Chiller question

[devildog999]

Going to be buying a chiller and was looking at the Aqua Euro 1/10 hp. My system is a total of 60g. I know it is rated up to 80g so I wanted to make sure this is enough. Only want to use it to keep my tank from going above 80. Thanks in advance

 

[sirreal63]

It will work but a larger one would be more efficient. Are you keeping cold water species?

 

[devildog999]

No, my tank likes to get up to 83/84 so I want to drop it to 80 when it hits 82.

 

[sirreal63]

83/84 is not bad, most reefs get well above that. I would not waste the electricity on a chiller, a small fan will help if it concerns you, but the reality is those temps are nothing to be concerned with.

 

[devildog999]

My main concern being that its not even full swing summer yet and that is what I'm seeing. What temp should I be concerned at?

 

[arkaeus]

A lot of it has to do with how much your temp fluctuates. If its just 1-4 degrees the one your mentioning will work fine. the bigger the more efficient in my experience

 

[sirreal63]

I know of several people who hit 86 daily and have no issues from it. Acclimation is the key, a fluctuating temp happens on a reef, sometimes by a lot in a short time, but they are used to it and have evolved with it. It has been shown a temp swing of 2 degrees above the normal fluctuation causes stress and in some cases, death. If you have a normal daily fluctuation of temps the corals are adapted to it and can handle swings outside of the norm easier. Keeping a cooler temp is a recipe for disaster if you lose power and the temps get up, the corals are not acclimated to it and suffer.

Do an advanced search on user greenbean36191 and use temp as the keyword, you will gain a good insight into how corals adapt and what the temps on a reef actually do. If you do get a chiller, set it for 85. After doing this years ago I was able to retire my chiller, it has been collecting dust for many years. I have never lost a coral from temps.

 

[devildog999]

If that is the case, then I don't think I need to be too terribly worried. I will forgo on the chiller for now unless the absolute need for one comes up. We had temps at 105 for a couple days a few days ago and my corals and all had no issues. Was only using swamp cooler to keep house cool and could have used AC if needed. I suppose if worse comes to worse, I can always use the AC to help. Thanks for the help

 

[sirreal63]

We get those days here in South Central Texas, but we also have high humidity to deal with. I keep the house at 76 and have the heater currently set to 77/78 and let the tank rise as it wishes.
Some good reading on the subject.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/search.php?searchid=8451596

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=17924846&postcount=17

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8401853&postcount=24

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8415147&postcount=27

Over the years a lot of really bad information has been pushed along about temperature, and what we should be doing. When I started paying attention to the people who were actually out on the reefs of the world and logging the temps and swings I began to change what I did in my tank. The result was energy savings and corals that grew fantastically. I keep mostly sps so depending on the species you are keeping, the requirements may change. Of special note is the last link that shows that the temps almost all books and websites recommend for temps are actually winter temps on the avg reef, which is also the slowest growth period on a reef.

It is something to think about.

 

[devildog999]

Well that certainly makes me look at things differently and the bit about reef temps makes a lot of sense. I think my best course of action is to monitor and make sure it doesn't go above 85 and if it does, then I can start thinking if it is time to find a way to keep it from going past 86 (like a fan).
THank you