Fish Room Heat Help & Ideas

[dustinc]

Hey reefing family!

I’m trying to figure out the best way to expel heat from my fish room that houses the display tank and all equipment. It’s fully enclosed with cabinetry with an HVAC vent that splits inside the fish room and inside our bedroom where the tank resides.

Today I turned on the Metal Halide lights for the first time, so the room heated up quite a bit, which caused the water to heat and chiller kick in for the first time since starting the tank. This took care of the water temperature issue, however the chiller added a ton more heat to the room as well.

So what are your thoughts for the best way to combat this. Below are a few ideas I have.

1) Install an exhaust vent in the ceiling with a decent CFM motor to exhaust heat/humidity out of the room and outside the home (https://acinfinity.com/hydroponics-...h-temperature-humidity-vpd-controller-4-inch/)

2) Install a portable AC unit for the room behind the tank

3) Install a vent kit that circulates air between the bedroom and the tank room to balance it better (https://acinfinity.com/equipment-co...ipment-closet-and-room-fan-system-17-exhaust/)

I’m open to any and all options you guys have. Look forward to your feedback.

 

[JGT]

Switch to LEDs.

 

[mpatterson42]

This may be a little extreme but my office is typically 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the house (I have quite a lot of computers and other electronics in it) so this last year I installed a mini split. I found a DIY model at Costco (MRCOOL) and had an electrician help me install it (no HVAC person needed). It does a great job at cooling my office and at the moment it's my plan to set up a small 10 gallon tank in here to use in case my home AC ever dies (I live in Phoenix where it gets 120+) and a chiller can't keep up, I'll relocate my fish there until the AC is fixed.

 

[dustinc]

Switch to LEDs.

Nope! Ha ha. Used them for years, this tank I went back to my first love! Can’t beat that Radium color on a magnetic ballast!

This may be a little extreme but my office is typically 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the house (I have quite a lot of computers and other electronics in it) so this last year I installed a mini split. I found a DIY model at Costco (MRCOOL) and had an electrician help me install it (no HVAC person needed). It does a great job at cooling my office and at the moment it's my plan to set up a small 10 gallon tank in here to use in case my home AC ever dies (I live in Phoenix where it gets 120+) and a chiller can't keep up, I'll relocate my fish there until the AC is fixed.

Not extreme. I’ve installed one before on my office I built in my back yard.

 

[Fish Fan]

I'm just hear to say I recognize your build from your prior posts and it looks amazing! I'm hoping you get this heat/ventilation issue figured out

 

[braaap]

Mini split if it’s in the budget. If not the fan. Portable AC units work but add heat to the room too and they take up quite a bit of room.

 

[dustinc]

Mini split if it’s in the budget. If not the fan. Portable AC units work but add heat to the room too and they take up quite a bit of room.

My biggest concern with the mini split is installation on our brick wall and even the smallest unit will be way oversized. The room is about 60 square feet.

 

[Borat]

Put a fridge in the room- that would cool it!

 

[Subsea]

My biggest concern with the mini split is installation on our brick wall and even the smallest unit will be way oversized. The room is about 60 square feet.

Why is window unit not installed?

I use window unit and portable humidifier in my fish room.

The display tanks are controlled by ductless heat pump in living/dining/kitchen area.

 

[Reefering1]

Exhausting the air from chiller outside will make a big difference.
Min split is excellent choice, many can provide heat also. A single 1" hole, through the brick wall is all you need for the required 1/4" and 3/8" lines to exterior unit(and power ).