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AustinVines
03/05/2008, 03:27 PM
I am going to add two 4" fans that will be placed in my canopy to help the t5 as well as maybe give me some active cooling in the tank since summers in Austin can be scorchers. What CFM and decibel rating should I look for?

Also, I have a RK2 with some space that can control fans to either come on and stay on with the lights or go off and on depending on the water temp. Any opinions on which is better?

Thanks

AZDesertRat
03/05/2008, 05:56 PM
I use two Vantec Stealth 120mm (4") fans in my 100G canopy. One in each end blowing in with exit holes in the top directly over the reflectors so light does not hit the ceiling. They are powered by a DC variable voltage power supply that I picked up at Harbor Freight for $3. You can dial the speed anywhere from the full 53 CFM at 12v all the way down to less than half speed at 6v. I got the fans at newegg.com for about $11 ea. They are rated at 53 CFM at 28 dBa so are very quiet. They also have dual ball bearings so they last and last.
My canopy is 60" long, 18" deep and 16" tall or 9.75 cubic feet so the two fans do 10 or 11 complete air changes a minute, I wouldn't want any more than that or the heater would be kicking on all the time. As it is I have to slow the fans down in winter months and put them on a timer with the MH lights or the temp goes down and evaporation goes up.

AustinVines
03/05/2008, 09:05 PM
Thanks A.J. I am able to find the fans but am having issues finding the cheap power supply. Searching for a variable voltage power supply yields some very nice "bench" variable power supplies for in the hundreds of dollars. Any ideas on where to look?

Thanks again.

mfinn
03/05/2008, 09:15 PM
I second that Vantec Stealth fans.
I use 3 on my 6' long 240.
I found a power supply at Radio Shack for $40. They had cheaper ones, but I went with one that looked like it would hold it in the long run.
I put a single Vantec fan on a smaller tank and used a wall wort.

AZDesertRat
03/05/2008, 09:30 PM
Wal Mart has them in the electronics area for $10 to $15, I saw several there last week. You can also get them at Frys Electronics, Radio Shack or any computer store. Look up "Wall Wart" and you may find them.

tinnghe
03/06/2008, 12:34 AM
do u happen to have the brand for the transformer?

MplsMan
03/06/2008, 01:25 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12019368#post12019368 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
I use two Vantec Stealth 120mm (4") fans in my 100G canopy. One in each end blowing in with exit holes in the top directly over the reflectors so light does not hit the ceiling. They are powered by a DC variable voltage power supply that I picked up at Harbor Freight for $3. You can dial the speed anywhere from the full 53 CFM at 12v all the way down to less than half speed at 6v. I got the fans at newegg.com for about $11 ea. They are rated at 53 CFM at 28 dBa so are very quiet. They also have dual ball bearings so they last and last.
My canopy is 60" long, 18" deep and 16" tall or 9.75 cubic feet so the two fans do 10 or 11 complete air changes a minute, I wouldn't want any more than that or the heater would be kicking on all the time. As it is I have to slow the fans down in winter months and put them on a timer with the MH lights or the temp goes down and evaporation goes up.
i ordered the 2 fans, now i'm wondering on the power supply from harbor freight, cant find it, thanks for your help.

yeldarbj
03/06/2008, 06:30 AM
I picked one up at Wal-Mart for $10.

AustinVines
03/06/2008, 07:31 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12021172#post12021172 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
Look up "Wall Wart" and you may find them.

I just may be able to handle that. Thanks :)

smleee
03/06/2008, 11:55 AM
It looks like you've already chosen some fans, but if you find they are too loud, SilenX (http://www.silenx.com/ixtremaprofans.asp)seems to be the leader in quiet air movement, while maintaining good CFM. I've replaced fans in a Nova Extreme fixture, which had a 30.75 dBA rated fan, because it was just way too loud; obviously personal preference will matter here. SilenX didn't have a fan in my size (50mm), but I did find some others rated at 18.0 dBA and 22.0 dBA. The 18.0 dBA is really the minimum acceptable noise for me. Keep in mind with a larger fan, you'll typically get a lower dBA rating since they can spin slower but still move more air. Not sure how they will hold up to the elements, but perhaps they will be an option if you find yours are too loud.

carlisimo1969
03/06/2008, 01:09 PM
I just installed 4 120mmx25mm Silenx Ixtrema with the Silenx 4 fan speed controller. Running all 4 on the lowest setting. Absolutely, totally silent...not cheap, but worth it if you're sound sensitive. (plus they look impressive :eek1: ) Whatever fan you end up getting, you might think about putting the silicone silencing gasket under each fan too, they're cheap. Like Desertrat I have the fans blowing in with holes over the reflectors. I was really nervous about switching to dual250w halides in a tight canopy but it hasn't been an issue.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/64234canopy2.jpg

MplsMan
03/06/2008, 01:13 PM
speed controller ? is that something seperate ?
the i bought are temp controlled, i believe.
where did you get them ??

carlisimo1969
03/06/2008, 01:23 PM
It's just a 4 channel variable voltage device, no temp control. But it does have geektakular blue LED's that blink faster or slower as you vary the speed. Here's a link to the speed controler link (http://www.svc.com/ixa-fcex.html)

MplsMan
03/06/2008, 01:37 PM
so do you have to control the speed manually? since i have the fans that are temp controlled will that work or wont i need this. i was thinking of something that controls the speed of the fan as the hotter the canopy gets.

carlisimo1969
03/06/2008, 01:53 PM
Yes it's manually controlled, but with 4 fans, I just leave them all on low and there's more than enough air. You wouldn't really need one with fans controlled by a temp probe.

I've seen the temp control style in action, and they seem to work well too, but it seemed that the constant up and down cycling might shorten the lifespan of the fans, maybe not. Since you already have some I'd give em a shot, if they end up running on high all the time, you could add a couple more later.

carlisimo1969
03/06/2008, 02:15 PM
Austin, if you have a Harbor Freight store in the area, they've got variable DC adapters too. I can't remember the price, but not much.

AustinVines
03/06/2008, 03:22 PM
Thanks Carl! I actually just called Silenx and the very friendly woman I spoke with suggested the fan controller which looks super. Also, I can just plug the fan controller into my RK2 and be done with it after I ratchet down the fans to a good level.

Thanks again

MplsMan
03/06/2008, 03:36 PM
from you saying your running the fans of your RK, i have the same thing, so how would it control the fan speed, the RK.
the fans i ordered were the vantec with temp control, would that work the same way ?

tinnghe
03/06/2008, 05:18 PM
how long are the fans wire? Can it go across the tank?

AustinVines
03/06/2008, 06:57 PM
I just hung up with Silenx and here is what I found out. The cord from the controller to the wall is 4'. The wires from the controller to where it needs to connect to the fan is 1' and from the fan's wire is 14".

They were going to ask around to see if it could be easily DIY'd to extend the wires coming from the controller to the fans and email me back. I will keep you posted.

AZDesertRat
03/07/2008, 06:56 AM
Should be real easy. its only two or at most three #20 wires just like all fans. I spliced all of mine with butt splice/crimp connectors and shrink tube. With most fans it only takes two wires, the red and the black.