Chillers, Fans and Air Conditioning: How will you keep the tank cool this summer?

How will you keep your tank cool this spring and summer?

  • Chiller

    Votes: 74 12.5%
  • Fan

    Votes: 111 18.8%
  • Home Air Conditioning

    Votes: 254 43.1%
  • All of the above

    Votes: 25 4.2%
  • I don't struggle with warmer tank temps

    Votes: 105 17.8%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 21 3.6%

  • Total voters
    590

Jax15

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I haven’t had to deal with summer heat yet and I’m a little worried because I cannot afford to buy a chiller for my 90 gallon and I don’t know what else I can do, my freshwater tanks usually go up to 84-85 degrees but I know corals cannot deal with that so basically I’m screwed so far
Fans get you pretty far, at least lowers a few degrees if you also manage the local humidity. Fans = faster evaporation = cooler water, but if you don't continue to cycle the air in your house to remove the excess humidity that builds up, the evaporation will slow down or stop. So you can probably get creative with fans to stay under the threshold of coral death, but it's nerve wracking. I did it for years myself. Frozen RODI bottles tossed in the sump are a good emergency measure! Have 4 ready, throw in 2 at a time, while the other 2 re-freeze. Repeat.
 

Griev

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Chillers, Fans and Air Conditioning...OH MY!

It's just about time to start thinking about keeping your aquarium cool during the warmer spring and summer months! Maybe I shouldn't say cool, maybe I should use the word STABLE! Whether it's hot or cold it's always best to keep the temperature in your tank stable and when it warms up outside it can be challenging at times! So let's talk about it!

1. How do you keep your saltwater aquarium cool during the hot months?

2. Do you struggle to maintain a cooler temperature in your reef tank at times?



image via @Griev
1591310481938.png
1. How do you keep your saltwater aquarium cool during the hot months?

I made the fan in the original post! It's a pair of 120mm PC fans controlled by my Apex and it worked great this summer in a house with no AC where it regularly went above 85-90 degrees;

1615497795188.png


2. Do you struggle to maintain a cooler temperature in your reef tank at times?

Not anymore :)
 

stanleo

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My husband cannot live without AC so this has never been an issue for me. My issue is the house being shut up tight during the hottest months and no fresh air getting to the tank, causing my pH to drop to 7.8. My solution (compromise) is keeping the basement windows and the door to my fish room open so fresh air gets to the sump.
 

chaoticreefer

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Fans and AC. The AC is usually set at 80F during the summer. I have no problems maintaining cooler temp. Problems usually start when inside temp is around 90F. It can get to low 110s here outside. So 80 degrees is heaven.
 
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Griev

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I haven’t had to deal with summer heat yet and I’m a little worried because I cannot afford to buy a chiller for my 90 gallon and I don’t know what else I can do, my freshwater tanks usually go up to 84-85 degrees but I know corals cannot deal with that so basically I’m screwed so far
Evaporative cooling is actually good for up to 20 degrees below ambient! Even with my two little 120mm fans on a 50 Gal I can keep the water more than 10 degrees below ambient without them running 100% of the time.
 

Reefer Reboot

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A/C, well placed canopy fans and placing the sump directly on the porcelain tile floor to buffer the temperature works pretty good for me. (Why only one choice allowed on the poll?)
 

vetteguy53081

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1. How do you keep your saltwater aquarium cool during the hot months?

After running the A/C very low to help which was not helping, I decided it was time for a chiller unit. Best purchase ever ! Teco 1/3 h.p.

2. Do you struggle to maintain a cooler temperature in your reef tank at times?


Never since chiller. Its a larger one and keeps up easily with my large tank
 

tony'stank

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I lived in the hottest city in AZ for eight years with a reef tank. I never had a chiller but relied on my AC. A chiller would have been problematic because of the tanks location. Our AC broke down for a week in August. The outdoor temps were 115. I turned the lights off on the tank and clamped 2 fans over the tank. The tank temp never went over 88 for the whole week. I didn’t lose any fish or corals. Evaporative cooling is wonderful
 

LVfishdude

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I am in "Sunny" Las Vegas needless to say a chiller is a must I have a 600 gal Reef and was running Metel Halides 400 watts 6 bulbs and 8 atinics. I have made the switch to Illumagic LED's from Dalua; which have made a tremendous diffference. I am sacrificing growth for better color and lower temps. Beore the chiller would run several times thru out the day now it may come on 1 or twice power bill has been lowered drastically !!! The chiller an Artica is 3 HP, so I am loving the savings
 

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Seascapes

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Chillers, Fans and Air Conditioning...OH MY!

