MUST BUY A CHILLER WITHIN 48 HOURS!!! (or else...)

[dadstank]

well my addiction has caused a fairly large stir when the electric bill arrived today...

seems running a wall A/C unit is not the best way to cool a fish tank. my other half has made up it's mind that a chiller must come inorder to survive. whether this statement was about me, or the tank, it doesn't matter anymore...

with a total system content of about 60 gallons, in the opinion of the masses, do we think i can get away with a 1/6hp, or do i need to step all the up to a 1/4hp? i figure i will need a range of 10-20 degree drop.

i have done much research on this and keep coming back to the same fear of the cheapest way is often the most expensive...

 

[Anonymous]

Without looking up chiller capacities, I would recommend you go up at least one size. That way it'll run less and be more effective over the long haul.

I think it might help the chiller last longer too.

Not sure you're going to save any money on the power bill, but get the chiller while your spouse is demanding it

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

I think you'll be disappointed with the difference in the electric bill after the chiller is installed and you won't be as comfortable. However, it sounds like you should do as she wishes.

 

[Anonymous]

and you won't be as comfortable

No no no. He must still run the AC so the chiller doesn't have to work to hard. Experiment and find that happy medium.

Don't let your spouse read this thread. Get the chiller

Louey

 

[Len]

1/6th will suffice, but as louey says, one or two steps up won't hurt. With a controller, it will just run less often and won't make much of a difference in regards to electricity usage.

That said, you must plan for the chiller to be outdoors, vented outdoors, or in a ventalited or big room that isn't part of your living space. Chillers aren't quiet, and they are hot. Two 400W heaters don't heat up my house, but one chiller will.

Have you tried some low CFM fans over the tank and sump? And have you tried adjusting your wall AC temp so it doesn't run as aggressively? You might be over-cooling the tank I know I've run AC in my room to the point the tank's heater comes on, which is obviously self-defeating.

 

[Mihai]

I double on the advice with the fans. Yesterday I left my fans on for an entire day (for the first time) and they brought the temperature down by 5F overnight. That was too much IMO, so this night they are on a timer.
Also remember that a tank can run at 84F for 1-2 months, although 82 is much more comfy.

M.

 

[dadstank]

how much damage can be done by turning off the a/c for two straight days and letting the tank temp soar to what ever it will? be it 85-95...

 

[Anonymous]

Fans! fans fans fans fans fans.

I have a clip-on desk type fan that clips onto my canopy. It is on a temperature controller - above 81, the fan comes on. below 80, the fan turns off. Works like a charm, on a 300 gallon tank with plenty of MH and warm pumps and NO AC in the house. Having a fan on a timer is almost as good.


FANS!

they use less electricity to run, are a LOT quieter, a LOT cheaper than a chiller.

FANS!

jayo

 

[Len]

how much damage can be done by turning off the a/c for two straight days and letting the tank temp soar to what ever it will? be it 85-95...

85 is pushing it, but things will be okay (provided the rest of your tank's parameters are in good shape .... high temp will speed up any process, including all the nasties that can happen). Over 85, and you're in trouble. 95 is certain death for some organisms within the day's end.

 

[K9coral]

Im with fans. They are SO much cheaper than A/C and chillers. I have fans on a 100gallon in the garage and NO chiller (I live in SE Louisiana and the temp averages 90 in the garage.

 

[Anonymous]

Run your tank at night. I had mine to come on a 8:30pm and go off at 6:30am.

 

[Anonymous]

Fans! fans fans fans fans fans.

I have a clip-on desk type fan that clips onto my canopy. It is on a temperature controller - above 81, the fan comes on. below 80, the fan turns off. Works like a charm, on a 300 gallon tank with plenty of MH and warm pumps and NO AC in the house. Having a fan on a timer is almost as good.


FANS!

they use less electricity to run, are a LOT quieter, a LOT cheaper than a chiller.

FANS!

jayo[/quoDitto times three. For $9.95, and pennies in electricity, you can manage temp on such a small volume. Chillers are over-rated, expensive and not long lived.

 

[Mihai]

Run your tank at night. I had mine to come on a 8:30pm and go off at 6:30am.

You're nuts!
M.

 

[Anonymous]

Fans blowing air across the water surface will increase evaporation and dramatically lower water temp.

 

[garagebrian]

I vote for fans too, especially attached to a temp controller. Before I put fans on my 75 gal it ran 84-85 with only 5 hours of MH and a room temp of 77. I now run my room temp at 76 and the tank stays at 81-81.5 at the height of my 6 hours of MH. My fans only run about 8-9 hours a day, much cheaper than any chiller. Now I did buy a temperature controller for $100, but that was for insurance against heaters sticking on too. Fans on a timer that comes on the same time as your lights should be a cheaper solution.

B.

 

[stubbsz]

I find it interesting that I run my fan across the water 24 hours a day. When the lights are on, my tank actually cools down more than when the lamps of off at night... the temperature always drops through the day. Is this because the evaporation is higher with the lights on? Night: 79ish, day: 76.5 (which is exactly what I have my heater set to, although I rarely see it on, especially at this time of year)

Of course when my canopy is in and the halides replace my PC's it's a new ball game.

-Adrian

 

[Mihai]

I find it interesting that I run my fan across the water 24 hours a day. When the lights are on, my tank actually cools down more than when the lamps of off at night... the temperature always drops through the day. Is this because the evaporation is higher with the lights on? Night: 79ish, day: 76.5 (which is exactly what I have my heater set to, although I rarely see it on, especially at this time of year)

That is weird. It should not happen. It's true that warmer water evaporates easier than cooler water, but for this to happen, it has to actually warm first . It doesn't suffice to "show" it the lamps. Must be something else... say, is the temperature in the room cooler during the day?

M.

 

[Anonymous]

Seems odd to me as well. Perhaps without a canopy the heat from the lamps is causing more airflow as the hotter air rises.

 

[dadstank]

alright i have been given a crazy idea. i just had dinner with my "father-in-law". before i spend over 500 on a chiller he want's to try something. it is his daughter mind you...

he wants to take a small dorm sized (yes is am that age...) refridgerator, poke a hole in the lower side, one in the top of the side, fill the inside of the fridge with coiling PVC (1/4"), a pump in the sump for filling the coils, and a small reducer for the inlet into the sump. by his "calculations" it should hold about five or six gallons of water in the fridge at all times. put a thermomteter attached to some kind of sensor in the tank that turns the pump in the sump on at say, 75 and off at 78. this way the tank will only have to chill three degrees, thus always allowing for there to be at least two gallons of water in the pvc coiling at any given time. (parameters include a room temp of max 86 deg)

bottom line, would it matter if i was using nothing but the element of a cold air container to cool the aleady circulating tank water?

to some of the hardcore DIYers, does this seem feasible?

----would this question be better answered in a different forum?----

 

[Mihai]

That's a nice idea. I'm sure it's feasible, I'm not sure how efficient it is.
I would worry about running the watter on/off in the tube: in the pipes will become anoxic. If I were you, I'd run it continuously and adjust the temperature of the fridge... I'm curious how it works out, please post the results.

M.