Best Cooling Fan?

[ShrimpDesigns]

Summer is here which means that our tank temperatures are going to be climbing. I have found that Aquarium fans are the best option for cooling as they are not overpriced and do actually manage to bring the temperature down by a few degrees. If anyone has owned a good aquarium fan, could they please help myself and many others out by giving a quick review and recommendation?

Edited December 23, 2014 by fishmosy
Please do not link to shrimp related items that are not forum sponsors

[jc12]

Personally, I am not convinced $50-$100+ fans are really worth that much more than fans in the $10-$20+ price range. Having said this, I have never own an expensive one. I have been using $10-$20+ aquarium fans bought online with moderate success on a 40L and 150L tank. A thermostat to turn the fan on and off could also be easily bought online for $10+.

 

If you're the handy sort, try do a google search as there are a lot of DIY builds using computer fans and mobile phone/laptop power adapters which apparently work great if not better.

 

Depending on what kind of shrimps you are keeping, I find fans are usually fine for cherries but not so much for CRS/CBS/TBs. I have both cherries and CRS/CBS/TBs and I used to think aquarium fans are the best cost effective option for me but after using it for about a month, I find aquarium fans are only effective depending on a number of other factors... e.g. ambient temperature, tank cover/hood, water volume, etc.

 

After weeks of topping up water due to evaporation and putting ice blocks (and some dead CRS/CBS/TBs), I decided that it was too much of a chore and took the fun and time out of shrimp staring. I eventually bit the bullet and bought a chiller and it was the best investment EVER. I now get to enjoy the hobby a lot more and no longer worry about temperature spikes when I am at work or away. Also, no more dead shrimps since. Win-Win! :-)

[ShrimpDesigns]

Personally, I am not convinced $50-$100+ fans are really worth that much more than fans in the $10-$20+ price range. Having said this, I have never own an expensive one. I have been using $10-$20+ aquarium fans bought online with moderate success on a 40L and 150L tank. A thermostat to turn the fan on and off could also be easily bought online for $10+.

 

If you're the handy sort, try do a google search as there are a lot of DIY builds using computer fans and mobile phone/laptop power adapters which apparently work great if not better.

 

Depending on what kind of shrimps you are keeping, I find fans are usually fine for cherries but not so much for CRS/CBS/TBs. I have both cherries and CRS/CBS/TBs and I used to think aquarium fans are the best cost effective option for me but after using it for about a month, I find aquarium fans are only effective depending on a number of other factors... e.g. ambient temperature, tank cover/hood, water volume, etc.

 

After weeks of topping up water due to evaporation and putting ice blocks (and some dead CRS/CBS/TBs), I decided that it was too much of a chore and took the fun and time out of shrimp staring. I eventually bit the bullet and bought a chiller and it was the best investment EVER. I now get to enjoy the hobby a lot more and no longer worry about temperature spikes when I am at work or away. Also, no more dead shrimps since. Win-Win! :-)

Thanks jc12, I am looking at setting up a fan on a 30litre tank that isn't noisy. I have one on there now and it brings the temp down by 2degrees within half an hour but it is very loud. Unfortunately my dad will never buy a chiller as he thinks they are a waste of money a long with just about everything else I buy. The ebay links I had in my original post ( could someone tell me why they were removed as it was not a shrimp related store) consisted of a 12v usb fan, female a to female b extendor cord and a usb wall plug and it came to a total of around $5. Just would like to know if anyone has used a similar sub fan and how does it sound?

[jc12]

I personally find computer fans better. They come in different sizes, have noise rating in decibels (dB ), rate of cooling in cubic feet per minute (cfm) and speed of fan in revolutions per minute (rpm).

If noise is the issue, look for a fan with low dB rating or good quality bearings. Most good quality computer fans provide such specifications. I have not seen this level of detail in aquarium fans but I could be wrong.

Also, if you should go down DIY route, I suggest go with 12V DC fans for safety reason. You don't want to be messing around with 240V AC. Do a simple calculation and you could possibly connect a few fans in series depending on the power adapter you use.

Good luck whichever way you go with! :-)

Edited December 23, 2014 by jc12

[ShrimpDesigns]

I personally find computer fans better. They come in different sizes, have noise rating in decibels (dB ), rate of cooling in cubic feet per minute (cfm) and speed of fan in revolutions per minute (rpm).

