What chiller for a 90?

[mikearoni]

My new tank gets pretty hot compared to my previouos tank. I know it is because of the halides. I had 4xt5's and the temp in the previous tank got as high as 79. But the new tank gets around 82-83 with the 2x250w. I noticed that one of my colonies began to rtn, I assume it is because of the extreme temperature change. After seeing the high temps in my new tank with halides, and the 5g evaporation in two days I am now looking for a chiller. Can you guys give me some advice on a good, reliable chiller? I was looking at this model, http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...uct_Code=PC-CL-280&Category_Code=pacificcoast is it any good? I want to get one that will keep the tank around 77-78.
Thanks

 

[RedEDGE2k1]

Re: What chiller for a 90?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14198016#post14198016 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mikearoni
Can you guys give me some advice on a good, reliable chiller? I was looking at this model, http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...uct_Code=PC-CL-280&Category_Code=pacificcoast is it any good? I want to get one that will keep the tank around 77-78.
Thanks

I have the same size tank and same lighting setup as you (2x250w halides). I had the same problem last summer, my tank would get up to 84° even with the room A/C at 68°. I bought two chillers before finally buying the right (third) one:

1) Pacific Coast CL-280 1/10hp, $300 new: PLEASE do not waste your time with this chiller. Not only is it too small for our 90g tanks, but I could not push more than 170gph through it even with a 900gph Eheim pump. The inlet/outlet nozzles on the chiller accept either 1/2" or 5/8" tubing, however the actual hole in the nozzle that water flows through to get into the chiller is only about 3/8". So, regardless of what size tubing you use, it will be next to impossible to get 300-600pgh of flow through this little chiller as recommended by the manufacturer for heat transfer efficiency. When I installed this chiller on my 90g it could not get the temperature below 80° and it never turned off. It ran all day long and never could drop the temp to where it needed to be. I returned it to Premium Aquatics for a full refund, less shipping, after explaining why it wouldn't work.

2) JBJ Arctica 1/10hp, $200 used - I bought this chiller used on eBay and had identical problems as with the Pacific Coast chiller. I re-sold it on eBay.

3) CurrentUSA 1/4hp, $500 used - I bought this chiller from my LFS, they were selling it for a customer. It has properly sized input/output nozzles and my Eheim 900gph pump pushes water through it fast and with no problems. The chiller turns on for about 10 minutes every hour and a half or so. It keeps my tank stable at 78° and is rated for a 30-degree pull down on a tank my size.

Conclusion

Do not buy a 1/10hp chiller for a 90g tank. Spend the money and do it right the first time!

 

[solitude127]

I have a 1/5th JBJ for my 90 and think it's sized well. In hindsight, I would have bought the 1/4 for about $70 more. In the summer, the ambient temp in the house gets up to 80 - 83 and chiller runs for about hour and a half 4 - 5 times a day to keep the tank between 80 - 82. It's a pretty quiet unit, but my dad has a 1/3 TECO and it's much quieter. I like both, but I would buy a 1/4 HP if your budget allows.