Wondering which way to go, have read on the pros and cons of both.
I don't have a lot of moss, some christmas moss and a wall of java moss. The other plants are basically quite easy going, sumatra ferns, crypts, swords, valis, echidnodorus sp, and some hairgrass.
Ambient temp is about 29deg with my 5x PL tubes
Surface area is 180cm x 30cm
Tank volume is 400 litres
what is your target temperature?
Fan can only drop about 2 to 3 degree from ambient temperature. With fan, you will need to top up your tank daily. Chiller on the other hand have more control and you do not need to top up your tank but it take up electricity.
I would target 26-27 deg. I do have a problem with a chiller - I don't have a vented cabinet large enough for most chillers, especially since I have such a huge tank. My space available is 25cm square LxWxH. No space whatsoever besides this, as the tank is built into a cabinet.
If I go for a fan, should I use DC or AC?
Last edited by bossteck; 5th Jan 2009 at 23:05. Reason: spelling
Be a responsible fish keeper,not a bloody murderer
If you have ventilation problems for placing of the chiller, you got to check the ventilation for the top of the tank. My friend had his top part of the cabinet warper due to poor ventilation resulting in his cabinet top all water warped.
4x2x2 ft tank (2 x 2028 ): Cardinal, Ember and Neon Tetras, Cherry Barbs, Panda, Pygmaeus and Hasbrosus cories, Clown and Coolie loach, L134 and non-ID pleco, Common and giant otos, Whiptails and Yamato, Cherry and Malayan Shrimps
3x1.5x1.5 ft tank ( Eheim 2028 ) Retired
1x1x1 ft tank ( Eheim 2041 ): 2 goldfish
Go for DC, in case that accidentally drop into the water.Originally Posted by RAUDIE
For my 315 litres tank, just using two fans, I managed to bring down my temp from 29 to 26 and on rainy days, 25.
If you don't mind the slight buzzing noise, fans are the way to go to save space and save cost.
http://www.mizuworld.com/index.php?t...Detail&pid=981
Last edited by bossteck; 5th Jan 2009 at 23:04. Reason: spelling
Thanks so much guys!
I bought 2 AC fans from NA today, plus two DC fans from Sim Lim Towers as DIY extractors for my cabinet.
Wow it sure is pretty noisy, perhaps I need to get used to it.
Bro for DC fan you can use slightly lower voltage (e.g 9V instead of 12V) to run them to reduce the noise level, AC fan can't help it.
4ft Planted Tank (approx. 500L incl sump)
Equipment:
4x2x2.5 12mm Tank with Sump. 4x55W 6,700K T5. Eheim 1262 Return. Hailea 300A Chiller. 5L CO2 with JBJ Solenoid Regulator. Lapis Sand with JBL Base Fert.
Resistance is futile, you will be administrated!
You could have gone to the PC modding shops and ask for quiet fans.
Anyway... search the forum. There are threads about selecting quiet fans.
As a layman, this what I know:
- The faster the air is moved = nosier
- The shape and size of the blade has an effect
- The speed of the blades has an effect
- The quality of the construction... e.g. the quality of the ball bearings, material used, fit of parts, etc.
- The size of the fan matters. (Two fans of different size, pushing the same amount of air. The smaller one is nosier because it is pushing the air through a smaller hole.)
Don't forget, when you mount things on large surfaces, the noise from vibration can be amplified by the surface.
Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
Why use punctuation? See what a difference it makes:A woman, without her man, is nothing.
A woman: without her, man is nothing.
Update. I returned the AC fans to NA, I couldn't stand the noise. They were supposed to be the best fans Chan had, normal price $40 selling at $25. They are quite powerful but I found them way too noisy.
I ended up getting 2 units of Resun CL280 which were the only chillers able to fit into my cabinet. Much happier now, and within the past days I seem to notice the plants looking better...
I ended up diying all my 12cm PC fans to cool my 1FT as i had the same problem of getting the right fans which were slick, cheap and silent. The coolermaster i had met my criteria with little or no effort.
Chillers in my opinion only cools the tank but heats up the living room, thus a trade off. Not to mention the additional $30-$60 per month just to run them, compared to a 5w fan.
I can see the difference since I installed the chillers and brought the temps down from 28-29 to 26. The plants seem to be growing better, and the moss suddenly woke up. Couldn't be happier...
There is always an adaptation period. Yea fan is cheap, and noisy but does the job.
Chiller, pretty effective, but yea the trade off is your living room is warm, pretty much warm. and it's still noisy.
Cheers, Christophe
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