Vivarium Circulation 101?

[alex1976]

Okay, I've been lurking on the posts and searching and I've got a few questions on vivarium air circulation that I'm hoping some more experienced folks will jump in and anwer.
I'm in the process of planning out a 120 gallon Oceanic Vivarium and I think I need a little more knowledge before I begin constructing.

Question 1: When hooking up a computer fan(s) for circulation, is it blowing in or out of the tank?

Question 2: How much is too much and how do you know? I read a few folks hooking their fans up to sensors to come on automatically??...

Question 3: How do I go about hooking a fan(s) up? (I read on one website folks just taking old cell phone chargers and matching them up to the fans as closely as possible??)

Question 4: Does the placement of these fans matter? (I read somewhere that good air circulation prevents fogging glass as well as mold?)


I'm sure at one point these questions were answered in other threads but I can't seem to find them so if someone could point me in the right directions that would be great. Any and all help, as well as opinions, are always welcome. Thanks!!

[Waterkeeper]

1. It is blowing within the tank. you want to circulate the humid air, not draw in tons of fresh air or humidity maintenance will be an issue.

2. it should not be windy, just a gentle motion of air. all you are doing is preventing the air from becoming stagnant, not forcing it through the trees.

3. homedepot or radio shack sell universal power supplies that have adjustable voltage switches. this switch can be used to raise or lower the speed of the fan.

4. I plan for mine to blow air right across the face of the glass to prevent fogging, but you want a good spread of them in a viv that large.

Fans are way down the line for you at this point. What are you planning to keep in this monster of a viv??

[alex1976]

Hey, thanks for the fast reply! I wasn't too sure on placement since I noticed in some photos, the fan is mounted to the top canopy and appears to suck air into or out of the tank rather than circulate (or move) the air inside. Seems to defeat the purpose of trying to control the humidity and temperature if your just going to pull in outside air or blow your climate air out so I was a little confused.
Now that I have a better idea on how to wire the fan I know I can hook it up plus I've got a few sitting around from various computer rebuilds. I built a large foam cutter using very similar methods.
As far as what I'm going to store in the tank? Well, my son and I are currently keeping it simple for now with a bunch of green tree frogs. We have six in our current tank. I've found that it's a hobby we all enjoy for various reasons. I get to build stuff, my son learns a lot about construction, learns about the animals themselves, gets to be creative with foam, and my wife enjoys watching the frogs as do we all.
Eventually I'd like to get some RETF's, but for now the green tree frogs will do for learning purposes. We've managed to keep our tank healthy for nearly a year now!
Anyway, thanks for the help!!

[Waterkeeper]

That is a nice little tank. a 120 will be quite a leap for them
yes it is a hobby, that's for sure. my 10 gallon turned into a 44 quickly.

here is a link to my new 44 build. I am logging it step by step to help the newbie find all their info In 1 place instead of having to jump all around like I had to. It may provide helpful to you as you go through your new build.
https://www.vivariumforum.com/communi...44gal-hex.html

other than the fbt's and gtf's we sell at work, this retf is my first frog, and I feel so bad for the guy climbing through my 10 gallon like a monkey from tree to tree so I started this big tank to give him some jumping room.

Good luck on your build, and keep us posted on your progress. I love big tanks!

[bareass]

anyone have a picture of their fan placement?
i have a really wierd humidity issue going on right now... i have a fan on top..right now but don't know where to put it inside. i don't want to hurt the animal or the look of my setup

[Waterkeeper]

You want the fan blowing top to bottom, either at an angle against the glass(to prevent humidity buildup) or across the tank (still top to bottom). The goal is to have a nice calm steady breeze throughout the tank to keep air moving everywhere. This will help regulate temp and humidity throughout the tank.

placement as far as angles and how many fans will depend on the size and shape of your tank, internal obstacles, etc..
Idea...If you have a fogger, turn it on and play with the fan. it might show you where there is no air flow there will be fog.

[bareass]

thanks right now i only have it blowing striaght down..that may be why.. i'll trey it out! can't believ i didn't think about it

[alex1976]

Here's a really neat article I found. This guy uses computer fans to cool his planted aquarium but uses a standard computer power supply!

Powering Computer Fans with a Computer Power Supply

I really like this option to power fans being that I have a few laying around along with the fans after numerous computer rebuilds.

Has anyone here done this type of setup before?

[bareass]

i used an adapter that was rated at the same voltage and slightly higher amperage then the fan needs.. that way the adapter is not useing full power 24/7.. doesn't heat up or anything!

[bareass]

so i have the fan on the top of my tank blowing air in on an angle from one corner to the opposite. is this correct?... it helped a little but istill have a lot of humidity esspecially at night