Apologies for the buceplant link, but there aren't many retailers that carry the fan I use that I could find from google.

I use this one, works pretty well and angles the air downwards, nice hang on back. Evaporative cooling works well to reduce temps by like 4-7 degrees F, so it depends on how hot your room gets. If you're totally getting blasted, it may not be enough, but I used to have my tank in my work office, topmost floor, no AC on weekends, glass windows. It got super hot, the the point the snack room chocolate was liquid in the package.

This fan is what allowed the tank to survive those hot summer days. Temps were definitely higher than I wanted, but it just needed to keep it cool enough for plants to survive.

 

I use 2 of these to cool 5 x 54w T5-HO's in an enclosed canopy - timer set to turn the fans on just after the lights come on, and run them until 1 hour past the lights turning off.

AC Infinity MULTIFAN S5, Quiet Dual 80mm USB Fan, UL-Certified for Receiver DVR Playstation Xbox Computer Cabinet Cooling : Amazon.ca: Electronics

AC Infinity MULTIFAN S5, Quiet Dual 80mm USB Fan, UL-Certified for Receiver DVR Playstation Xbox Computer Cabinet Cooling : Amazon.ca: Electronics

www.amazon.ca

I just glued the bottom rubber parts to the rear of the black trim and they push cool air into the hood.

 

So I'm preparing for summer which will be extremely hot and humid here and we have no AC..... We do have a mobile AC unit that we will be using and abusing to cool the whole apartment but I am sure the tank is going to need extra help.

I will open up the top and use evaporative cooling to help it.... My question is, what's the best fan to get? Are two enough, like this:

DaToo Aquarium Chiller Fish Tank Fan Aquarium Cooling Fan, 1 Yr Warranty : Amazon.ca: Pet Supplies

DaToo Aquarium Chiller Fish Tank Fan Aquarium Cooling Fan, 1 Yr Warranty : Amazon.ca: Pet Supplies

www.amazon.ca

Or do I need something like this?

Aquarium Cooling Fan Four Head Fish Tank Chiller Adjustable Aquarium Chiller Mini Fish Tank Cooling Fan (US Plug) : Amazon.ca: Pet Supplies

Find thousands of pet supplies at low prices. Shop online for dog, cat, fish, bird, and small animal supplies at Amazon.ca

www.amazon.ca

Do you have brands you know and trust that don't break the bank?

I know someone is going to say 'just take PC cooling fans' but does that mean I have to be capable of making some kind of clip or bracket for them, wiring them together, etc etc? I'm not really that MacGuyvery Would prefer one product that I can just plug in and it will cool my fishies..... Thanks in advance for any thoughts!!!

Be aware those fans will only work for rimless. I put just a room fan near my tank but have yet to need it with a open lid/partial lid.

I bought the smallest for my shrimp tank but ended up zip tying a USB fan near the back portion looked nicer.

 

So I'm preparing for summer which will be extremely hot and humid here and we have no AC..... We do have a mobile AC unit that we will be using and abusing to cool the whole apartment but I am sure the tank is going to need extra help.

I will open up the top and use evaporative cooling to help it.... My question is, what's the best fan to get? Are two enough, like this:

DaToo Aquarium Chiller Fish Tank Fan Aquarium Cooling Fan, 1 Yr Warranty : Amazon.ca: Pet Supplies

DaToo Aquarium Chiller Fish Tank Fan Aquarium Cooling Fan, 1 Yr Warranty : Amazon.ca: Pet Supplies

www.amazon.ca

Or do I need something like this?

Aquarium Cooling Fan Four Head Fish Tank Chiller Adjustable Aquarium Chiller Mini Fish Tank Cooling Fan (US Plug) : Amazon.ca: Pet Supplies

Find thousands of pet supplies at low prices. Shop online for dog, cat, fish, bird, and small animal supplies at Amazon.ca

www.amazon.ca

Do you have brands you know and trust that don't break the bank?

I know someone is going to say 'just take PC cooling fans' but does that mean I have to be capable of making some kind of clip or bracket for them, wiring them together, etc etc? I'm not really that MacGuyvery Would prefer one product that I can just plug in and it will cool my fishies..... Thanks in advance for any thoughts!!!

Literally any fan can work fine. One made for aquariums will work, as would a regular desk fan with a spring clip, or even one of those big stand up fans that rotates etc. Whatever gets the job done. What you get will largely depend on how much you want to spend, aesthetics, and where you will need to attach it.

 

I have axolotls and I find that the tiny little aquarium fans don’t work as well, sometimes require a rimless tank, and are usually more expensive. I personally use egg crate over the tank with just whatever fan you can find at Walmart. May not look as pretty but works a lot better in my experience. Might not be a big deal for you depending on how hot it gets in your apartment. Egg crate can be found at lowes and if you don’t know what it is here’s a picture.

 

Does the egg crate not block too much light in your experience?

 

I found the fans designed specifically for aquariums inadequate. I stumbled across someone using a standard pedestal fan blowing across the top of the aquarium and tried it for myself. In the middle of summer, it kept the tank at 24C / 75F. Inexpensive, in comparison to the cooling tech designed for aquariums, and also kept the rest of the room cool.

