Anyone know of a cheap fan temperature controller?

[STiTCH87]

Looking for a controller that has a waterproof temperature probe I can put in my tank that when a temp above the set point is reached, will activate a 120v circuit to turn on the outlet for my fan I have to cool my aquarium.

I don't feel like spending $110 on a ReefKeeper just for this sole purpose and was wondering if there is a cheaper alternative without going DIY?

All I need is a temp sensor unit I can plug a standard fan into basically is what i'm saying. I've seen ones for over $100 but I wanted to see if there's any cheap ones or what others do to accomplish this task.

I have one that turns on an outlet if ambient room temp is too high, but it's not waterproof and won't sense my tank water temp.

 

[ahmer1781]

Are you using a regular fan? I've been looking for cooling ideas.

 

[Owen386]

I know you don`t wanna hear it but your best option and cheapest for what your trying to accomplish without DIY is a RKL try to fine one used got mine for 60 bucks.

Have it hooked up to a couple different fans.

 

[jason401]

Look into an arduino. Might be able to pce it together cheap and find a program already written online. I have one I got for a bday gift last year. I'm just waiting to give it attention lol

 

[STiTCH87]

The arduino confuses the heck out of me though. Lol which is weird cuz i'm a huge computer nerd but for some reason it seems complicated. Is it?

And yeah if I could find an RKL for $75 or less i'd be all over it. And yes it's a regular fan. It's a box fan that sits at the long end of the tank and blows across. Effectively cooled it from 78 to 75 in about 20 minutes when I did a test a week ago. Would've kept cooling i'm sure but I didn't want the tank to get too cold or evaporate too much. I know the fan is overkill, but I put it on the lowest setting and being so powerful, on low it is whisper quiet yet still moves a large amount of air. I just need to control it.

Go figure I have an RKL for my 5g pico and not for my 40g mixed reef lol. But the pico is the one with temp issues. I mean hell it's 90+ degrees out right now and my 40g is in the basement reading a steady 78.1 without any fan running. The beauty of it being on a concrete floor against a concrete wall in a basement. Lol. If it continues to hold steady I may not use a controller at all, IDK, just want to prepare myself ahead of time instead of being screwed last minute ya know?

 

[ahmer1781]

I was just about to post the same thing, need to find a cooling solution, cheap!

 

[STiTCH87]

A regular fan cools just fine honestly, it's just a matter of controlling it. If you have a use for it, I suggest an RKL to everyone. The only reason I don't have one on the 40g is the lights have a built in controller, as do my heaters (well a separate controller for those). And my pumps and fuge light are on a timer. So I really didn't need an RKL but eventually it'll happen i'm sure.