tempature control

[moto757]

So this is the first summer with my 180 and the temp is going through the roof 87.7. Here is what happened the ac went out in the house but is back up today so I am cooling the house back down. The tank is in the basement and is a little cooler then the house which is 80 right now and cooling. I run the lights 6hrs daily and for equipment i have a coralife external pump the biggest one they make and a asm g2 skimmer I don't think I need a chiller but I don't want a bunch of dead fish either. I will see the temp when the house cools down but any suggestions for chillers or if I need one will greatly help.

 

[moto757]

the basement temp is 78.5 and the tank is at 85.6 now

 

[scsinet]

I'm always inclined to tell someone with a big tank like yours to get a chiller. The bigger the tank, the smaller the chiller is investment wise in proportion to the rest of your equipment, and the more you have to lose if things run amok without one.
Of course, for every person like me, there's another who will tell you that you can do an awful lot with creative use of fans.. and they'd be correct, but your ambient temperature is not going to help you any... if your basement was 72 or so you'd be much better off.
I like the JBJ Arctica. They are a very decent balance of quality and price, and quiet as a mouse. Hmmm :thinking: ... you'll probably need a 1/4 or 1/3... expect to pay 700-900.

 

[phishface]

Wow, $700-900? How about some RO ice cubes and a big fan?

 

[scsinet]

Well, like I said... it's a 110 gallon tank, so how much does that cost? The bigger the tank, the smaller the price of a chiller tag gets, proportionally. It's a matter of personal choice as well. Icecubes aren't perfect, so it's a matter of risk, just like anything else.
I have over $2,000 worth of livestock in my 55 gallon reef, so he probably has at least that much. I bought a 1/5 Artica. To me, 600 bucks is a great insurance policy, and the tight temperature just helps my tank stay that much healthier.

 

[phishface]

I dont even have that much invested in my 125, of course its FOWLR. I guess with prices like that and with lights and reactors and more test kits and more more more......I'll probably never go reef. Maybe when the kids move out. :joy:

 

[murph145]

yeah a chiller is a necessary piece of equipment IMO when u have a tank setup with strong lighting and lots of valuable lievstock!
i have a 180 loaded with stuff from clams to sps to lps and softies .... if i didnt run my chiller my tank would no doubt hit high 80's in the summer i got my chiller at a good price brand new its a aqua via polar bear cc-50 1/2hp chiller and it keeps the tank cool!!!
this cost me $420 brand new and was worth every dollar i couldnt have the tank without it/..... i have a7" fan blowing across the water and it still gets hot thats y a chiller is very imporatant

 

[misfit]

I recently bought a reefkeeper 2 from digital aquatics its helped me already my temp went to 84. It kicked the fans on at 81.5 and that was not enough so when it got to 83 it turned the halides off which worked like clock work.after the halides (3 x 250 HQI) went off the temp slowly dropped down to 78 to 79 in about an hour and a half ,then the fans turned off. Once the temp gets back to normal the halides kicked back on.Its a lovely piece of equipment.Im not saying that you dont need a chiller but there are other optionsto look into. I my self didnt want to spend 1000 bucks on a chiller at this moment in time and so for 300 and something with a ph probe it was worth it to me.

 

[murph145]

the problem with something like that is the huge temperature swings from 78-83 IMO is just too much for any sensative corals....
and turning your halides on and off can stress out both fish and corals they all have internal clocks inside and they get use to a certain pattern of photoperiod and if it flucatuates every day that can also add more stress....
yes a fan is helpful and yes i guess if thats the only piece of equipment u have to help cool your tank then u deal with what u have but in all reality a chiller would be best and before anyone gets halides id say u deffinately need to buy a chiller too..... unless u live in alaska or maine where u can keep your house cool all year....

 

[scsinet]

I didn't know it wasn't a reef. All saltwater fish come from an environment where the temperature doesn't swing much from day to day, but they can still take a lot more than a reef. My FOWLR system doesn't have a chiller and varies from 78 - 85 daily and I haven't had any problems. If you are keeping really sensitive fish like powder blue tangs, moorish idols, etc then you may want to consider it... but I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[misfit]

I've had the reefkeeper for about a month and that has only happened once and now that the a/c is on my tank stays between 79 and 81.

 

[.357]

My tank is always hot. 81-88 depending on the day. My problem is that I am all the way out of room. There is no room under the stand and no room on the sids. my other question is how much room does a chiller need for air circulation?