 

Will an HOB cool the water enough?

 

Hmmm ok so I’m better off looking for a regular fan... we have some fans but they’re weird tower shapes that can’t be lifted/tilted to blow into a tank..... but I guess I’ll rotate my search from tiny fans to normal sized fans. There’s a shelf near the tank where the fan could sit....

I wish chillers weren’t such a complex and expensive option.

I wish we had normal air conditioning.

Le sigh.

 

Hmmm ok so I’m better off looking for a regular fan... we have some fans but they’re weird tower shapes that can’t be lifted/tilted to blow into a tank..... but I guess I’ll rotate my search from tiny fans to normal sized fans. There’s a shelf near the tank where the fan could sit....

I wish chillers weren’t such a complex and expensive option.

I wish we had normal air conditioning.

Le sigh.

I had to deal with this problem prior to moving. It gets really hot in the summer here in Chicago and the apartment I was in was build in a way that you'd get almost no breeze through the open windows. I did have AC, but running it 24X7 wasn't an option just due to electricity costs.

I had two reef tanks in one room, and my larger reef tank in another. The two tanks in one room were small enough (under 30 gallons) that one the smaller of the two a regular clip on fan pointed at the surface of the water worked fine. For the bigger of those two, I'd open the sump and blast a larger fan directly at it. It kept the temps somewhat stable.

The larger of the 3 tanks was in another room and the temp swings were just too much for fans to keep stable. I had to break down and buy a chiller.

You should probably be fine with a decent sized fan blowing across the surface of your water.

Another option if it gets too crazy are large zip lock bags with ice or cooling packs.

 

80-120mm computer fans are my go-to because they're cheap and plentiful. Also have a bunch of smaller ones for my itty bitty tanks. Many can be used with variable speed controllers, powered via USB and work well with temperature controllers. They're easy to position atop most any tank with some twist ties, tape, wire, zipties or brackets. All it takes is a slight breeze across the water to cool things down a bunch.

Can usually cool off my (under 20gal) tanks 4-5 degrees Fahrenheit with one fan in an hour or two and keep it cool. Allows for 72F ambient room temp and 67-68F tank temp.

For a 29gal tank, I'd opt for a clamp-style desk/dorm fan. Use it with a TP-Link/Kasa smart plug so you can easily set timers or control it from your phone. If you use Google Home or Amazon Echo devices, you can set up triggers based on the temperature in your area.

 

I'm wondering how much humidity plays a factor.

 

In which direction? It’s hugely humid here.... 😓

@somewhatshocked any links to the sort of fan you mean?

@ddiomede I considered the ice too, but have heard it wears off too fast to be practical... like you have to be switching them out hourly?

 

just throwing this out there, there are thermostatically controlled cooling fans that for some reason aren’t sold in the US (and I presume Canada). they Are definitely pricey especially if you’re gonna have to get them shipped from Asia or Europe…but it’s a neat idea To prevent huge temp swings in either direction.

Afan and dennerle Are two that I’ve seen online.

 

Intriguing!!! I’ll probably try the budget route this year but it’s something to consider for the future for sure.... I’ll see how bad the prices are. I did consider changing my light and my top but then decided against it for now so I have a bit of fictional tank budget to spare lol.

 

What about a cooling jacket over the return flow tube from the filter? Cool tap water flows through an outer jacket at a slow but constant rate, while tank water flows through an inner pipe and sheds heat into the tap water, which goes to a drain. We used stuff like this when I worked in a lab.

 

Sounds epic but you overestimate my rig, it’s a HoB

 

Are clip-on fans (or other off-the-shelf options discussed above — I don’t have the time or skills to make something myself) strong enough to keep a 30g tank cooled to the mid-70s if the ambient temperature gets into the mid-80s? I am fearing that the fans won’t be enough. In which case, if I fork over a king’s ransom and buy this JBJ Mini Arctica Chiller 1/15 HP can I connect it inline to an Oase biomaster thermo 250 canister filter?

 

As long as the tubing fits, and the flow rate is somewhere near the range JBJ recommends, it'll work. I'm not familiar with the flow rates of the Oase 250's, but divide whatever the number they claim is by two and you'll be much closer to your actual flow rate.

 

Wouldn’t a small window AC be cheaper than chillers?

 

Yes but in our case we don’t have a suitable window that can take it. We did get a mobile AC but I’m not sure we can keep it running 24/7... I’m hoping between the mobile AC and the fan/evaporation things will be ok. Most of my species can handle reasonably high temperature anyway.

 

Have you considered keeping Discus?
Maybe go with Crypts and Najas for plants.
I find it is easier to choose biota compatible with ambient conditions than it is to alter climate unless you can use air conditioner or a heat pump.
Don't try to roller skate uphill.

 

Have you considered keeping Discus?
Maybe go with Crypts and Najas for plants.
I find it is easier to choose biota compatible with ambient conditions than it is to alter climate unless you can use air conditioner or a heat pump.
Don't try to roller skate uphill.

This is true... but my hope is that the uphill rollerskating will only be a few months... I did pick species that can handle a fairly high temperature. I’ll see how this summer goes and if it ends up being too crazy maybe I can stir the tank in a different direction...