Do I need a chiller?

Stefanm · 12/15/2016, 01:04 PM

I'm planning my first salt water aquarium, will be running a DIY Led lighting system, tank will be either 41" x 22" or 36" x 36" height can be anything that's advised. Will be running a sump, not so sure of the size, but as big as possible, this will sit under the tank.

I live in the coastal tropics in India, fortunately for this hobby I get zero sun light in my living room, where the aquarium will be situated.

Ambient temperatures in the day are usually 32c, in summer around 36c and extremely humid ( 90-96 F) the hottest it has been ever for one day is, 39.6c or 104 f.

Night time in the cooler months can drop to around 16 c (60.8f) and max 28 c (82.4 f) these are the lowest temps.

I live in an apartment on the ground floor, it's strangely the coolest flat or house I have been in over here.

I would like to know what I can keep in this climate without a chiller, is it possible?

I'm also making a thread on the DIY section.

Baldguy · 12/15/2016, 03:31 PM

Your apartment has no air conditioning? What are inside temps? If you're saying that inside temp will be as high as 96F or higher then yes you need a chiller.

Stefanm · 12/15/2016, 10:26 PM

These are ambient temperatures, as give by the met department, my flat is generally cooler than most. I have ac, but rarely use in the living room.

Ron Reefman · 12/16/2016, 08:07 AM

It's nearly impossible to say as you are probably right on the edge. If your living room gets up to 90F during the day, it's probably not going to do well without a small chiller. If it's cooler than that, and you have pumps that are not in the water (return pump and powerheads and use led lights and run a fan over the open water to help with evaporation and therefore cooling the water a bit, you might get by.

I'm in SW Florida and it's 90F to 95F every single day for 5 or 6 months of the year. We keep our house at 82F and in the summer my chiller does run some. But if the power goes off, I have a back up generator for the pumps and chiller or I'd lose everything.

ca1ore · 12/16/2016, 03:23 PM

Figure that most tanks will run a few degrees above ambient. Mine, for example, with LED lights, and mostly external pumps, runs plus 2 degrees. Depending upon the animals you intend to keep, 29 c is your absolute upper limit. So either you cool the room to somewhere around 27 c, or you run a chiller. Fans can help, though they're much less effective in higher humidity.

12/15/2016, 01:04 PM	#1
Stefanm Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Posts: 39	Do I need a chiller? I'm planning my first salt water aquarium, will be running a DIY Led lighting system, tank will be either 41" x 22" or 36" x 36" height can be anything that's advised. Will be running a sump, not so sure of the size, but as big as possible, this will sit under the tank. I live in the coastal tropics in India, fortunately for this hobby I get zero sun light in my living room, where the aquarium will be situated. Ambient temperatures in the day are usually 32c, in summer around 36c and extremely humid ( 90-96 F) the hottest it has been ever for one day is, 39.6c or 104 f. Night time in the cooler months can drop to around 16 c (60.8f) and max 28 c (82.4 f) these are the lowest temps. I live in an apartment on the ground floor, it's strangely the coolest flat or house I have been in over here. I would like to know what I can keep in this climate without a chiller, is it possible? I'm also making a thread on the DIY section.

12/16/2016, 08:07 AM	#4
Ron Reefman Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Cape Coral, FL Posts: 10,431	It's nearly impossible to say as you are probably right on the edge. If your living room gets up to 90F during the day, it's probably not going to do well without a small chiller. If it's cooler than that, and you have pumps that are not in the water (return pump and powerheads and use led lights and run a fan over the open water to help with evaporation and therefore cooling the water a bit, you might get by. I'm in SW Florida and it's 90F to 95F every single day for 5 or 6 months of the year. We keep our house at 82F and in the summer my chiller does run some. But if the power goes off, I have a back up generator for the pumps and chiller or I'd lose everything. __________________ The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. (Neil deGrasse Tyson) Visit my build thread http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2593017

12/16/2016, 03:23 PM	#5
ca1ore Grizzled & Cynical Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 17,319	Figure that most tanks will run a few degrees above ambient. Mine, for example, with LED lights, and mostly external pumps, runs plus 2 degrees. Depending upon the animals you intend to keep, 29 c is your absolute upper limit. So either you cool the room to somewhere around 27 c, or you run a chiller. Fans can help, though they're much less effective in higher humidity. __________________ Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs

12/15/2016, 03:31 PM	#2
Baldguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Ft Worth Posts: 296	Your apartment has no air conditioning? What are inside temps? If you're saying that inside temp will be as high as 96F or higher then yes you need a chiller.

12/15/2016, 10:26 PM	#3
Stefanm Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Posts: 39	These are ambient temperatures, as give by the met department, my flat is generally cooler than most. I have ac, but rarely use in the living room.