MH reefers - Do you use a chiller?

[Neurotech]

I have had MH before, but never with a canopy, and I am having some high temps that are stressing my first SPS. I am wondering if you who have MH are also using a chiller. Any and all advice, as always, appreciated.

 

[jcaquatics]

I would try some cooling fans on your sump and venting out the canopy first- they do wonders, and I've never needed a chiller.

 

[eboonaman]

Cindy is correct that works/helps.. it works better if your house is air conditioned. My wife thinks 80 is chilly.. so I need a chiller for my tank , this will be the first summer I am using it. Last few summers I did the fan thing, and even had to go as far as freezing milk cartons and floating them to keep the water below 86 :eek1: my tank is located on the top floor of a high ranch which doesn't help.

 

[MIKE NY]

never needed one either..... I have everything plumbed into the basement which stays cool and I have a hood fan with a large room A/C.......just be prepared with fans there will be more water evaporation to control the heat........

 

[teen]

no chiller either. ive got 250w on a 30 gallon so the temp gets up there, plus no A/C, and the tank is upstairs. i usually just freeze 2 liter soda bottles and put them in my sump. i also have a fan blowing across the tank. temp usually doesnt go over 85, if it does, the lights go off.

 

[bigsink]

Right now I am getting by with sump fans, hood fans, and a small A/C unit in my fish room. I am currently building a new sump to make my return pump external.

 

[Neurotech]

So having gotten up to 83 shouldn't have messed up my new sps? Thanks for the replys thus far. I have a fan in the canopy, but maybe I should add a vent and maybe some more active cooling in the sump.

 

[teen]

im not saying this is good at all for my tank, but mines already got up to 86 this year. havent noticed anything wrong with any of my sps and that was about 2 weeks ago.

 

[terranova]

i run two 250watt MHs over my 120 reef and i dont have a chiller nor do i have temperature problems

i do have a fan set to go off when the temp reaches a certain level

it also helps that we have central air and my tank is in the basement, so a naturally cooler location to begin with.

 

[dnsheavy]

GeoThermal Loop Cooling - the way go to !


--Dave--

 

[pecan2phat]

Okay then, I'll be the first to say that "I" need a chiller due to MH lights
MH lights are ridicuously hot. Same room and MH over one tank varies by 6 degrees vs a tank with T5 lights.
I don't like when the stonies go over 81 degrees, I set the chiller to come on at 81 and off at 79 degrees. Fans come on at 80 and off at 78.5 degrees.

 

[JB NY]

I've used a chiller on my SPS tanks for years. Even though I have my sump in the basement. My wife doesn't think it's hot till the house is in the high 80's so the chiller gets a good workout. I did try to use fans in the beginning with the tank by the high humidity of the summer made the fans not as efficient as it could have been.

My tank never goes above 82 in the summer now.

 

[Reef Junkie]

Same here. I run MH on my tank and Refugium that creates a lot of heat.

Right now I have been using fans to control the heat. The controller I'm using has the temperature set at 81 degrees.
I have not seen a temperature spike or drop since last week, when I did not have my fan setup.

I am considering a chiller for my tank.

 

[JB NY]

Bill, here is how I decided to get a chiller. Over the first summer i had the tank, everytime I was worried about the temperature, I thought if I had a chiller I wouldn't have to worry about this. Eventually I realized how much time I was worrying about the tank temp. After I bought the chiller. I never, ever even think about the temperature in my tank.

It's expensive but it really frees you during the summer.

 

[Reef Junkie]

:lmao:

Dude, do you know how many times I run downstairs to the controller just to see if it's moved at all?

Alright, I'll do it. Thanks for the words of wisdom!

 

[JB NY]

My wife was the final draw to getting mine. I kept calling her one day from work to check the tank temp. She finally told me to just "suck it up and buy a chiller, if you think I am spending my summer looking at the temperature on your tank you're out of your mind!"

I bought the chiller the next day. :lol:

 

[Reef Junkie]

Heh! :lmao:

Dude, you're lucky your wife is so cool, no pun intended!
How's the tank setup going?

 

[shyland83]

I have a 120 with 2x250w in lumenarc minis. I have a fan blowing on each lamp and a 4" duct venting air outside with an inline duct fan from homey. It's a POS though and barely moves any air so i'm going to replace it withTHIS . This will be my first summer but i think I'm hoping it's enough. My 29g before this had PC over it and a mag internal for a return and on the 90 degree days i could barely keep it under 90. Added central air since then so i'm hopeful.