Think I need a Chiller--Wallet Hurt Time?

[fastzorro]

Summer's coming, have a 45 gal. What kind of chiller do I need, if any....Limited cash!

 

[Brian_G]

you dont need a chiller. try a clip on fan blowing across the top of the tank under the lights

 

[little_fish]

+1 Brain_G

 

[bjohanson1234]

Also, if your place has AC, that will keep it cool too. It is actually better than a chiller since chillers put the heat into your house.

 

[Bifferwine]

99% of people don't need chillers. I doubt you will need one.

 

[AmberSunrise]

I live in Florida and my tank is between 2 windows so I worry about temp this summer also. I read somewhere that you can freeze used tank water and float the bags if its really necessary not sure how effective that is though.
I just plan to keep the air on and close of vents in unused rooms to direct it all to the room the tank is in.

 

[fastzorro]

Thats good news but...yesterday the temp here got up to 89. the tank got up to 83/84. Didn't need the AC for us but here the temp can reach 95. We usually turn on the AC when we get home from work. Does this mean we need to keep it on for the day (that would drive the electric bill way up). What do you think about home made chillers, out of a mini fridge?

 

[little_fish]

If you need to, just clip a small fan on top of the tank to cool it. But make sure that your tank isnt changing more than a few degrees every 24 hour period. Stability is very important, and larger swings of anything, like temperature, are deadly.

 

[fastzorro]

I have the new fangeled neon T5. They don't seem to put out much heat. Will a fan still make a difference? Also, if the house temp is high won't the fan just blow around 90 degree air ?

 

[little_fish]

No, it will make a surprising difference. With the high heat capacity of water and the convective cooling by the forced air you will see quite a drop in temp, but you will also lose more to evaporation. But that is a very small price compared to a chiller.

 

[Bifferwine]

The fans work because air blowing across the surface of the water causes evaporation, which cools down the tank.

Chillers remove heat from the tank and put the heat in the surrounding environment (room) instead. Unless you have a way to vent the chiller to the outside, it will only make the room hotter, which makes the tank hotter, which makes the chiller work harder, which makes the room hotter, etc.

 

[Charliegrs]

+1 on the fans. I recommend the Tunze Aquawind fan setup, it works great for me and I live in Phoenix AZ where we are already seeing temps in the high 90s. The aquawind uses 2 pc fans in an enclosure that spreads the air out across the whole tank and so far its been keeping my tank at a steady 78 even though its much hotter in the room the tank is in because we still havent started using the AC yet. Plus the Aquawind has 2 speed settings and I have it on low but most likely I will have to put it at high in the summer.

 

[PRC]

Biff lives in Hell...She doesn't have a chiller. She puts on a coat when it's 95 degrees.

 

[sen5241b]

I have a clip on fan sold by Drs Foster Smith itworked fine. I had a weak heater though and the fan would cool the tank too much so I had to get a better heater --150 watts for my 29G.

 

[baddfish]

+1 on the fan. $10 desktop fan from Lowe's and a couple hooks to hold it in position blowing over sump. If it keeps a tank cool in Phoenix and Tucson I"m sure it will work anywhere.
You could buy a lot of cool stuff with the money you would spend on a chiller!

 

[Bifferwine]

Biff lives in Hell...She doesn't have a chiller. She puts on a coat when it's 95 degrees.

It is true. :(