Tank temp- summer approaching- fans????

Hi all,
Summer is fast approaching, last summer i battled with frozen ice blocks in order to keep my tank cool
I can't afford a tank chiller- my research shows the average price to be about $700

So im just wanting advice as to the use of fans for cooling a medium- largeish sized tank whether it be it be clip on fans specificly for tanks (advertised on ebay) or the cheaper option of a standing rotating basic fan.

so has anyone had experience with chilling their tank in this manner
if so is it effective?

Any help appreciated
Cheers Sarah

Keep an eye on ebay cause I saw some cheap ones listed on there. I would also keep and eye on the trading post and the weekend shopper(thats where i got my chiller from). I didnt think the fans worked well (for me anyway). I found the best thing(apart from a chiller) was putting the filter in an esky filled with ice, you have to top up the ice morning and night and during the day for the very hot summer days. Buying the ice was around $18 a week tho.

Sarah, where will the fan(s) be placed? To be effective, they have to blow directly on the water. And obviously you need to consider safety - no fans falling in the water!

Small one-room air conditioner units are quite cheap these days, so this would be another option to consider.

Sarah, I got a Hailea from Chilling & Heating - Hailea Chillers - Guppy’s Aquarium Products Online - Hailea Chiller

If you do some research the Haileas get mixed reviews.

They are the cheaper end of the scale, and they need a pump to get the water through it (you can run them inline with your canitser filter if you use one, or simply buy a pump for $60 or so)

I have found them to great, had it in for about 3 months i think. the prices there are roughly 40% less than anywhere else i found. I got the 130 for about $350 delivered, which was selling elsewhere for $600-700

Apparently Hailea did have a bad rep in the past few years, but have improved with the newer models.

I felt at the cheaper price it was worth the small risk. It might not last 10 years like the dearer ones, but if i get 2-3 trouble free years i think i'll be satisfied - then i can either buy a dearer on or just get another cheapy

Food for thought, not trying to convince you of anything

Bren

Thank all for your advice

I think i will invest in the chiller that Bren has suggested, i'm willing to pay $350 for the convenience of it all.
Other years i have done the frozen ice block method, filling up the coke bottle freezing it and placing it in the tank... BUT SO MUCH HASTLE

and as for fans, i pressume the aquarium ones are waterproof, but as for effectiveness prob not worth the high power usage.

Cheap chiller it is
Thanks all
Muchly appreciated.