Some fan questions

[lwm999]

Hi,
Have a few questions on fan, like to hear your experience and advice:

1. Do you normally connect the fan to the same lighting/CO2 timer, or just let it runs 24 hr?

2. Will the fan cause a lot of movement on the water surface? Will that be a concern for escape of CO2 due to the movement?

3. I'm a lazy person, not into DIY fan Like to look for some quiet fan for a 3 ft tank. But read different people have different views on AC or DC fans. Could you please recommend a quiet fan (with brand/model and price) that you have personally used?

Thanks.

[juggler]

1. Usually I run 24 hrs or on a different timer from the lights. Want to have more cooling during the warmer parts of the day (before lights on) or cool the tank further at nights (when lights off).

2. I don't think there's much concern. The fan can blow across the water. But I just let it blow downwards directly.

3. DC is good enough. AC will use more electricity, although more powerful. The max you can cool the tank to 2 or 3 degrees below ambient temperature. So more power isn't going to give you the same result as a chiller.

Mine is DIY from computer fans. Pretty quiet too.

[Crazy Dragon]

1) Mine run 24hrs, not connect to light or CO2. Anyway, I don't use CO2 at all for my shrimp them.

2) It does cause some water movement on the surface. But it does evaporate the water faster than usual.

3) I can't remember the brand but I bought it from NA. It does keep the temperature at 26C. Only one fan supporting my 3 ft tank. and the size is about 4.5inches x 4.5inches. The fan is quiet. Can't remember the price too.

Hope these information help.

[brianclaw]

1. 24hrs. Connected to separate power supply.
2. There will be some CO2 loss, but it's pretty negligible .
3. It's not really that hard to DIY cooling fans... Look around your house, I'm sure there should be some kind of DC adapter lying around that you could canibalise... I did.
Here's my DIY fans...

[baranne]

1. 24hrs. Connected to separate power supply.
2. There will be some CO2 loss, but it's pretty negligible .
3. It's not really that hard to DIY cooling fans... Look around your house, I'm sure there should be some kind of DC adapter lying around that you could canibalise... I did.
Here's my DIY fans...

That's a very neat way of setting up the fan. How did you tie the fans to the metal rod? Aren't you afraid the suction cups would slip?

[brianclaw]

That's a very neat way of setting up the fan. How did you tie the fans to the metal rod? Aren't you afraid the suction cups would slip?

Thanks.
I used cable ties to hold the rods to the fans. There's no way for the suction cups to slip... They're not even holding the fans in place. I only put them on to silence the rods from clattering from the vibrations from the fans.

[baranne]

Now that I look at your tank carefully, I realised the rod are placed in a sunken part with the rims of the tank securing it. No wonder there's no danger of slipping. . I had thought that they were placed on top of the tank.

[mab]

Hi lwm999

1. I connect my fan on its own, runs 24 hr.

2. I think others have answered this.

3. I bought from LFS in Elias Mall - $18 (after discount),size 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 " - "GAOTU" brand and super quiet. Comes with AC/DC adapter and holder; just plug & play. Speed is just nice for my 2ft tank. Important that you check that the wind is strong enough for your tank. Tank temp has gone down from 30 dec to 27.5 to 28 and plants are happy .

Cheers

[tawauboy]

dc fans are safe even if they fall into the tank. so try to use dc fans, whenever possible. at most you'll need to replace the fans.
ac fans are more dangerous and care has to be taken to secure them to prevent them from falling into the tank.

[lwm999]

Saw some "Tornado" fan that blows differently from conventional fan. Supposed to be quiet. Anyone knows anything about it?