Do I need a chiller?

johnyens · #1 07-06-2010, 06:31 PM

Hello everyone,

I live in Vancouver near UBC. I live in a single family house on the top floor. There is no AC in the house but we do have windows that get a good breeze if there is one.

I have a 58G tank and I am wondering if I am going to need a chiller?

The weather is supposed to get hot tomorrow (well 85 F).

Anyone have experience with this? The other thing I am thinking of doing is going to buy an AC from Home Depot and setting that up near the tank.

Any input is appreciated!

-John

Ryanst · #2 07-06-2010, 07:30 PM

I would probably think that you need a chiller or ac. I keep my tank in the basement with ac in the house and it only gets to 20 C or 68 F. Even with the tempature outside the the tank being so cold when the lights come on it still warms my tank from 76 degrees to 77.5. I dont know what kind of lighting you have but on really hot days you might want to leave them off if you dont get a chiller. jl aquatics has some good prices on chillers right now they are 15% off
www.jlaquatics.com/product/ch-ep003/EcoPlus+1+4+HP+Aquarium+Chiller+with+Dual+Stage+Co ntroller.html or www.jlaquatics.com/product/ch-ep001/EcoPlus+1+10+HP+Aquarium+Chiller+with+Dual+Stage+C ontroller.html
I would personally get the 1/4 horsepower not the 1/8 because if you ever plan on upgrading the 1/8th probably wont be enough and its not that much more.

fkshiu · #3 07-06-2010, 07:34 PM

Simply try having a fan blowing across the water's surface before investing in a chiller.

I regard chillers only as a last resort especially in a temperate climate as we have in the Lower Mainland. They suck power like mad and actually heat up the room they're in.

Fans are an extremely effective first step, especially where humidity is relatively low like around here. Room and portable ACs don't use much more power than chillers and actually cool the entire room rather than heating it up like a chiller would.

mark · #4 07-07-2010, 02:45 AM

Old place had a 75g with PCs, temps stayed steady.

Before I got the AC in the new place just had some muffin fans on the sump (and still have for backup) and no problems with temperature with 2x250W though running a basement sump. Plan on a ATO as can go a lot of water, I was up to 2g a day.

Lance · #5 07-07-2010, 03:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fkshiu

Simply try having a fan blowing across the water's surface before investing in a chiller.

I regard chillers only as a last resort especially in a temperate climate as we have in the Lower Mainland. They suck power like mad and actually heat up the room they're in.

Fans are an extremely effective first step, especially where humidity is relatively low like around here. Room and portable ACs don't use much more power than chillers and actually cool the entire room rather than heating it up like a chiller would.

+1
I'm pretty sure you'll be able to get by with a few fans. If you're running MH's you can turn them off for a few hours during the hottest part of the day.

DiverDude · #6 07-07-2010, 03:29 AM

The key to this is AVERAGE room temperature. If the average room temperature is close to or above wheat you want the tank at then you're going to have issues.

I can't comment on the effectiveness of fans but my feeling is that a fan is only good for a degree or 2 and it's going to up your evaporation rate quite a bit.

The question then becomes how do you cool the environment. You can either air condition the room or run a chiller. If you can reasonably install air conditioning (don't forget you need to vent to outside) then a chiller or an air conditioner are similar prices (assuming the room isn't too big). Personally, I'd A/C the room and get the benefit of a nice cool room. In my case, I couldn't practically run A/C so I had to go chiller. It's a PITA but you need to keep a lid on tank temps !

George · #7 07-07-2010, 03:34 AM

Go to walmart or Superstore or Zellers and buy a couple of clip on fans. They are only $15 a piece. Try that before you invest in an AC. Plug them into your timer so that the fans are on when your main lights are on, if you don't have a controller. Blow the fans across the water surface.
Depends on what kind of light you have. If you have T5's, I am sure two clip on's will do. If you have MH, maybe sufficient, maybe not. Try the fans first anyway.
It will evaporate a lot of water if you do the fan route. JFYI.

johnyens · #8 07-07-2010, 04:39 PM

Great advise guys thanks a lot!

I run 6 x T5's on my tank. Right now I have a fan accross the room blowing air in from outside. The tank is covered with a glass top so I may have to take that off on hot days. I hope my Blenny does go carpet surfing...

I already have an ATO so thats not an issue. I will try moving the fan closer today as it is suppose to get pretty hot. Right now temp is at 80.6 up from 80.2 earlier this morning.

I may just buy the chiller. We invest so much in our tanks it would be a shame to have it all die because of heat issues...

Thanks again to everyone for their advise.

edikpok · #9 07-08-2010, 06:37 PM

you can stretch some sort of cheesecloth instead of your glasstop on hot days (on blow the fans on that)Alternatively, buy a big piece of acrylics (as big as your cover top) and drill a bunch of smaller holes in it... will guarantee your blenny stays where he should be...

martinmcnally · #10 07-08-2010, 11:36 PM

I have a few of those plastic ice block things that you use in coolers. If i see the temperature getting too high on a hot day (like today haha). I drop one in the sump. Will usually bring the temperature down gradually about 3-4oC. If its really hot I can throw in two. Freeze them again over night.

Not great when its hot everyday but I find I only have to do that maybe 5 days or so during the summer.

Martin