Chiller needed?

[filippo]

"in response to this a great investment to prevent this problem is something like a aquacontroller. You can program it so when the temp goes above 84 to turn the fan on and turn off when it hits 80 for example. the $300 is a great investment to have ultimate control like that!"

here's another gadget on my list ... ...

 

[filippo]

"This was with -three- 300w heaters set to 80... That little fan works wonders."

wow. and of course it all happens overnight when we're not around

 

[rjsilvers]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12679374#post12679374 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by filippo
"in response to this a great investment to prevent this problem is something like a aquacontroller. You can program it so when the temp goes above 84 to turn the fan on and turn off when it hits 80 for example. the $300 is a great investment to have ultimate control like that!"

here's another gadget on my list ... ...

That's on my list, too. I just didn't think I'd need one so soon. Maybe the wife will want one for her birthday.

 

[filippo]

"Maybe the wife will want one for her birthday. "

lol

yeah my girlfriend lives 3 hours away from where i am, and every time i go to a LFS i go "hey babe, I bought YOU a new fish for OUR tank". llloool (she believes it)

 

[Am00re34]

haha... i need a girl like flippo!! mine doesnt buy that.

The other advantage to the aquacontroller is it has a built in PH probe (less testing and more accurate). You can also use it to program your lights instead of using a timer. I know people that use it for lights, heaters, fans and chiller. For example if the temp exceeds 82 turn on fans, 84 turn off lights, 86 turn on chiller. then you can also say if it goes below 80 turn on heater. Obviously to do this it has a built in themometer too. Just to give you an idea to buy the unit that does all that is around $280

 

[filippo]

i need a controller that will shut my wallet if i spend more than $200 a month for my tank. and if i go over $500 my checking will be frozen. does it exist?

Am00re34, do you have a particular model in mind? i know i am gonna go crazy comparing them all, contemplating for weeks on which one is the best for my pockets.

thanks

 

[filippo]

one more thing:

"This was with -three- 300w heaters set to 80"

some might think that any setup w/ heaters and fans set on timers works flawlessly. wrong - we must consider the cost $ factor.

in the example above, running fans with three 300W heaters cost as much or even more than running a chiller. (approx. fans + heaters = 920W ... chiller 500W)

 

[rjsilvers]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12679666#post12679666 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by filippo

some might think that any setup w/ heaters and fans set on timers works flawlessly. wrong - we must consider the cost $ factor.

in the example above, running fans with three 300W heaters cost as much or even more than running a chiller. (approx. fans + heaters = 920W ... chiller 500W)

The heaters are on thermostats, though. It was the ambient air temperature that raised my tank temps that high.

I live in the desert, so besides yesterday when my tank went down to 75F, my heaters probably haven't ran since the initial fill.

 

[filippo]

i live in the desert too (AZ). i think i might not even need heaters here, unless the fan i am using will be too strong.

 

[FishDad2]

Just to follow-up on the research I said I'd do, the book Ultimate Marnie Aquariums by Michael Paletta documents 50 successful marine aquariums, mostly reef tanks, and across those tanks the temps ranged between 76 and 82 degrees, with an average of 78.5. Of course those are just the target temps each aquarist provided...some tanks undoubtedly had greater fluctuations than others.

 

[ricks]

Many different ways to cool a 55-90 gallon reef. It can take a little more work to cool 700 gallons of water. Small fans blowing over the sump and DT, just won't cut it....

I would like to see some pictures of successful SPS systems that run at 85 or higher for a prolonged time..

Happy Reefing

 

[filippo]

i know some people that don't have the money to buy a chiller and throw ice cubes in their tanks... i am sure this will open a debate on how this shouldn't be done and how ineffective it is

 

[ricks]

De-bait, I knew I forgot something last time I went fishing...

 

[Flipper62]

I got one for ya....2 days ago I woke up, went to check my office BioCube...the temp was 90.1.

My chiller fried out. Not sure why...its only 2 months old

I have 3 fish & lots of corals in there, as well as 2 shrimp.

Everything was fine. I lowered the temp with a fan & it seemed to go well.

By the way...last saturday I had a power surge. The tank & pumps are on a computer surge/battery backup. The battery backup worked for 45 min. BUT the surge tripped the Breaker. SO the power to the tank was off for 7 hours.

All this happend with in 3 day. ...I guess they are all very hearty creatures........OR I,m very lucky

 

[filippo]

flipper - you lucky... dolphin!

 

[Flipper62]

I,m not sure what to do.... Seems we have a lot of power surges. And seems it pops the breaker sometimes. Even if the battery back up kicks in...it only goes for 45 min.

What the hell does everyone else do......Is there a 12 hour battery backup

 

[Flipper62]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12682251#post12682251 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by filippo
flipper - you lucky... dolphin!

Thanks Pizan.......I have family in Palermo Italy

Where are you ???.....Its 6:00 am in Italy

 

[rjsilvers]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12682449#post12682449 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Flipper62

What the hell does everyone else do......Is there a 12 hour battery backup

Did you have the entire tank running off a battery backup or just the pump?

Battery backups are only really meant to power your computer for 15 minutes so you can shut it down properly... I don't think you'll find one that will run for a pump for more than an hour or two at best. Once you start getting into multi-hour outages you'll really need something like a generator to keep you running.

 

[Flipper62]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12682639#post12682639 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rjsilvers
Did you have the entire tank running off a battery backup or just the pump?

Battery backups are only really meant to power your computer for 15 minutes so you can shut it down properly... I don't think you'll find one that will run for a pump for more than an hour or two at best. Once you start getting into multi-hour outages you'll really need something like a generator to keep you running.

YES...I understand this....Here is the problem

We are getting to build a new home. My plans are to have a Natural gas generator that kicks in as soon as the normal electricty blacks out from a power surge or power loss. BUT after talking to the MFG of the generator....If the surge trips the breaker...that circuit is down & the backup wont work to that area.

This Doesn't sound right to me..but it what they said

 

[filippo]

there are back-up batteries that can last more than 2 hours.

here's an example chart of a model made by APC:

http://www.apc.com/products/runtime_for_extendedruntime.cfm?upsfamily=22

the more appliances you plug in, the more watts will be plugged in, and the more energy the back-up batter will "burn" to keep all those watts on. the less watts required, the longer the battery will last.

this is what i would plug in if i were you: return pump (approx 80W), and powerheads (8W each). that would be 100W total. there is one model i saw from APC that cost $150 that last up to 3 hours. so with the example just mentioned i am sure it can last 2 hours and half.

I would not plug reactors, lights, skimmer pump, etc. I might, however, depending where you live and how hot it is, plug the chiller in. Last, mind you, you don't need to plug every single applicance in, since it's just a "back-up" - a momentary solution.

if you want to run the whole thing, then buy yourself a generator (sorry, I can't remember how its proper name). it will cost you from $250 to $500, which will run on gas (you can actually run almost your entire house on those things). but i wouldn't invest in one unless i leave in an area where the power goes out often.

i am phx, az . i can't wait to go back home (milan) this xmas hopefully