Chiller nescessary?

[allie_san]

Are these typically needed for an Edmonton summer? My tank is on my main floor..

[mark]

not with central air, though even before was okay just with fans over the sump

[allie_san]

I wish, haha.
I was wishing I had it the other day when it was +30.

[Myka]

Air conditioners are energy hogs and so are chillers. Chillers blow VERY warm air back into the room making the room even hotter, so chillers are best placed in a protected area outside or in another room. An air conditioned room is usually cool enough that the tank can be kept cool enough with a few fans running near the lights and sump. With these considerations, I would just purchase an in-window or standalone air conditioner for the room the aquarium is in so that you can enjoy the cool temperature as much as your tank does!

Another way to work around having to use a chiller is to take considerations when purchasing equipment - especially pumps. Both return pumps and powerheads can add a lot of heat to the water, so choosing carefully can help. Lighting is another consideration with halides being the hottest, then T5s, and LEDs being the coolest. That said, my 90-gallon SPS reef has a "hot" return pump and 2x250 watt halides and I am able to keep it cool enough with a fan blowing across the water surface to blow the hot air from the lights away and one blowing into the sump. I do have central air conditioning, though we keep the house a bit warmer than many people do at 23C. If the house is warmer than 23C the tank will get too warm.

[lastlight]

I've battled temps when I've had tanks on the main floor. The thermostat in the living room often reads higher than 28C on the hot days. I've used the film on my windows to keep heat out, run window AC units which are noisy and manually operated, tank fans and even a chiller. The fans worked on the tank with a single halide. The chiller worked great for two and I had it plumbed through the floor to release all that heat in my basement. Burning all that energy for the chiller and having so much resting on its operation drove me nuts though.

Since switching to LED however and installing my sump in the cool basement I've been enjoying a tank that needs heaters to maintain 78F when my living room is 28C. Previously I ran 250W halides over these tanks.

[allie_san]

I'm going to try my best to avoid setting up a chiller, doesn't sound pleasant for the people outside the tank ..so far its been okay, Im just afraid a heat wave will doom me. I cant set up a little air conditioner since all my windows are the crank open type.
I am running radions and vortex's however, no dc return though. Would a fan across the surface benefit even with leds?

[lastlight]

you can buy an upright ac unit for the room. we have one in our bedroom and the hot exhaust is directed out the window using a hose exiting the back of the unit.

[kien]

Originally Posted by allie_san

I'm going to try my best to avoid setting up a chiller, doesn't sound pleasant for the people outside the tank ..so far its been okay, Im just afraid a heat wave will doom me. I cant set up a little air conditioner since all my windows are the crank open type.
I am running radions and vortex's however, no dc return though. Would a fan across the surface benefit even with leds?

The fan definitely will help. Keep in mind thought that this fan will evaporate more water so you'll be topping up more water.

[HMD]

I'm picking up an in window ac unit, mounting it in a plywood box to cool the room and then venting that outside through my dryer vent. Should work like a charm and be no more than 175 all in for me......wife wants a potable but I'm cheap and I NEED more corals!!!!!!

Worst than crack this hobby!!!!!

[yycguy]

Well I guess it really also depends in your home ie exposure, windows, tank location etc. My tank is located on my main floor of a two story home. My home has Central Air which if you your own home I would highly recommend as its the way to go IMHO. But all that being said I am running a chiller. It only comes on in the afternoon and only for a short time. But the peace of mind of not having to worry about the tank temp getting to hot is priceless!!