Inexpensive Chilling Options?

Joyride · 04-11-2008, 09:18 PM

Anyone have any tips on finding or building an inexpensive chiller? My tank temp is up to 84 degrees today after a warm day here in SoCal. One option is to run the A/C all day when nobody's home, but that could add up really quickly, especially as summer is coming.

My tank is a 45gal cube-ish (24x24x18) with about 35 gallons of actual water, after sand and rocks. I'd like to keep the tank at about 78 degrees and don't think it's a great idea for the tank to fluctuate 6 (or possibly more degrees) on a warm day. If I do need a chiller, what size should I consider?

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks!

Joyride · 04-11-2008, 09:28 PM

Would fans be able to help? I have three powercompact bulbs (65w) that seem to generate a fair amount of heat.

Did I just answer my own question?

**Phurst** · 04-11-2008, 09:46 PM

Fans are able to keep my 120 with 2x400 halides and 2 T5s at 81, which is pretty impressive as far as I'm concerned. I have a chiller that I haven't hooked up yet just fore some added stability.

Skurvey Dog · 04-11-2008, 11:03 PM

Beat the Heat: Aquarium Cooling Methods by Kevin Kocot - Reefkeeping.com

lReef lKeeper · 04-11-2008, 11:59 PM

i run 2 6" fans on my sump that are controlled by the halide timer. it keeps my 125 between 79 and 81 degrees with no problem, and the fans are on the low setting. they blow across my sump to get a lot of contact time with the water, but i bet they would really help in your situation if you could figure out a way to attach them. mine are the clip on type from wal mart for about $4 each.

veriann · 04-12-2008, 01:47 AM

See this is what you do, take one super mini fridge, drill a hole on each side, feed some tubing through it & connect it in a closed loop fashion with a dirty great big pump. Dont forget to seal your master peircing work!
- Perfect, a fridge close to the tank for fish food, beer & a chillen solution for the setup!

Joyride · 04-12-2008, 02:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skurvey Dog

Beat the Heat: Aquarium Cooling Methods by Kevin Kocot - Reefkeeping.com

Thanks for the link.

I popped over to Frys tonight and picked up two DC computer fans and an AC/DC converter. The fans were about $5 each and the converter was another $7. I cut the tip off of the converter and wired it all together. Right now, they're both set to blow air away from the canopy. After reading the article above, I'm thinking I might reverse them tomorrow and then put them on the same timer as the light.

I did find a couple of cool things. The converter I bought runs at different voltages, and I can lower the voltage to reduce the speed (and noise) the fans operate at.

I'm off from work tomorrow, so I should be able to monitor things.

**CarmieJo** · 04-12-2008, 03:57 PM

Check out Reefreaders - May 2007, for a beat the heat article and a DIY cooling fan article with lots of

Joyride · 04-13-2008, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarmieJo

Check out Reefreaders - May 2007, for a beat the heat article and a DIY cooling fan article with lots of

For some reason, when I got to that link, none of the photos show up. However, I actually drew inspiration from that very same article, except posted here on TR.

It was a good article, and easy to implement.

**CarmieJo** · 04-13-2008, 04:51 PM

Yep, that's it!