Are all chillers equal?

[CaptPatrick]

I’ve been looking into getting a chiller, seems like the 3 most popular available brands are JBJ, Aqua euro, and Active Aqua. I’d like one with the capacity to cool around 100 gallons but will only need to come down about 2-3°. I’m confused by one saying 1/4hp can do up to around 230 gallons while another manufacturer says it will do substantially less. I would have thought that since hp has an accepted value that they would all be close but seems not. So my question is, there is no standard as to what size tank a 1/4hp or 1/10hp chiller will cool, it’s all based on manufacturer recommendation? Also would appreciate any info, reviews, or suggestions on them.

 

[vetteguy53081]

1/10 will be for smaller tanks.
1/4 will be for tanks about 180 g
1/3 for about 300g
1/2 for much larger

 

[Pistondog]

I bought a jbj 1/5hp for 125 total gallons in un-air conditioned space. Ambient got to 90. Jbj set at 78, so it cycled between 78/79. Happy with that.
Jbj in basement, remote from tank.

 

[Micro-Reefs Aquarium]

I own the 1/10 HP JBJ and use it to cool down my 30 gallon cube that I keep completely closed with lids. The tank has hardly any evaporation because it's boxed in and that traps heat with the pumps that are inside, I have return pump, UV pump and chiller pump, all SICCE.

I keep the temp at 78.0 F and it takes about 15-17 mins to turn on and cool it down. Because the tank is 3/4 inch cast acrylic it takes almost 2 hours before it turns back on to cool.

JBJ uses an input data scale to enter all values; pumps, heaters, lights just about all you can think about to determine which size to purchase to achieve your goals.

Chiller Calculator

www.jbjaquarium.com

I also own thermoelectric chillers for my two 12 gallon cubes that are not compressor based, much quieter to run and they are more cost effective for my application, however they don't have the power to cool if ambient temps in the room go crazy, such as broken central air here in Florida, something also to think about.

Compressor based chillers are loud, compared to thermoelectric, but much more powerful, and JBJ claims to have one of the quiet compressors on the market.

I have owned the 1/4 HP also for my 90 gallon bowfront I had, worked like a charm.

Also owned Oceanic Chiller that was for a 24 gallon I had in the past, also very nice.

If you have any other questions, I would love to try to assist.

 

[brmreefer]

Though different manufacturer's have similar HP ratings, the internal designs might differ slightly in some way, but still follow the same fundamental principles in regards to chillers.

Best to go by the manufacturer's recommendation.

 

[CaptPatrick]

Thanks for everyone’s response, appreciate the info. JBJ seems to be the best from what I’ve read, and are priced like it, but you get what you pay for. I’d like to get a little larger than I currently need to use for next tank which will probably be around 130-150 gallons. Would putting a 1/4hp on about 90-100 gallons be too much?

 

[brmreefer]

Thanks for everyone’s response, appreciate the info. JBJ seems to be the best from what I’ve read, and are priced like it, but you get what you pay for. I’d like to get a little larger than I currently need to use for next tank which will probably be around 130-150 gallons. Would putting a 1/4hp on about 90-100 gallons be too much?

Nope. It just means the unit won't have to work so hard. I did the same planning on a bigger upgrade later down the road.

 

[CaptPatrick]

Nope. It just means the unit won't have to work so hard. I did the same planning on a bigger upgrade later down the road.

Yea that’s what I was thinking but then was reading about short cycling. There’s a 1 hp JBJ local to me for like $400 which I thought was a good deal but it’s much bigger than I need now and probably later, but figured it would just work much less until I read about short cycling. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Pistondog]

Thanks for everyone’s response, appreciate the info. JBJ seems to be the best from what I’ve read, and are priced like it, but you get what you pay for. I’d like to get a little larger than I currently need to use for next tank which will probably be around 130-150 gallons. Would putting a 1/4hp on about 90-100 gallons be too much?

It will just cool the tank faster, heat rise time will be the same. Mine cycles about 1 time per hour. At higher ambient the chiller stays on, cooling for an hour and a half, then heats up again.

 

[Pistondog]

You'll want to pump more water thru larger, bigger hp units.

 

[MPERL]

Some chillers draw more energy that others, some are a lot louder than others. Look ate each chiller specs. If you are buying pre-owned, the newer the better with energy and sound.

 

[Micro-Reefs Aquarium]

Thanks for everyone’s response, appreciate the info. JBJ seems to be the best from what I’ve read, and are priced like it, but you get what you pay for. I’d like to get a little larger than I currently need to use for next tank which will probably be around 130-150 gallons. Would putting a 1/4hp on about 90-100 gallons be too much?

Here is my thread where I installed the 1/4 HP jbj on my 70 gallon bowfront later upgraded it to 90 gallons and used the same chiller:

72 Oceanic Reef Ready Bow Front Evolution...

www.nano-reef.com

Also I can give you the cost for running the 1/10 HP chiller on my 30 gallon. I have an app that tracks the wattage and what kilowatts are being burned.

Here they are for you:

Current power
174 w

Past 7 days
Daily average Total Consumption
.68 kWh | 4.77 kWh

Past 30 days
Daily average Total Consumption
.64 | 17.9 kWh

I live in Florida so the cost per kilowatt is 11.37cents. So, based on the Total Consumption so far, I am at $2.15

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

Tradewinds makes a nice chiller and they have drop in models as well.

 

[CaptPatrick]

Here is my thread where I installed the 1/4 HP jbj on my 70 gallon bowfront later upgraded it to 90 gallons and used the same chiller:

72 Oceanic Reef Ready Bow Front Evolution...

www.nano-reef.com

Also I can give you the cost for running the 1/10 HP chiller on my 30 gallon. I have an app that tracks the wattage and what kilowatts are being burned.

Here they are for you:

Current power
174 w

Past 7 days
Daily average Total Consumption
.68 kWh | 4.77 kWh

Past 30 days
Daily average Total Consumption
.64 | 17.9 kWh

I live in Florida so the cost per kilowatt is 11.37cents. So, based on the Total Consumption so far, I am at $2.15

I also live in Florida, Ft. Myers, so right now we are really hot with a lot of humidity. Thanks for the info

 

[Micro-Reefs Aquarium]

I also live in Florida, Ft. Myers, so right now we are really hot with a lot of humidity. Thanks for the info

Wow, so nice to have you in Ft. Myers, I use to live in Miami for 3 years before moving back to Apollo Beach, south of Tampa. What petshops do your frequent do you recommend any? The ones in Miami are gorgeous and I now found a really nice one I only go to for SPS/LPS called Coral Corral in Tampa, there SPS tank is to die for out of my 21 SPS frags 18 came from there!

 

[CaptPatrick]

Wow, so nice to have you in Ft. Myers, I use to live in Miami for 3 years before moving back to Apollo Beach, south of Tampa. What petshops do your frequent do you recommend any? The ones in Miami are gorgeous and I now found a really nice one I only go to for SPS/LPS called Coral Corral in Tampa, there SPS tank is to die for out of my 21 SPS frags 18 came from there!

We have a couple in the area but I really only go to Boardroom aquatics, the owner and employees are good people, knowledgeable, and fair priced. Keeps healthy stock also. I’ve heard of Coral corral on a Facebook group I’m in, I’ll have to try and make a trip up that way soon.