LF: Chiller Recommendations

[dwizzle28]

Hello Reefcentral!

I have a 120G tank and this heatwave got me a little concerned for my livestock!

My temp goes to ~81-82 degrees and I think it may be time to invest in a chiller.

Any recommendations or ones for sale before I buy one?

Thank you!

 

[gofor100]

I would first try some fans to see if that does anything. There's quite a few fans you can clip on rimless set-ups that look decent and are much less expensive to buy and run.

But if you decide to go the chiller route, I have always had good experiences with JBJ chillers.

 

[rickzter]

I believe fans will also increase your evap. Leading to more top off. Something to consider.

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[journeyman]

I ran fans for several years, but they can't keep up with the summer heat. It does increase evaporation as well, but that was manageable for me. The biggest issue is during the summers the temps would go up to the low 80's from 78 and I would see an increase in also growth and done of my sps would rtn. I found a used chiller off craigslist and I'm much happier.

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[bblumberg]

I would first try some fans to see if that does anything. There's quite a few fans you can clip on rimless set-ups that look decent and are much less expensive to buy and run.

But if you decide to go the chiller route, I have always had good experiences with JBJ chillers.

I have 4 JBJ chillers, one of which is 15 years old and still running perfectly. 3 of them are in the garage where it gets quite hot. Hard to go wrong with these.

 

[golfish]

Can you run your AC? Maybe add a window unit to the room.

Chillers are heat exchangers, the heats got to go somewhere, so being in the same room is kind of counter productive. If you can keep the room temp down then you can run fans which equals more evaporation and that means more kalk.

I've had a 1/3 hp in line Aqua Logic chiller since 2000. It's hard to beat them for a large tank. Very well built chillers.

 

[dwizzle28]

Thanks for the feedback!

For clarification, are you saying that the heat will transfer into the room the chiller is in? I did not know that!

Can you run your AC? Maybe add a window unit to the room.

Chillers are heat exchangers, the heats got to go somewhere, so being in the same room is kind of counter productive. If you can keep the room temp down then you can run fans which equals more evaporation and that means more kalk.

I've had a 1/3 hp in line Aqua Logic chiller since 2000. It's hard to beat them for a large tank. Very well built chillers.

 

[joseserrano]

1/4 hp chiller. Is what you’ll need.

 

[golfish]

Thanks for the feedback!

For clarification, are you saying that the heat will transfer into the room the chiller is in? I did not know that!

Yes, it's why I run mine outside if possible. There are a few options, running a chiller should be your last one. If you have a window close to the return pump you can direct the return outside using a inline chiller and then back inside to the tank.

You can also use a stand alone AC unit if it's a smaller room.

It would be nice if you gave us some more info on the tank and the room the tank is in.

 

[five.five-six]

Thanks for the feedback!

For clarification, are you saying that the heat will transfer into the room the chiller is in? I did not know that!

Yes, every BTU removed from the tank comes out the back of the chiller + ~30% more from the motor. Best to put outside in a plastic dogloo if possible.

 

[Jet915]

Ive had a used 1/10 HP Arctica for 3 years and it chills my 120 gallon and my 20 gallon frag tank during the summer. I'm surprised i havent had to replace it yet works great.