Chillers Or Other Cooling Method

[Eddie Gonzalez]

What is the best chiller in your opinion? This is a survey so everyone please reply with your opinion based on your experience as oposed to hear-say please. Or how did you build an economic one? I'm at 85F in a 55g FOWLR and I'd like to achieve ~78F. Switching pumps to a cooler one is not an option. I must resort to some form of cooling system.

Thanks so much to you that use this web site...I've found this web site priceless.

Eddie

 

[goofball310]

Hey Eddie,

Can you give us a little insight on your tank? Where you live? What the local temp is? Lighting? Pumps? Just wondering, because it is very unusual for a FOWLR tank to have heating problems unless it's due to equipment or enviromental temperature.

Mark

 

[Eddie Gonzalez]

T4 Pump increased tempf

T4 Pump increased tempf

Thanks Mark,

55g
2 18" flourecent bulbs 50/50
30mins north of Tampa FL
currently averaging about 65 outside and 72 inside the house
water temp is 85F

I switched to a T4 pump (for the silence) I knew that it would increase the temp. It increased it from 82F to 85F. I can't change the pump because the silence is important to me. Therefore, i must resort to some form of cooling system.

the pump is not submersible so I have a fan blowing on it. The fan is not enough, I need a chiller right?

My post is a survey to see what people have had good luck with in terms of chillers etcetera...I've also read that some people build their own some how.

thanks,
Eddie

 

[goofball310]

I use an Aqualogic chiller. I've never had any problems with it. Alway go bigger in my experience. So try a 1/4 or 1/3 hp chiller. It will put less strain on your chiller, and require less run time to cool down your tank.

Do you have a sump? If so you might want to face the fan at the surface of the water.

Also, do you have a lid on your tank. You might want to take that off. It will help cool down your tank, and is also better to help promote gas exchange.

Mark

 

[DgenR8]

Eddie,
85* is not the end of the world, but if you're running 85* in December, you are going to have issues when that Fla. sun starts kicking in the late spring.
I don't use a chiller, and although I'm quite a bit north of you, it gets HOT in the summer time here. My first thought is that you must have a glass cover on your tank, (like Goofball thought) is that correct? If so, remove it. Put 2 4" fans in your canopy pointing down toward the surface of the water. This should make a HUGE difference.
Your target temp. should be about 82* give or take a degree or two.

 

[manderx]

i have a coil of 1/4 tubing in my sump that is plumbed into the cold water line. i currently have a valve on it to adjust the flow manually (i set it to about 20 drops per minute for a hot day) but i just got a dual stage temp controller so i'll have a solenoid on it by the time i need it next summer. i have very cold well water.

 

[tedmonds]

Eddie: I live over in Land O Lakes. I feel your pain as I have a similar set up. 120 reef w/ T4 pump. I have a sump and 2 3 inch fans in my canopy which keeps the temp between 82-85. I've had this tank set up for over a year now and besides evaporation I've had no problems. What worked best for me was to leave the tank open with a canopy and fans. Don't stress the heat, as long as it stays below 85 you should be ok.

 

[slipknottin]

85 degrees with just the pump?

holy crap, you sure that things not busted?

I had three little giant pumps and 700 watts of lighting over a 75 and the temp stayed at 83.. (this is with no fans BTW and a room temp of 70-73)

 

[Eddie Gonzalez]

It's not busted

It's not busted

the T4 pumps are notorious for heating up the water. It's not busted, it's just a hot titanium pump. But it is dead quiet (I love it). I hear no pump hum/noise at all...just the calming sound of the water flowing.

 

[tedmonds]

Slipnottin must not live in Florida if his room temp is 70 degrees. If he does his Electric bill must be sky high!

 

[blueoceandiver]

chill

chill

i to live in fla. across the state in cocoa.i use a dehumidifier set up as a chiller and it cools the tank down to 74 in summer.its also CHEAP about 75$ for everything.i run no fans and a 300 watt heater.its all good.....

 

[lllosingit]

This may not be the right place to ask this but has anyone ever tried building a heat exchanger?
My thought was a making one out of 4-3/4 pvc pipes on both sides with a series of 1/4 tubes running between them powered by a small power head and a couple 4'' fans to push air through it.

If it was built correctly it would only use about a sq ft of space.

I figure you could build it for less than $30

I know it will work but I'm not sure how well?

 

[Eddie Gonzalez]

silent is the issue

silent is the issue

i replaced two pumps with one T4 for the purpose of removing the hum noice of the pumps. the room sounds perfect now, with only the sound of the water (what I wanted). so is the humidifier quiet or the heat exchange idea a quiet one...silence is golden

 

[Crypsis]

I too am looking to buy a chiller. My tank is a 75g with two Giesmann HQI Nova II 1x250 and 1x150. The return pump is a Poseidon PS4 Titanium (hot but silent). Temps are getting up into the mid eighty's with the lights on.
I'm looking at four different chiller brands:

1. Current USA Prime Tower chiller 1/4 for $559 at Marinedepot.com

2. Pacific Coast Import chillers 1/10 for $340 1/6 for $479 or 1/4 for $519 at MRC.com

3. JBJ Arctica Titanium 1/10 for $499 or 1/5 for $679
MarineDepot.com

4. Coralife Aqua Chill 1/10 for $349, 1/6 for $499, or 1/4 for $649
PetSolutions.com

JBJ claims to be the quietest but they also claim that the 1/10 will work on a 130g tank.

Any thoughts or recommendations would really help

 

[Joshua1023]

http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro/chillers_current2.htm

This is the chiller I use @ the best price I've found. Fairly quiet, I use the 1/3 hp version to reduce running time. It comes on for maybe 5 minutes at a time 6 or 7 times daily.