JBJ 1/5 HP Arctica - good choice?

grwoolf

New member
I want to get a chiller before spring (it's already getting into the 80's hear in Texas). I am running 330w of VHO in a canopy and I don't want to have to keep the AC/fans running all the time just for the tank. I am thinking a chiller would solve the problem and allow me to keep the temp nice and steady without all the trouble.

Would the JBJ Artica 1/5 HP be a good choice? In the peak summer months, the house will get into the high 80's during day when nobody is home. I also might get a bigger tank at some point, so I would like to buy a little more than I need.

Also, these run about $700 with shipping from Marine Depot and Dr. Fosters, but I found a place on eBay (atafish.com) that sells them for about $540 with free shipping. That seems too good to be true does anyone know anything about them? Where is the best place to buy these?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
a 1/5 HP chiller is more than enough. IMHO skip on the JBJ chillers, pacific coast imports makes chillers A LOT cheaper and they have more BTU's, just don't look as pretty as the JBJ but who cares?
 
I was looking at the pacific coast also, but I am concerned about their minimum flow requirements. For the pacific coast models, they require at least 600 gph. I am planning to use my current return pump (mag 9.5) and I will have a prettly long run, so I think it would be dropping below 600 gph. Do you think it would be OK? I do like the fact that the pacific coast models include a heater control/outlet also.
 
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