Are you "chilling" your reef? Why or why not?

[Eggs]

I’m in South Florida and home A/C pretty much runs year round (chilly days are few), and ceiling fan in room does good job with moving the air.

 

[scardall]

I am running a 1/4HP Trade Winds Chiller. Made in America. Drop in type. Reef is a 75gallon set up. set point 77*F.

 

[TBS]

A lot of factors come into play when determining if you'll need a chiller or not for your reef tank. Where you live, the location of your tank, your lighting and more. With it starting to warm up outside I thought it would be a good time to discuss chillers!

What is a chiller?
Here is a simple definition from First Tank Guide: An aquarium chiller is really a small refrigerator which is installed in-line with an external filtration system to cool - or chill - the water as it passes through the system. When coupled with a thermostat, the chiller can prevent the aquarium from rising above a per-determined temperature.

1. Do you run a chiller on your saltwater aquarium?

2. If you answered yes, what brand of chiller are you running?


Image via MarineDepot.com

I use a chiller, built by a friend who reworked a 5 ton window unit. I don't like to allow the temperature to go over 78-F. RTN tends ,IMO, to occur at high temps.

 

[saltyhog]

I don't have to as our house stays 72° year round. My heaters run about the same amount each day year round. If I used metal halide I likely would have to.

 

[Kellie in CA]

I live in CA and I haven't had the need for one since I switched to LED's. Back when I had an in-wall air conditioner with no thermostat, I would have a small fan on the tank. But now that I have central air, I just keep it at 80 and the tank is fine. My bill isn't too bad either.

 

[Cristy17]

I live in south Florida, west coast. I have a 1/3 hp JBJ chiller but its more for power outages due to hurricanes. My generator cannot run the central air but it can run the chiller. I keep the house at 79 degrees F (humidity holds at 41%). 75 G mixed stays around 78-79. Chiller kicks on at 81 via Apex.

 

[eLReef]

Yes I do. It get’s 110f here and the AC doesn’t help when it’s that hot outside and the AC bill is outrageous. I run a 1/10hp JBJ Arctica chiller. Super quite and lasts for ever since I only install it during the summer.

 

[RazorRamon]

I run a fan that blows over the water but only in the summer. I also have my AC on all day in the summer.

 

[Crazydiamond]

Use a AquaEuro Chiller to keep my 460 tank cool here in CA. My sump is in the garage and want to make sure the temp stays constant for both tank and sump.

Assuming you have the 1hp? Do you like that chiller? I have about the same water volume+ another 60-70 gallons in the sump. I was looking at it & specs say it’s rated up to 700 gallons. Is it working overtime to cool down your system when temps exceed 90 degrees F outside...or does it do a good job

 

[DraggingTail]

1. Do you run a chiller on your saltwater aquarium?
Yes

2. If you answered yes, what brand of chiller are you running?
Arctica 1/3

 

[JMM744]

Air conditioner in my finished tank room in my basement. This works very well.

 

[Timfish]

I do have a couple chillers on some of my systems but for the most part 12 vdc muffin fans are more than sufficient.

 

[Arabyps]

Yes. Active Aqua 1/10 hp. Where we live A/C is a must. The chiller is backup because the "smart" thermostats detect your presence. When we are out for an extended period it raises the A/C set point which could negatively impact the aquarium.

 

[Jjd531]

No..and my room isn't insulated so in the summer it got really hot like I couldnt even be up here without having to go jump ina freezing shower. Anyways one day I stuck my hand in the tank and the water was almost hot, I have a 5 up here, 2 reefs, a brackish system, and 2 freshwater tanks. I freaked out at the thought of boiling my fish and corals and checked the temps and most of the tanks were up to 90 -92° which prompted me to immediately run to the gas station and buy 2 big bags of ice which I had to put in freezer bags, sit in the tanks till they thawed, and refroze them to use again till I had the tanks at acceptable tempuratures. Luckily crisis was averted and I didnt lose anything. Still never thought about owning a chiller as it wouldn't be in use very often but it would probably be a great tool to just have around.

 

[PurduePete93]

Other - It's not an actual chiller, but my return and supply lines between my sump and my display run through about 15-18 linear feet of concrete in my basement floor (yes my project started with a jackhammer). It's not cold, but it is a huge heat sink for sure and makes a chiller unnecessary - even with my Halides. I do need a heater when the lights are off..

 

[BullyBee]

I don’t chill my SW tank but I chill my axolotls. It’s a wee bit dusty

 

[RUKelly]

A lot of factors come into play when determining if you'll need a chiller or not for your reef tank. Where you live, the location of your tank, your lighting and more. With it starting to warm up outside I thought it would be a good time to discuss chillers!

What is a chiller?
Here is a simple definition from First Tank Guide: An aquarium chiller is really a small refrigerator which is installed in-line with an external filtration system to cool - or chill - the water as it passes through the system. When coupled with a thermostat, the chiller can prevent the aquarium from rising above a per-determined temperature.

1. Do you run a chiller on your saltwater aquarium?

2. If you answered yes, what brand of chiller are you running?


Image via MarineDepot.com

When I updated my old glass tank with the hang-on & in-tank equipment to a Red Sea Max all-in-one system, I noticed the area for a chiller and bought an appropriate one for the tank. A great thing..... I used to have bouts of ich in my old tank and always suspected high temps (lighting) but after my new system and setup, no issues with ich after 6 years now. The chiller I have for my 135-gal. tank is a Coralife model 1/4 hp. It is so easy to use, it’s quiet, digital use, and easy to clean the filter. I love it and consider it essential tho last year I switched to LED tank lighting (less heat).

 

[Sandra Finnell]

I voted in the 2% (so far) other soulution and I will tell you why. I was pretty panicky the first summer that I had my reef tank. Temps were reaching 82 on very hot days, but since it is only a 28 nano, I filled pepsi bottles (they are skinny) with RO/Di water and froze them. I would swap them out because they would fit perfectly in one of the back compartments on the tank. They took the temps down slowly and since I am almost always around, swapping those out and placing a fan nearby, along with letting the return flow ripple the surface of the water, my temps never upset anything in the tank. I keep the temps manageable with these other methods and nothing has ever suffered.

 

[Flameback Pair]

Although it rarely gets above 100*F especially now we're out of our 30 year drought here in Montana, I have no AC and fishroom is small and one entrance same as exit like box canyon (I watch a lot of Westerns) the heat is pretty much trapped in the room so I will probably but a chiller this year.

 

[code4]

I don’t chill my SW tank but I chill my axolotls. It’s a wee bit dusty

Those little guys are so cute. I was put in contact with a gal who had a pair. They had little ones and she was having trouble finding good for them. I gave her some newly hatched brine shrimp and black worms. Last I heard they mostly survived.

I use a chiller in the summer months only. Disconnect and clean it for the winter.