Not ready to buy a controller / chiller? This was my solution!

tutmatt3 · Apr 11, 2017

Hey Guys!

Those with more experience, please feel free to chime in, I'd love to hear your input!

Now I'm still a newbie myself, bout 4 months into this, but just thought I'd share my solution for those not ready to buy a controller / chiller - but know that Summer is around the corner!

Apparently.. this little guy exists!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ANCB24W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Combine that with a cheap $8 walmart fan (pictured below), and some hooks I had laying around, and now I have heating/cooling control!

Today is the first day of use, but I ran the fan for 10 minutes and temp dropped .4 degrees! Only summer will tell the truth of how good it'll be, but so far I find this a much more affordable solution.

**DO NOTE** Using fan for cooling uses evaporation, meaning you will need to frequently replenish with fresh RO/DI water (not salt water). I did not move forward with this method until I had an ATO (Auto Top Off) unit installed. I went w/ the Tunze Osmolator which ran $200. I wasn't afraid to spend the extra dime on this as a non-reliable unit can end up overflowing the tank!

The temp controller is fun because you can set the ideal temp, heating temp, cooling, and alarms!
I have my heater thermostat set to roughly 77, but the temp controller will turn it OFF once it gets to 79 - which can be a great benefit in case the heater ever fails on the 'on' position

So for my settings:
Ideal Temp: 79
Heater kicks on below: 78
Fan kicks on above 80

Alarms go off below 72 or above 86

Love to hear others experience with solutions similar to this! I initially looked into heater controllers after reading a DIY post by @saltyfilmfolks ! This was the less DIY version

saltyfilmfolks · Apr 11, 2017

That rocks!

tutmatt3 · Apr 11, 2017

saltyfilmfolks said:
That rocks!

Cheers man! Your thread was what sparked me to dig deeper! Thanks for sharing!

fabutahoun · Apr 11, 2017

Very Nice idea, well done

slipknotgrrl83 · Apr 11, 2017

I use that setup on my freshwater. I love it and was super cheap. I have the apex on my Reef but def recommend the inkbird for people worried about budget

tutmatt3 · Apr 11, 2017

fabutahoun said:
Very Nice idea, well done

Cheers!

slipknotgrrl83 said:
I use that setup on my freshwater. I love it and was super cheap. I have the apex on my Reef but def recommend the inkbird for people worried about budget

Awesome! Glad to hear others have experience with it.

colesjensen · Apr 11, 2017

Might order one tonight!

tutmatt3 · Apr 14, 2017

colesjensen said:
Might order one tonight!

Let me know how it works out!

So far the fan hasn't needed to come on, but the tank hasn't moved out from the 78-79 degree mark on heater only.
Waiting for some heat to hit this way so I can see how good the fan functions =)

tutmatt3 · Jun 8, 2017

Just wanted to post a follow up now that I've had these for almost 2 months.

So far, it works perfect!!! If you put it on the Celsius setting, you can contorl .01 degree (F only allows each 1 degree)
So I set mine to 25d C, which is 77F. Then I have it turn the heater on @ 24.8, and fan @ 25.3. This keeps me in a range of 76.6-77.5, and not once has it gone out.

My $8 walmart fan cools it .1c every 5-10 mins or so.

House has been as low as 64, and as high as 94 during the past 2 months. This thing has done good so far!

cmcoker · Jun 8, 2017

How's that temp probe holding up? I got scared off of that one from reviews I saw that it rusted in saltwater. I opted for a diy inkbird controller with a rubberized temp sensor.

hybridazn · Jun 8, 2017

Very cool! (No pun intended lol)

tutmatt3 · Jun 8, 2017

cmcoker said:
How's that temp probe holding up? I got scared off of that one from reviews I saw that it rusted in saltwater. I opted for a diy inkbird controller with a rubberized temp sensor.

So far no problems @ all. I have it under my HOB filter, so it's in the shade - but don't think that does much to prevent rust? lol
Yeah, I just checked it out & so far it's great. Just a few tunicates are setting up home on the probe, but that's it for the past 2 months.

I just reached out to the company asking their opinions, so we'll see what they say!
Will report here

hybridazn said:
Very cool! (No pun intended lol)

xD

dbl · Jun 8, 2017

Nice setup and it's a great suggestion. It's amazing how much a fan can help cool things down. It was wise of you to mention the evaporation effect in your OP...very important for folks to realize this. Very well done.

tutmatt3 · Jun 8, 2017

dbl said:
Nice setup and it's a great suggestion. It's amazing how much a fan can help cool things down. It was wise of you to mention the evaporation effect in your OP...very important for folks to realize this. Very well done.

I can only thank @saltyfilmfolks for that info. He noted it in his original post when I first discovered this idea - and I had no idea about ATO/Evap of freshwater only prior

saltyfilmfolks · Jun 8, 2017

It's a sweet rig there. A good thing to keep bumping. summer will be here soon!

tutmatt3 · Jun 8, 2017

saltyfilmfolks said:
It's a sweet rig there. A good thing to keep bumping. summer will be here soon!

Thanks! It's pretty much here in Simi Valley! Few cooler days, but most are dang warm already!

Just got the response! Quick
side note - I heard of people using shrink wrap - maybe a good idea!
side note #2 - you can also calibrate the temperate. Meaning if shrink wrap absorbs some of the temp, use a high quality thermometer and measure your tank, then calibrate the controller accordingly.
----
Hello Matthew,

Many thanks for your feedback.

Actually the NTC sensor of the ITC-308 is the waterproof sensor with IP68 protection rate, can be submerged into saltwater for long time and no rust.

If you worry about the rust, maybe you could cover the sensor with some protection film or other things.
Any other questions or problems, please tell freely.

Thank you!