If noise is the issue, look for a fan with low dB rating or good quality bearings. Most good quality computer fans provide such specifications. I have not seen this level of detail in aquarium fans but I could be wrong.

Also, if you should go down DIY route, I suggest go with 12V DC fans for safety reason. You don't want to be messing around with 240V AC. Do a simple calculation and you could possibly connect a few fans in series depending on the power adapter you use.

Good luck whichever way you go with! :-)

I'll see how I go with a couple of usb fans as they are so cheap and if they fail I have already been recommended a specific brand of computer fan with something like 15 decibels I think it was. Thanks for all your help!

[fishmosy]

Thanks jc12, I am looking at setting up a fan on a 30litre tank that isn't noisy. I have one on there now and it brings the temp down by 2degrees within half an hour but it is very loud. Unfortunately my dad will never buy a chiller as he thinks they are a waste of money a long with just about everything else I buy. The ebay links I had in my original post ( could someone tell me why they were removed as it was not a shrimp related store) consisted of a 12v usb fan, female a to female b extendor cord and a usb wall plug and it came to a total of around $5. Just would like to know if anyone has used a similar sub fan and how does it sound?

It is SKF policy to remove links to stores (including ebay) for shrimp related items. This includes items that could be used instead of a product from one of our sponsors, regardless of whether the item is originally marketed towards aquarium keeping or not. In this case, fans for reducing heat in shrimp and fish tanks are available from our forum sponsors AoA and Techden (I apologise if I missed seeing the fans for any of our other sponsors), so your links were removed.

Our sponsors have been very generous in supporting this forum, you only have to look at the prizes on offer in the current 12 days of Christmas competition. This is one way that SKF can return the favour.

[ShrimpDesigns]

It is SKF policy to remove links to stores (including ebay) for shrimp related items. This includes items that could be used instead of a product from one of our sponsors, regardless of whether the item is originally marketed towards aquarium keeping or not. In this case, fans for reducing heat in shrimp and fish tanks are available from our forum sponsors AoA and Techden (I apologise if I missed seeing the fans for any of our other sponsors), so your links were removed.

Our sponsors have been very generous in supporting this forum, you only have to look at the prizes on offer in the current 12 days of Christmas competition. This is one way that SKF can return the favour.

Oh i see, thanks for clearing that up

[buck]

http://shrimpkeepersforum.com/forum/index.php/page/articles.html/_/documentation/diy/diy-shrimp-tank-fans-r30

thought this link might help, just in case you didn’t know about it

Edited December 23, 2014 by buck

[ShrimpDesigns]

http://shrimpkeepersforum.com/forum/index.php/page/articles.html/_/documentation/diy/diy-shrimp-tank-fans-r30

thought this link might help, just in case you didn’t know about it

That's an awsome thread man, thanks for letting me know about it.

[Disciple]

Gday Shrimpdesigns,

 

Not sure if this has been mentioned to you yet. I remember a post in the past that mentions on top of fans another thing you can do is have a couple of frozen bottles of tank water in the freezer. If it gets super hot and your fans are able to lower the temperature enough you will be able to pop them in the tank.

 

[ineke]

Personally I find my four computer fans keep my 200 litre tank at my desired temperature without any issue. The tank is in a corner which gets warm even with ducted aircon on . I use a temperature controller that comes on at 24 and goes off at 23. The fans do cause evaporation but I actually like to add fresh water on hot days so its not an issue. I have a colony of CRS shrimp in there that is doing well. Our airconditioner is evaporative so doesn't keep the room as cool as I would like but the fans are effective. The tank is next to where I sit and I dont have an issue with the noise. I would prefer a chiller but used my chiller money for a refrigerated aircon in my shrimp room. This is the second summer I have used the fans. Definitely a better choice than ice in my opinion.

[ShrimpDesigns]

Gday Shrimpdesigns,

 

Not sure if this has been mentioned to you yet. I remember a post in the past that mentions on top of fans another thing you can do is have a couple of frozen bottles of tank water in the freezer. If it gets super hot and your fans are able to lower the temperature enough you will be able to pop them in the tank.

