Water Temprature

[KAPEL]

I have a big problem, my tank is not close to a window, no sunlight but my water is 29 degrees C. I know a water chiller is the answer but is quite expensive. Any other ideas out there?

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

How big is the tank, and is it covered with a closed hood, or open? I have a small saltwater tank(open top) and I have a clip on fan to keep the water cool. It does cause extra evaporation, so needs daily top ups. Similar to this.....
 

 

[KAPEL]

It is a 128L tank. Very nice tool you have there, can you give me more info on it please?

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

Fits on the rim of the tank and runs off a 12v adapter. You can angle the unit to blow directly down on the water or across the tank. I find that it drops the water temp by about 4-5 degrees C. I have mine connected to the light timer, so that it is only on when the lights are on, as it is my light unit that causes the water to get to warm.
 
They are very cheap to buy. I think I paid something like $20 for it. Do a search on the internet, and you'll find one mail order. If you have Ebay in SA you should find them on there.

 

[KAPEL]

Thank you ever so much for your help. Do you maybe have an make and model for me and what they call it?

 

[Donya]

There are lots of fan brands out there, and I'm not sure which ones are common/available in your country. Here are two I have seen in use:
 
Zoo Med Aqua Cool - I use this. In really hot weather with a closed-top tank, something like this works best in conjunction with an extractor fan too (I used a CPU fan for that)
AZoo Fans - these are more similar to the one shown in the pic.
 
The specific brand/model of fan isn't all that important really. There are tons listed on places like amazon in various shapes and sizes. You can also do a DIY job and just use CPU fans with appropriate power converters or any clip-on fan that you can fit really. Whatever you get, you will need to keep it clean or it will jam/clog/etc. and start to not function very well. I like the Zoo Med model in part because it keeps the fan away from the water, so it doesn't get covered in crud nearly as fast as having the fan itself sit directly over the water, and it's not too hard to do a DIY equivalent.