To Fan or not to Fan?

Hello--

The temperature on my 72 gallon tank has risen to 81 degrees. I am trying to avoid buying a chiller because I have central ac at 76 at all times. I have heard a simple 6 inch fan will work. Does anyone know where it should be placed? For instance.... in my canopy next to the current usa sundial t 5 lighting that has built in fans (say in front of it and under to blow on the surface) or in the wet dry sump portion of the filter in my closed door stand?

Any suggestions would be great ... found this fan on marinedepot.com for 21 bucks
What I'm running inside the tank is listed in my signature... there is no direct sunlight in my room but plenty of ambient lighting
Sunlight Supply Air King 6 inch Clip on Fan (Saltwater Aquarium Supplies > Lighting > Accessories > Cooling Fans )

Thanks-- Ryan

 

Position the fan where it will blow across the water's surface. You can expect more evaporation with the fan running but it will keep the water cooler than it would if you were to have it blow into your sump.

 

+1 on water surface.

 

Do you think it's a viable option...
How much will it cool the tank in your opinion based on what's running in it as listed in my signature?
Is 81 degrees okay for the tank?

Sorry the questions... don't want anything to die

Thanks,

Ryan

 

81 degrees is fine. Running the fan could drop your tank temp 1-2 degrees or more depending on the temperature in the house.

 

+2 on surfacing the fan.

It's not terribly bad to have your tank at 81 degrees, but there isn't much of a margin there for you if it decides to raise suddenly. The fan should drop your temp a few degrees.

 

I have a 6" fan that I bought from Walgreens for $9.99 that clips on also. It drops my temp about 3 to 4 degrees in my 65 gal. For your tank (I remember your pictures) you could get two, one each side and it should help out even a little more.

 

Is this a reef tank? if so why are you running it so cool?
Trton's wife

 

Fan Working Great!

A quick update on the fan.... I purchased the one linked in an earlier post this thread... after just 24 hours... the fan dropped the temp. in my 72 gallon tank from 84 to 78! It actually worked too well!!!! I never anticipated a 6 degree drop... I'm keeping an eye on the thermometer to make sure it doesn't drop any more than that... hoping it didn't stress out the fish. Now, I'll have to see whether to use the fan every other or perhaps just on Sundays... It'll be a watch and wait approach... but from my experience thus far.... a fan for my size tank is a great and much cheaper alternative to a chiller!!!! Highly recommend so far and will keep you updated on any new developments with it!

Take care,
Ryan

 

yep, cheap unlike a chiller. Would only get one of those for a large tank.