the warmer water gets the less oxygen it can hold.


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## PM (9 Jul 2010)

^ makes sense.

Thanks


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## GreenNeedle (10 Jul 2010)

I wouldn't worry too much. My tank heater is set at 26ÂºC however when the heater is turned off it can get as low as 20ÂºC!!!  I have turned it off by accident before and not noticed for a week (or 2 )  I also turn it off for 5 days when I want the Corys to breed.  No problems encountered at all.

Funnily enough yesterday I was wondering why I was having to top up 2Â½ litres each day.  Looked at the thermometer and the temp was 32ÂºC.  Checked the heater and yes the dial was at 32ÂºC.  Must have been like that for 3 weeks because I've only gone in the cabinet for fish food in the last 3 weeks and the heater is right at the back.  Must have accidently knocked it when I cleaned the filter 3 weeks ago.

Moral of the story?  My Corys, according to the multitude of info on 'required' temperatures, should be 24-28ÂºC!!!  So mine have been at 4ÂºC lower than that minimum regularly and for 5 days at a time.  They have been 4ÂºC above that for 3 weeks.

The moral of the story?  If the fish had behaved any different to normal or there were any deaths I would've noticed well before 3 weeks had passed.  The fish were quite happy, behaving as per normal.  It was the fact that the water was evaporating faster that alerted me 

AC


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## LondonDragon (13 Jul 2010)

Have a look here: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=12071


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## ndrj1 (30 Jul 2010)

I use a small clip on desk fan suspended over my 60 litre aquariul when the temperature soars and it keeps my tank at a very constant 24c.....

obviously for a larger tank you'd need more, but it certainly works for me....


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