Spring/Summer Temps

[44santababy]

I have my 120gal. mixed reef tank steup in my living room directly in front of the windows and directly in front of my A/C unit. At what temp. outside should i start leaving my AC on to keep the tank/room cool. My tank has no chiller so i'm testing this method. Note my living room seems to hold heat so it always feels like 5-7 degrees warmer than outside. Like today i was wondering if i should run my AC, but decided not too. So i ask, what temps/humidity outside should i start to run AC even when im not home. This is my first spring/summer with a reef tank...thanks.

 

[jpellica]

You kind of answered your own question if the room starts going up more than 2 or 3 degrees start running your ac. Just an fyi one months bill of running ur ac will be the same price as buying. Used chiller on this site.

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[nyshoots]

Your going to have to run a lot of tests to figure this out. You can actually get a thermostat that will turn on your AC when your tank temps go up and turn it off when your temp levals out

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[44santababy]

yea, i agree about the a/c and just buying a chiller, thats logical.

 

[Mike389]

You kind of answered your own question if the room starts going up more than 2 or 3 degrees start running your ac. Just an fyi one months bill of running ur ac will be the same price as buying. Used chiller on this site.

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True but the ac keeps the tank cool & it keeps you cool as well

 

[NL146]

Keep in mind that a chiller will normally add heat to the space.

 

[Dre]

It cost less to chill 120gals than to chill a living room +120gals of water.

 

[fishman1069]

It cost less to chill 120gals than to chill a living room +120gals of water.

Not if you have the chiller right next to the tank! Those things cause alot of heat! The best way to run a chiller is by putting said chiller in a different room or outside if possible. If its next to the tank, its basically fighting itself!

 

[Awibrandy]

Not if you have the chiller right next to the tank! Those things cause alot of heat! The best way to run a chiller is by putting said chiller in a different room or outside if possible. If its next to the tank, its basically fighting itself!

DITTO​

That is why I do not have one, nor will I ever. I prefer to run my a/c to keep all of us nice, and comfy.

I start running my a/c when I can no longer keep the tank at no higher then 80. I live in between the Jamaica Bay (6 or so blocks) & the Atlantic Ocean (2 blocks), so I get the benefits of the cool breezes, so not to much A/C is needed. Unless of course we have miserable 90+ temps.

As already stated you're going to keep an eye on your tank, and judge for yourself.

 

[KathyC]

If your tank is run on a controller, you should have it set to turn off the lights when it gets to a certain temp (assuming you aren't using LED's), to keep the temps down as lighting adds a good deal of heat.

Another way to cool a tank by just 2-3 degrees is to use a fan blowing across the surface of the sump or the DT. You will evaporate more water with this method but it costs a whole lot less that turning on an AC.

As mentioned upthread a chiller adds a tremendous amount of heat to the room it is in (I meansured the them of the exhaust air from my chiller and it was 105 degrees). Best to put the chiller itself outdoors and run a (much) stronger pump to get the water to/from the chiller, keeping in mind that you need the chiller to be operating at the proper flow rate.

..and once the day/nightime temps stabilize in June or so, you may want to turn your heaters off entitrely.

As all of my SW tanks are in my office, I use an in-room A/C to keep me & them cool

 

[Cibo]

Get a chiller it is better to keep a constant temp that have a swinging temps...

 

[reefer4eva]

It cost less to chill 120gals than to chill a living room +120gals of water.

i use to have a 90 gallon and had to do the same thing with the a/c running on a timer,i go away every weekend and my electric bill was threw the roof cause of the a/c..wouldnt have been bad if i was there to enjoy the frigid air while im in the sweltering heat

 

[Dre]

Not if you have the chiller right next to the tank! Those things cause alot of heat! The best way to run a chiller is by putting said chiller in a different room or outside if possible. If its next to the tank, its basically fighting itself!

Ask yourself this. How many peolpe can put their chillers outside or in a different room? Most of the people i know including myself keep chillers beside the tank from day one. Some even keep tanks and chillers in their bed rooms and we all know they give off heat, some more than others.

 

[reefer4eva]

I had no choice but to sell the tank when i moved(new landlord didnt approve) now i have a 28 nano with the chiller underneath with a fan and an exhaust pipe to remove the heat...couldnt fit a bigger pump in the back for longer hose

 

[44santababy]

someone mentioned a stat that would turn on my window A/C when my temp in my tank reached a certain temp...please show me this device, sounds perfect. thanks

 

[Dre]

You can use a chiller controller like this one. I used mine a few years ago on a 10,000 BTU AC. unit but i left the probe out of water. I don't remember what i had set it at though...

 

[44santababy]

so i would leave my window unit ON (high) and this controller will actually power up the unit when my tank reaches 81 degrees and power down the unit when it reaches 78 degrees. If so, thats great!! How much do these cost? thanks DRE

 

[44santababy]

DRE...just googled...problem solved, thanks bro

 

[nyshoots]

You can do it with this

http://www.climatedoctors.com/items...a=X&ei=AfxrT4PrM4qqgweUuOyjBg&ved=0CFMQgwgwAw

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[nyshoots]

It's just a ranco line voltage thetmostat with a temp probe

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