chiller advice

clintgd · 07/05/2014, 05:26 AM

hello all,
i have a 90 gallon tank with a 30 gallon tank 1/2 full for a refugium . i am running led lights so i dont have a major heat problem but my room gets to 85 sometimes and my tank is starting to climb up there 2 . I have tried fans on the surface of my refugium but it is not enough . i also have glass tops on my tank because of a rambunctious new snowflake eel who try's to escape . the egg crate holes r to big as my eel is just a little guy . also i would like something to hook up and set and forget and be able to leave for awhile without worrying . i would like to run my tank at 78 . any advice on chillers would be greatly appreciated .
thanks guys

jared355 · 07/05/2014, 05:31 AM

Look up trade wind chillers, they are the best on the market. I have one on my 105 and it's absolutely amazing. I had a Jbj but it went dead in 6 months. I highly recommend those guys and there customer service is top notch! I have the inline series

mskvarenina · 07/05/2014, 07:12 AM

I have a 93g tank and was finding the daytime temperature reaching the mid 80s just based on the room temperature and before the summer so I purchased an Aqua Euro 1/4 hp chiller. It was very simple to plumb into my system and works just great. Now my water remains 78 degrees no matter how hot the room gets.

I'd highly recommend it.

Vinny Kreyling · 07/05/2014, 08:41 AM

Unless you vent the chiller all the heat it produces will go right back into the room!

mskvarenina · 07/05/2014, 12:13 PM

In my case the chiller is in the basement along with the sump which is always cooler than the main living space. A little extra heat across the entire basement isn't even measureable.

pepetj · 07/05/2014, 01:49 PM

For a system your size I would go with at least an 1/8HP chiller, better if 1/4HP. I suggest you get as much real users reviews as possible.

I've been using Resun Chillers (somewhat cheap made in China) without much issues. It takes some time to adjust them (water flow in the upper end seems critical to avoid too frequent on/off cycles) and the thermostat is placed inside the unit so I need to check actual display tank temp and use the setting temp as a guideline.

A properly set up chiller is to me indispensable for reef tank keeping since I live in the Caribbean basin where hot waves are somewhat frequent.

I wouldn't purchase a chiller second hand unless I know how it has been used, it is an expensive need for which I rather have some kind of warranty.

Good luck with your upgrade

Pepetj
Santo Domingo

clintgd · 07/06/2014, 08:04 PM

thanks for your input guys. i am running a swamp cooler in my house and the chiller will be right under a open window so it should vent outside . how about some plumbing advice . should i run it through my return pump or have it on its own loop .
thank you

jared355 · 07/07/2014, 08:30 AM

I would say it's own loop. But that depends on how strong your return is. I like to run it on it's own but if I had a larger tank running a reeflo type pump I would probably hook it all up. You wanna make sure and hit the recommended flow through whatever chiller you choose that's the most important aspect

mskvarenina · 07/07/2014, 08:38 AM

Mine is in the UV Loop. I have a pump which goes from the sump, to the chiller, then to the UV then back to the sump into the refugium with a spraybar.

07/05/2014, 05:26 AM	#1
clintgd Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 12	chiller advice hello all, i have a 90 gallon tank with a 30 gallon tank 1/2 full for a refugium . i am running led lights so i dont have a major heat problem but my room gets to 85 sometimes and my tank is starting to climb up there 2 . I have tried fans on the surface of my refugium but it is not enough . i also have glass tops on my tank because of a rambunctious new snowflake eel who try's to escape . the egg crate holes r to big as my eel is just a little guy . also i would like something to hook up and set and forget and be able to leave for awhile without worrying . i would like to run my tank at 78 . any advice on chillers would be greatly appreciated . thanks guys

07/05/2014, 05:31 AM	#2
jared355 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 110	Look up trade wind chillers, they are the best on the market. I have one on my 105 and it's absolutely amazing. I had a Jbj but it went dead in 6 months. I highly recommend those guys and there customer service is top notch! I have the inline series

07/05/2014, 07:12 AM	#3
mskvarenina Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 286	I have a 93g tank and was finding the daytime temperature reaching the mid 80s just based on the room temperature and before the summer so I purchased an Aqua Euro 1/4 hp chiller. It was very simple to plumb into my system and works just great. Now my water remains 78 degrees no matter how hot the room gets. I'd highly recommend it.

07/05/2014, 08:41 AM	#4
Vinny Kreyling Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miller Place, NY Posts: 7,206	Unless you vent the chiller all the heat it produces will go right back into the room!

07/05/2014, 12:13 PM	#5
mskvarenina Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 286	In my case the chiller is in the basement along with the sump which is always cooler than the main living space. A little extra heat across the entire basement isn't even measureable.

07/05/2014, 01:49 PM	#6
pepetj Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Santo Domingo Posts: 55	For a system your size I would go with at least an 1/8HP chiller, better if 1/4HP. I suggest you get as much real users reviews as possible. I've been using Resun Chillers (somewhat cheap made in China) without much issues. It takes some time to adjust them (water flow in the upper end seems critical to avoid too frequent on/off cycles) and the thermostat is placed inside the unit so I need to check actual display tank temp and use the setting temp as a guideline. A properly set up chiller is to me indispensable for reef tank keeping since I live in the Caribbean basin where hot waves are somewhat frequent. I wouldn't purchase a chiller second hand unless I know how it has been used, it is an expensive need for which I rather have some kind of warranty. Good luck with your upgrade Pepetj Santo Domingo

07/06/2014, 08:04 PM	#7
clintgd Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 12	thanks for your input guys. i am running a swamp cooler in my house and the chiller will be right under a open window so it should vent outside . how about some plumbing advice . should i run it through my return pump or have it on its own loop . thank you

07/07/2014, 08:30 AM	#8
jared355 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 110	I would say it's own loop. But that depends on how strong your return is. I like to run it on it's own but if I had a larger tank running a reeflo type pump I would probably hook it all up. You wanna make sure and hit the recommended flow through whatever chiller you choose that's the most important aspect

07/07/2014, 08:38 AM	#9
mskvarenina Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 286	Mine is in the UV Loop. I have a pump which goes from the sump, to the chiller, then to the UV then back to the sump into the refugium with a spraybar.