Desperately need chiller! WHAT Kind?

[150galreef]

I have my 150 gallon reef set up with 200 pounds of live rock, 4 inch sand bed and 1 tang. The tank has cycled and I am ready to go with everything else except my temp is a constant 84!!! The tank is built into the wall and has almost no ventilation. How big of a chiller and what brand would be the best for my setup???
Thanks for any help!
h*

 

[dogstar]

IMO at least a 1/4 HP. Thats what I have for my 180g. A CSL.
Should realy try to vent heat from lights away from tank with fans if you dont have them already.

 

[goldenboy]

84. My tank stays right between 81-83 in the summer. I thought about building into the wall and went with making it a divider instead. Left the top open so I wouldn't need a chiller. What kind of pumps are you running? I would hate to jump into chiller money, depending on the pumps that can increase heat by 2 or 3 degrees which can make a big difference.

 

[150galreef]

I really am trying to avoid the venting idea, the whole part of building it into the wall was so all of the attention would be on the tank, I would hate to see light coming out of a hole on the side. I think a chiller is my only option, I talked to a LFS and they said that the Aqualogic ds4 1/3 hp would be my best bet, anyone have any experience with them?

 

[dogstar]

A chiller is going to need some ventalation, They put out heat as well, and suck up electricity, just thinking..

 

[150galreef]

What if I put it in my basement, then it would chill and its heat wouldnt be in the cabinet?

 

[golfish]

Originally Posted by 150galreef
The tank is built into the wall and has almost no ventilation.

The chiller wont help much unless you locate it in another room, outside or maybe in the garage. Your probably going to run into more problems unless you get some major ventilation going on.
Where is the tank located at? meaning what's behind the wall? The key is to bring fresh air in and exhaust the hot air.
FWIW, I have an in wall 120 gal tank located in a good size closet under a staircases. I have a large fan blowing fresh air in the closet and a bathroom fan sucking air out. I also have a 1/3 hp Aqualogics chiller in the garage that cools the tank.

 

[tthemadd1]

Email me and I can give you some info on chillers. I found one locally for a decent price and by decent I mean 500-600. 1/2 horse.. I have it hooked up to a 55gal with a 30 fuge. Really does the trick for me. Brought mine down about 15-20 degrees. I know people will say that it is not efficient because it has to start stop too much but my apartment is around 90-100 everyday. I have mine vented out a close window. You can also IM me at tthemaddhatter....

 

[150galreef]

there is no problem mounting our chiller in the basement, we'd like to buy one larger than necessary to be safe.
just wondering how and where to plumb?
150 reef ready all glass
overflows have flex hose going into all glass mega flow 4 sump, in the sum is live rock, huge skimmer with pump and 2400GPH pump in the sump that goes up into a T,
one side of the t feeds the return on the right, the other goes into a UV sterilizer and then returns on the left....

 

[golfish]

Ok.......... so where is the tank located at? Is there some reason you can't add intake and exhaust fans ?
The chillers going to work best plumbed outside...You'll need to make sure its protected from the elements and has the proper flow.
I's stay away from any of the importedAsian chillers...they might cost less but they also work less.
I really like the Tradewind chillers..if it were me I'd take a look at the 1/2 hp, 115 volt model that has 1.5" fittings on the heat exhanger...If you have 220 volts even better...that model will save you some money in the long run..

 

[dogstar]

You can do a closed loop to the chiller with an external pump to and from the main tank or from the sump if your drains will handle the extra flow. just count the distance of pipeing to figure head pressure to get the right flow that the chiller recommends. This will give you more flow through your tank unless you use a single larger main return pump and run it through the chiller befor returning to tank. Hope this is understandable.
220 volt would really save on electricity likegolfish said. I wish mine was 220v. Well at least my MHs are.
Dont mean to be busting chops about the ventelation but how do you get fresh air to tank for air exchange ect. if its sealed up in the wall. Is there a back wall that runs behind it you could cut fans and vents into>

 

[mxer485]

I would say at least a 1/3 for that size of a tank i just purchased a artica 1/3 and i love it does great and like that said it does make alot of heat when it runs so make sure it is out in the open where there is air movement I got mine of ---- you can find really good prices on artica's they come in the box with the warranty it will probally save u a couple hundred dollars from what a lfs would charge you good luck