 

Yeah, thats what i've been doing so far but they dont last very long and take up a lot of room in the freezer, still a good option for those extra hot days though.

[ShrimpDesigns]

Personally I find my four computer fans keep my 200 litre tank at my desired temperature without any issue. The tank is in a corner which gets warm even with ducted aircon on . I use a temperature controller that comes on at 24 and goes off at 23. The fans do cause evaporation but I actually like to add fresh water on hot days so its not an issue. I have a colony of CRS shrimp in there that is doing well. Our airconditioner is evaporative so doesn't keep the room as cool as I would like but the fans are effective. The tank is next to where I sit and I dont have an issue with the noise. I would prefer a chiller but used my chiller money for a refrigerated aircon in my shrimp room. This is the second summer I have used the fans. Definitely a better choice than ice in my opinion.

Thats good, I finally decided to purchase a fan today (noctua NF-R8 Redux 80mm) It cost $14 but seems to have pretty good specs. 12 volts, 17 decibels, 1800 RPM and an airflow of 53,3 m³/h. Still need  to buy some sort of an adapter first so that i can rig it for a normal wall plug. Does anyone know what im supposed to use for this?

 

Edit:

 

The fan has four different wires, isn't it meant to be two?

Edited December 24, 2014 by ShrimpDesigns

[buck]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKMoQ1vDiAI might help its ghetto as but yeah, from what ive looked up her extra wires on the fan are for speed control if you dont careand just want it all or nothing,just wire the pos and earth? ill find the video that explained it... oh some have leds in them so it could be for that?

Edited December 24, 2014 by buck

[buck]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKHww3qJbs8

there ya go this dude is way in to it so there is heaps more info then you really need and hopfully it doesnt melt your mind

Edited December 24, 2014 by buck

[ineke]

One thing I would add- although you can buy the fans very cheaply -I paid about $4 each from a computer warehouse - I had to buy a 12v power pack, then the temp  controller plus some plugs , some of our sponsors have ready made units and with our 10% off they don't work out that much more expensive than making your own if you are not too good with electronics. it's worth checking them out if you only need a small unit. I must say the LED's really light up the room at night!

[ShrimpDesigns]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKHww3qJbs8

there ya go this dude is way in to it so there is heaps more info then you really need and hopfully it doesnt melt your mind

Thanks buck that video helps me understand things better, i also did a little research and found that 4 pin pwm fans only need the black (ground) and yellow (12volts of power) wires need to be connected as the others are for different uses (to do with installation into a computer i believe) please correct me if i am wrong.

 

This is a image which helped me

 

[ShrimpDesigns]

One thing I would add- although you can buy the fans very cheaply -I paid about $4 each from a computer warehouse - I had to buy a 12v power pack, then the temp  controller plus some plugs , some of our sponsors have ready made units and with our 10% off they don't work out that much more expensive than making your own if you are not too good with electronics. it's worth checking them out if you only need a small unit. I must say the LED's really light up the room at night!

I know that there are ready-made fans from the sponsors and im sure they get the job done just fine. But I find doing a DIY just that little bit more satisfying as you know what you are buying (specific specs of the fan) and plus, once you have finished its something to be proud of. iv'e rounded up the total cost and it should cost me just $21 per whole setup - including adapters and shipping etc.

Edited December 24, 2014 by ShrimpDesigns

[ineke]

I am very lucky to have a handy husband who is willing to make anything for me. My for fans plus parts came to about $30 but I have since found cheaper power packs and temp controllers. They will do my big tank nicely until I can save up again for a chiller. My next project is to setup a better air system like the one Squiggs put in a library article. That should tidy up the airlines for my filters. DIY is very satisfying even if I am only supervising!

[ShrimpDesigns]

I am very lucky to have a handy husband who is willing to make anything for me. My for fans plus parts came to about $30 but I have since found cheaper power packs and temp controllers. They will do my big tank nicely until I can save up again for a chiller. My next project is to setup a better air system like the one Squiggs put in a library article. That should tidy up the airlines for my filters. DIY is very satisfying even if I am only supervising!

I am also very lucky to have a dad who is able to help me with all did projects. Mind you I do help, we've made 3 stands together so far plus getting through making the fans. :-)