chiller

[josh_crosson]

i have a 100 gal reef tank and i love this hobby i am really into it, but i am on a tight budget, and i was wondering if i really need a chiller. chillers are so expensive, is there anything i can do to not have to buy a chiller or if i want to go deeper into the hobby i need a chiller?????? can i just throw a few ice cubes in my penguin every now and then lol help please
josh

[Poseidon]

Depends!

I had a 135 built into a wall, it had its own "fish room" and no canopy to trap heat. That tank ran for 3 years WITHOUT a chiller. My new tank is a 90 gallon, with a canopy and I had to buy a chiller right away! Of course this new house does not have AC and the temps here got into the low 100's with high humidity! Even when the temps in the house are in the 70's I still here the chiller kick on, due to the heat the halides put out!

[josh_crosson]

ok so the tank has no canopy just a light without halides 2 64w 10,000k and 2 64w actinic power compacts, now the light is on legs about 5 inches from the water and it was two fans built in, i had two 150 watt heaters for the tank but the temp was going to about 82 and i figured with 2 150watt heaters and a 100 gal ill set the heaters to 80 and it should even out, but it was still kinda high so i unpluggged one and left the other , but from what i get is the chiller keeps the water from fluxuating in temp, do i realy need one? i figure that as soon as winter time comes around again ill have to plug in the other heater again what is the ideal temp for a reef tank 72-78 or so? What kind of thing did you have in the wall tank with no chiller were they real sencitive things, like clams or corals?

[dougc]

Whether you "need" a chiller will depend on what you wish to keep in the tank.

There are two dangers with elevated temperatures. First, it reduces the amount of oxygen that can dissolve in the water. This can effect fish if it gets high enough, although most fish can handle pretty high temperatures if the oxygen levels can be kept up. A skimmer, lots of water movement, and fans blowing on the water surface can help maintain oxygen levels and keep the temperature down through evaporative cooling.

The other risk of high temperatures is that some, but not all, corals will not tolerate high temperatures and/or wide temperature swings. Some SPS corals are pretty sensitive. My previous tank had no chiller and the temperature would sometimes get as high as 85 or 86 in the summer. I had a couple of acroporas that would recede or bleach every summer when this happened. Some recovered in the winter when the temperatures were more stable. On the other hand, many corals showed no deleterious effects from the heat.

Is a chiller essential? No, but it certainly is worthwhile if it is in the budget. My feeling is that a reef tank is a long-term proposition with a lot of inherent risks. I will do anything I can to increase the chances that the tank thrives for the many years it takes to allow the tank and its inhabitants to achieve maturity.

[josh_crosson]

thanks for the info all though i would like to have a chiller i think i can wait till its in my budget for now i dont have any probs without one but ive seen the relly nice tanks and that what im looking to get to is there any places that i can find used chillers online perhaps?

[scubadude]

i had two 150 watt heaters for the tank but the temp was going to about 82 and i figured with 2 150watt heaters and a 100 gal ill set the heaters to 80 and it should even out, but it was still kinda high so i unpluggged one and left the other

Hi Josh
Sounds like one of your heaters may be stuck or not calibrated right, I would try and set your heaters at around 79 degrees farenheit.

what is the ideal temp for a reef tank 72-78 or so?

NOOO...way too cold, unless you are running a coldwater reef tank, which I dont think you are. Most people keep their reef tanks between 78-82, there is nothing wrong with with a few degrees lower or higher, but whats more important is how fast/much it changes within a set time. The more stable it is the better. Here is a poll and discussion we have here on Reefland that discusses this in detail which may help you understand a bit more

What is your IDEAL temperature range

From the sounds of it I dont think you need a chiller....worst case scenario you may have to buy another fan or two (which is much cheaper)

[Poseidon]

What kind of thing did you have in the wall tank with no chiller were they real sencitive things, like clams or corals?

This is a write-up on that in wall 135. The biggest reason it did not need a chiller was the lack of a canopy, and a big window fan to pull out the heat and humidity. I think Rocky pretty well answered your temp question, I keep mine at 78-80 with the use of a heater and chiller. I bought my chiller from a sponsor here at Reefland, check out the sponsor pages link, I'll bet you can find one pretty cheap. (Mine is a Pacific Coast) Oh by the way I still use fans to helkp keep the tank cool....

[saltjunkie]

well, i guess i am not in the majority here... i maintain a 84-86 temp, no chiller. i use 2 heaters..2x150 ebo jaggers
my lights are a 175 metal halide, 2x55 pc
i have had my tank like this for almost 6 years. i have a fan in the canopy i have a balance. what i do, is just to maintain the temps without big temp swings. even now, if i pull the heaters and fan outt, my tank temp will go from the low 70's to the very upper 80's
not good at all...
so i have my heaters set at 85 at night it keeps the temp stable.. during the day, my fan comes on and keeps it all level...everybody tells me its wrong.. but i know it isnt..
here is a pic of one side of my supposidly too hot tank..

[The R/C Man]

Put in a window A/C for $200 or less and keep yourself cool in the process...

[ibjmg]

I have that same problem I have 3 4oo watt mh in a canopy
my temp is from 80-84 also I think is to hot thinking about investing in a chiller.
I did go out and buy a 250 dollar A/C In my fish room that is approx 10x 14
you could not feel a thing the fish tank over powered the tank. hot summer day Id get home from work the house would be 106deg so this summer I stuck to 2 liter bottles of ice. Iwill have a chiller by next summer.

[josh_crosson]

well i did install two old computer fans and set my temp at 80 and the fans are on the same timer as the lights so the tank stays at 80 day and night

[CaveManNOhio]

I have three 250watt MH 20k's and two 96watt PC's. The light canopy only has one fan in it. I used to let it sit right on top of my glass top's. During the peak of the summer I was getting temps in the range of 95+ temps. I then raised the hood so that it is about 12" off the surface of the water, that got it down to 89-92 deg. Once I added my Aqualogic Drop In Chiller I now maintain temps of 76-80 deg. Needless to say Corals and fish are much happeir.