Fan For Air Circulation?

[rxrgneiss]

Dear all,

I'm new to this forum and vivariums. I have what I think is an air circulation problem in my new viv. Some plants seem to be adversely affected when they become wet. After they become wet, it takes a day or three for them to dry. Also, general air quality is another concern. My proposed solution is an internal fan. I have some reservations about using this kind of equipment in high humidity. Any suggestions? Is there a small fan available which is suitable for moist environments? The details of my situation are currently posted in the introductions forum.

Hello! First Viv - Air Circulation Problem

Please follow the link or view this post in the introductions forum. Sorry about posting twice; just wanted to get the questions in he right category....

The pic of this Syngonium rayii shows the affects I described. The unhealthy leaf looked like the other a week ago. I have only sprayed twice in two weeks. Maybe I'm not meeting the cultural needs of this plant?

Thanks!!

[Green Ghost]

I read your first post. Rainfrog would be the person to ask about the substrate issues.

If you want to use a PC fan to ventilate internally there'd be 2 concerns I guess. 1 possibly electrocuting your frogs if anything shorts, and 2 having a frog chopped up by the fan. So you want a grill on that fan on both faces. For the shorting, you need to use heatshrink to cover any connections. You should have a connector between your a/c power supply or adaptor and the fan because it will eventually wear out and it will make things easier if you can just plug the new fan in instead of cutting the wires and resoldering them back. (you'll have to use an exacto knife cut the heatshrink off) These fans work on 12 volts dc and 500mA. 500mA = .5A (there will be a rating on the fan) That current could kill your frogs so you want to make sure you completely cover the connection. You could plug the a/c adaptor a timer and control how the fan comes on and how long. With a little bit more circuitry (on the outside of the tank) you could control the speed and direction too. When / if the fan fails the internal circutry on the fan will produce an open circuit so it's safe for your tank. Not having the fan on all the time is a plus for you also in the sense that when the fan is nearing failure it will make noise when it first starts up. If you decide to go this route then get a fan with ballbearings if you can. They last longer.

[rxrgneiss]

Hey GG,

Thanks for the response. While I appreciate it, I've learned a bit in the three months since I originally posted. I've spoken with an electrician and other hobbyists, as well. Apparently, many people do use computer fans and few ever report having any issues. Lots of bare wire seems to be a bad idea though.

At this point, I have the fan, I've made the connections (with silicone connectors & shrink wrap) to an AC adapter, and I have a casing to put the fan and the connections inside of (thereby making it frog-safe). All I need to do now is install.

Thanks for your reply, it would have been useful three months ago. There aren't a lot of new posts here, if you haven't noticed.

Mike

[Green Ghost]

np, bud. Better late than never