DIY Chiller????

sirevans reef · Feb 6, 2012

So summer is just right around the corner and as my house warms up so does my 125 gal. reef tank. In the winter my tank runs at about 78-79 degrees. I was running a 60 inch compact lighting system but about two months ago. I switched to a 72 inch m.h. system, 3x 250 m.h. and four t-5 bulbs. So needless to say my tanks is a little warmer. That is not such a big problem in the winter but not that some days are warm and some are cool I am getting some pretty big temp swings. (78 in the morning and 85 mid day) So I went on to you-tube and searched diy chillers and I saw one or two that looked like they would work for the space I have but they are running there water though copper tubbing. I don't want copper to get into my tank and kill my inverts and coral. So how does one make a diy chiller for a reef tank. Or does anyone have a chiller for sale that would work for a 125 gal tank that is not $500?

wooboodoo · Feb 6, 2012

You can get 1/4hp used chiller for about $250...
You can do your own DIY chiller but parts gonna be expensive, the chiller barrel only with titanium coil gonna cost about $300-$400.
If you need more info where to buy parts lmk I can give you some website.

Sent from my microwave using UHF antenna

Troylee · Feb 6, 2012

Buy one it's cheaper... Dorm fridges and stuff don't work so don't bother... A fan skimming the tank or sump "evap cooling" works very well also... Something to try before investing in a chiller... I have a $8 walmart clip on fan on my sump it lowered my temps 5 degrees... Hth..

sirevans reef · Feb 7, 2012

Thanks for the advice. I am defiantly going to get a cheap clip on fan and give that a try before I go invest hundreds of dollars.

AZDesertRat · Feb 10, 2012

Fans work wonders. A WalMart clip on fan over my sump and two 4" computer fans in my canopy replaced a 1/4HP chiller and I even had to put the fans on a Ranco controller or timers since it was cooling so much the heater was coming on.
The only drawback is increased evaporation and humidity but an ATO took care of the evaporation and I learned to live with the humidity.
Today I have LEDs so even the fans are not needed.

Onebaldman · Feb 10, 2012

Depends on how DIY you are. You will need some kind of controller such as an Apex system or an Arduino, the parts needed for a thermometer setup, the cheapest PC liquid cooling kit you can find, extra liquid for the cooling system and extra clear tubing.

1. Hook the liquid cooling system up so that, instead of running the cooling through the CPU's heat spreader, it just loops back through the extra tubing and back into the radiator.

2. Loop the extra tubing into your sump.

3. Set the Arduino up to cycle the liquid in the tubing when the temp of your sump's water reaches higher than what you want.

The radiator of the liquid cooling system will cool the liquid in the tubing down, which in turn will cool the water in your sump down. This method is a lot cheaper than buying AND running a chiller. You also get to show how crafty you are to all your fish buddies...

AZDesertRat · Feb 11, 2012

Plastic tubings are horrible heat exchangers. The plastic does not give up the cool or absorb the heat like copper, aluminum or titanium does. Its not very efficient.