should fans intake or exhaust?

[Coffee with Mango]

I have a choice of pulling air into the aquarium hood or exhausting it. Which makes more sense for the purposes of cooling the lights? Mount fans to intkae or exhaust?

 

[wilfx]

Exhaust

 

[jah-hoeva]

^This. Pull that heat out of there and in turn that will draw in cooler air.

 

[Paul B]

It will work either way but I prefer to blow air into the enclosure. The only reason is that the moist, salt laden air coats the fan blades faster if you use it as an exhaust.

 

[Gsxkid]

+1 ^ not sure what you have for lights but the heat and salty air will kill the fans quicker.

 

[RMc]

Positive pressure (intake) would allow you to filter the air your pulling in. One issue with active ventilation is that you'll be blowing a lot of dust around. If you exhaust, dust will get sucked over the top of your tank and settle.

Do you have holes in the top of your canopy already? Is the fan just for air movement? If so I would definitely say intake from the side across the light. If there are no passive.ventilation holes the best case scenario may be equal parts intake and exhaust. Intake on one side/rear, exhaust on the other (near the top). Or intake from the side/back and exhaust from the top.

 

[s_kelley]

Can you do one intake and one exhaust? Keep the air going across the water?