New JBJ Chiller -- what pump and hose?

[Jamie1210]

Hi, I just bought a new JBJ mini arctica chiller for my 20 gallon tank. Just wondering what kind of pumps do you guys recommend for this? I thought it would come with the pump and hose, but apparently not! Also, where do you get the hose at?

Thanks,
Jamie

 

[Henry Bowman]

You can get vinyl hose at your local Home Hardware center or at marinedepot.com. The size depends on the fittings that the chiller has. As far as a pump goes, you need to look at the gph (gallons per hour) that the chiller is rated for. They (chillers) are most efficient when they are fed at the recommended rate. Specifically, I'd recommend an Ehiem pump. There are many others out there but the ehiem's are quiet and I've never heard a negative thing about them.

 

[Jamie1210]

Thanks for the reply, Henry. My set up does not have a sump nor is it drilled, so does that mean I * have* to have the pump inside the tank? i am looking at the diagram in the instruction manual and it appears that if I were to have the pump outside the water, I would need to have my tank drilled.

The chiller is rated for 110 to 160 gal/h ... I believe the Eheim isn't submersible in water ... if you have any other suggestions, please let me know.

thanks!
Jamie

 

[spleen93]

Eheims can be submersed. Excellent pump, BTW but they do tend to run a little big and may not look that attractive in a tank (better suited for sump usage, IMO). Maybe use a Maxijet 1200 instead?

Spleen

 

[Henry Bowman]

Yeah,

Without a sump you are going to have to look at a large enough pump to push the water to the chiller and back to the tank. A Maxijet may not be quite enough pump to do the trick. You may want to look into an overflow box and put an eheim on the floor next to the tank instead of taking tank space up. Some Eheims can also be run out of the water.

Check overflow box's on www.premiumaquatics.com and or www.marinedepot.com

Basically the overflow box will allow you to drain water from the top of the tank via a hang on box that siphons water out. The water would flow by gravity to the chiller and the pump would push the water back up to the tank.

 

[lifesworksataol]

i use a maxijet for mine - nice and cheap and gets the job done

 

[jlt23]

I have a nano chiller and I use a maxijet 1200 and black 1/2" vinyl hose and it works fine.

 

[pete33]

I use the Nano-Artica chiller for my AP-24 with a Rio-200 pump in the back chamber and Eheim 12/16 tubing. I'm using two Eheim pipe return spouts (one to the chiller and the other for return). I've modified the return pipe with a pice of tubing to reach over the sump and into the aquarium. The jet nozzle that came with the pump fits the spout perfectly. If you don't have a overflow sump, then no mod's are needed. My water's been between 76 and 77. Below are some links to the parts I've used.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4671&N=2004+113041
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3614&N=2004+62733