It's just about time to start thinking about keeping your aquarium cool during the warmer spring and summer months! Maybe I shouldn't say cool, maybe I should use the word STABLE! Whether it's hot or cold it's always best to keep the temperature in your tank stable and when it warms up outside it can be challenging at times! So let's talk about it!

1. How do you keep your saltwater aquarium cool during the hot months?

2. Do you struggle to maintain a cooler temperature in your reef tank at times?



image via @Griev
1591310481938.png
I live in Texas and it gets extremely hot and humid where I'm located. I selected all of the above as I run air conditioning, ceiling fans, dehumidifier and a chiller. During our power outages we just suffered for our big freeze and snow, I purchased a generator. May not even use the generator now . I'm all set for now!
 

725196

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1. How do you keep your saltwater aquarium cool during the hot months?

Whole house A/C but if it gets too warm I have frozen bottles of RO/DI ready

2. Do you struggle to maintain a cooler temperature in your reef tank at times?


Not during the hot month in Florida.For me it is the months that are too cool to run the A/C but not cool enough to keep the tank at a reasonable temp.
 

ssunthar

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Chillers, Fans and Air Conditioning...OH MY!

It's just about time to start thinking about keeping your aquarium cool during the warmer spring and summer months! Maybe I shouldn't say cool, maybe I should use the word STABLE! Whether it's hot or cold it's always best to keep the temperature in your tank stable and when it warms up outside it can be challenging at times! So let's talk about it!

1. How do you keep your saltwater aquarium cool during the hot months?

2. Do you struggle to maintain a cooler temperature in your reef tank at times?



image via @Griev
1591310481938.png
In our part of the world (near the equator) we need to keep the tank cooler with the help of a chiller ;Happy
 

Reef_Obsessed

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I live in Japan, which experiences very hot and almost unbearably humid summers every year. I must use a chiller.
 

mehaffydr

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I started using a chiller about 5 years ago and just find that it helps keep things consistent. With my new tank build I am sure I will be buying a new larger chiller this year.
 

Bruce Burnett

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I live in the heat of Phoenix, so summers are a bit of a concern. I am hoping that the home A/C will do the job, but am prepared to get a chiller if needed.
I lived in Lake Havasu hotter than Phoenix. Home a/c and clip on fans
 

rknapp

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House has central air set at 78 during the day and 72 at night. Sump and large surface area refugium is in the basement. Refug has 6+ inch fan blowing over the surface, controlled by Apex that kicks on at 83. During summer heat waves tank will hit 84 for a bit during the day but nothing seems to really care.
 

Sparrow1617

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I live in South Africa. It gets 42 degrees Celsius here quite easy, thats a 107F-108F.

I keep a bunch of plastic 2liter (0.5Gallon) bottles filled with water ready in my freezer. Whenever the tank temperature goes over 27C (80F) I will add the frozen water bottles to an ice bank compartment in my sump. It cools the water quite quickly and the heaters prevents the temperature from dropping too far.
 

ca1ore

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Tank runs about 5 degrees above ambient.

When we’re home, A/C 78 during the Summer days, 75 at night. Means tank will get to 83 .... a bit higher than I’d like. I futzed around with fans, but on a big tank humidity becomes an issue. Bought a 3/4HP tradewinds chiller and it works really well.

When we’re away, since the standby generator sheds the main A/C I keep it off. Run a portable A/C that keeps the room at 80 and the chiller does the rest. Had that happen while on vacation July 2019. Power was out for almost a day and the standby easily runs those.
 
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