Aquarium Fans

[Gangsterluff]

What's the most efficient way to use aquarium fans? Do they need to blow straight down or do they need to blow across the water? Does one need to blow in and one out? Would a strip of four aquarium fans do the trick or would I need several computer fans? I've never used fans before so sorry for all the questions. I have a 20 gallon long, a wire mesh lid I made myself, and no lighting if that makes a difference.

 

[jclee]

If you do a thread search, you will find a lot of really cool modifications to keep axolotls cool. I went cheap-and-easy. I bought inexpensive mini-fans and nailed them above the (mostly open) tanks.

This works pretty well, but I should also mention that these tanks are in the most air-conditioned room in my home.

 

[snuggly time]

At the moment I just have a desk fan which seems to take forever to lower the temperature. I've ordered one of the aquatic quad fans. I'll let you know how the new fan is when it arrives. Hopefully should be here by tomorrow. :happy:

 

[SallyandDom]

We will also be interested to find out how the aquarium fans fare with lowering temperatures, what with the surprisingly warm weather recently in this country! Do they just clip onto the back of the tank?

Sally and Dom

 

[Gangsterluff]

I'm extremely curious as to how well they'll lower the temperature. Hopefully if I get a few fans and position them right, and insulate my tank, I can get a few degrees difference. And to answer your question, sallyanddom, it depends on what kind of fan you get. You could get a strip of "reef" fans which I think have a clip, or you could get a few dc current computer fans which don't have a clip on them. I haven't really decided yet what I'll get though!

 

[Gangsterluff]

Okay follow up question. How many cfm would a fan have to have to have an impact on temperature? I've found some computer fans that are 44 cfm. If I get a couple of these would that make a significant change (3-4 degrees farenheit) in temperature?

 

[Hayleyy]

Hey everyone, I've got a 2 fan aquarium fan for my 2ft tank (ordered off ebay). I can happily say it has dropped the temp about 5 degrees
I don't have aircon, and I live in Australia (summers really suck for me) so I do need to use frozen water bottles on hot days.
I move it around a bit, not sure what position works best. I normally have it blowing over longways, facing the water at a slight angle.

 

[knyptozoologist]

Hayleyy, what brand of fan do you have? I've been browsing around for one and think I've found one I want but it has mixed reviews so I want to be sure I get a decent one before I spend the money

 

[Gangsterluff]

Hey everyone, I've got a 2 fan aquarium fan for my 2ft tank (ordered off ebay). I can happily say it has dropped the temp about 5 degrees
I don't have aircon, and I live in Australia (summers really suck for me) so I do need to use frozen water bottles on hot days.
I move it around a bit, not sure what position works best. I normally have it blowing over longways, facing the water at a slight angle.

That's great! What brand are they? I'd love to find one for my tank!

 

[snuggly time]

I bought this quad fan from ebay AQUARIUM OR SUMP COOLING FANS Simple To Mount & Great Value | eBay

It's the Azoo aquarium fan, slightly more expensive on amazon. Here's my little review:

The fan drops the water temperature about 2 - 3°C. It's better than the desk fan I was using because it's not disturbing the water as much. I swear we nearly had waves from using the desk fan.
The only problem is the brackets which you can clip the fan onto the side of the tank are really flimsy. I put mine on and it wouldn't stay up so I tightened it a bit more and the bracket snapped off. I'm now holding the fan in place with the box it came in until I come up with a better solution. I just don't want to leave the fan on when I go out in case it falls into the water. Poor Wooper looks up at it like.. What the heck is that?! Here's a picture of my bootleg set up haha :lol:

I'd love to see reviews on other products.

 

[xxianxx]

The fan drops the water temperature about 2 - 3°C. It's better than the desk fan I was using because it's not disturbing the water as much. I swear we nearly had waves from using the desk fan.

Its the surface disturbance which cools the tank. Increased water surface area increases evaporation which has a cooling effect.

 

[Sylerwin]

I just went to Target and bought 2 clip-on fans for $8 a piece. Brand is RE (Room Essentials). The cord is nice and long, and the clip is sturdy. You can't clip it to the side of the tank, only the corner. It seems sturdy enough in the corner once you position it right, and the head of the fan is adjustable. THAT isn't very sturdy. Even though I have the fan tilted so it's blowing on the surface, one of them keeps wanting to turn, but my other one seems strong. If you get these, don't leave them on if you're not home. Just like you wouldn't leave a candle lit and go out.
Also if you go with these, open the box while in Target and test it to make sure that it's position adjustments click in well and there's no sag when you tilt it.

 

[snuggly time]

Its the surface disturbance which cools the tank. Increased water surface area increases evaporation which has a cooling effect.

I don't think my axie likes the movement too much, he always goes and sits in his jar when the fan is on, lol. This one still moves the water, just not as much. :happy:

 

[Gangsterluff]

I took some fans out of an old computer and rigged them to where they'd run off of ac current. They cooled the water a degree or so. I don't think they moved a lot of air though. My axolotls didn't seem to mind the water disturbance. I think I'm going to order the quad fan today or tomorrow and see how it works. I'll fill you all in on how it works whenever it comes in.

 

[jclee]

Like Hayley, my fans cool the tanks an additional 5 degrees. It helps to keep the tops off during summer, since as nai live mentioned, evaporation is really what does the cooling. The tanks lose about an inch of water a day to evaporation in the summer.