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

stefanm

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I live in the hot humid tropics, no other option other than a chiller. It broke down last year during the hottest months and lockdown (faulty compressor) I did use frozen bottles of water and ran the chiller on a timer, temperatures were between 28.5 and over 30°c lost a lot of coral, we had around 4 full day power cuts so couldn't get the water to freeze.
 

N.Sreefer

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Here in nova scotia canada all i have to do is open a window and the sea air cools the house right down. However I have near 3000watts of heaters in my sump for when i forget to call the oil company on time during the winter.
 

X-37B

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In Norcal it gets in the 30-40's in the winter with the occasional 6-10" of snow.
It is 90-100 6 months out of the year with our typical summer.
So winter we keep the house at 70° and I run a 150 watt heater.
In the summer we keep the house at 75°.
In the summer I run no heater
and also run a 10" fan in the sump.
My tank runs 79 -81 year round night/day.
 

AJsReef

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Luckily, with my open top I'm able to ride summer out without a cooler with AC temps set to 74-76.

I do have a backup chiller but I haven't used it in the 3 years I've lived in my current home
 

jd371

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My main tank is in the house with AC so that one isn't a problem for me, the 20g that's in my workshop is though. The workshop is in the back of the house, it's small with no AC and one window so the ambient temps get pretty high in there. I'm in the North East we don't get prolonged days of extreme heat like in the South but we do get some days here and there.
I have a small fan over the tank that's on the controller to turn on when the tank temp reaches 81degrees, that one is always attached to the tank year round. For days I know it will be really hot I'll attach two more bigger fans over the sump and leave those running all day. This tank has been in operation for two years now and the hottest it ever got in the tank was 86 degrees with no harm to the corals or fish.
 

DHill6

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High Desert in CA, a/c set 24/7 @ 78 degrees with wood flooring actually keeps it cool in here. Ceiling fan in room where tank is if it needs air flow. Clip on Tunze wind on tank tuned into Neptune, on and off as needed. It works for me.
 

DHill6

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I forgot to add heaters are removed from the system once it warms up. They’re only used 4-5 months. Above should’ve read Apex instead of Neptune.
 

authentic

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Living in South Florida my 8 bulb T5 heats the tank to over 82 at which time my apex shuts them down..the room is also hotter than the rest of my house and the central AC cant do much.So i just invested in a minisplit system that has the added benefit of dehumidifying the room as well,,since i put it in my tank doesnt go over 78
 

nmo0ory

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where I live its never to cold outside
so I don't use any heater
but it get really hot
so air condition is running 24/7 and the temp 23-25 degree
also I have a chiller in case something happens to the air condition
outside temp in the supper go up around 45-50 degree in the winter 18-25 degree



and yah my tank is in my bedroom
 

Suohhen

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I have 5 AC Infinity fans on my tank, 3 in the hood, and 2 in the stand. 3 are low speed quiet fans that run 24/7 and the other 2 are adjustable speed and run as a chiller on my Apex. During the summer I sometimes need to turn the adjustable fans to max which can keep my tank 4 degrees below ambient. Where I live temp hardly varies but I do have a suggested alternative to typical advice and that is to consider a whole house fan.
 

GoVols

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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

Lost a great reef in 2008.

We went to Florida for a week-long vacation.

Our central AC went down while we were on that trip. Came home and our thermostat had hit 90 degrees. It was truly heartbreaking and got out of reefing until my wife wanted to fire up another reef in 2010.

After that 2008 debacle made a promise that I'd always run a chiller as a safety net. In the summer of 2018, another AC unit bit the dust and had to replace the entire unit. It took a fair amount of time to take quotes and have the new unit installed. Our townhome was just about unbearable, but our chiller saved the day by keeping our reef nice a cool.

It sure does not kick on much, but at times a great chiller has always pulled through to save the day.
 

GoVols

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I’m surprised at how many folks have tanks in their basement!

Edit:
Since C02 is heavier than air, figure a lot of those reefs may struggle with low ph.
 
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tamanning

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I have recently installed two black box led lights in the top of my canopy they both have two fans that actually vent my tank. My heater has been coming on. we keep the house at around 76 and I'm trying to maintain 78 in my tank.
 

Reefer Reboot

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Since C02 is lighter than air, figure a lot of those reefs may struggle with low ph.
Just to make sure people don't get confused, I think what you meant to say is that CO2 is heavier than air which causes it to sink to the lowest level (i.e. basement) creating pH problems.
 

GoVols

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Just to make sure people don't get confused, I think what you meant to say is that CO2 is heavier than air which causes it to sink to the lowest level (i.e. basement) creating pH problems.

Thanks for the correction... ;Hilarious
 

neonreef3d

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im planing on having a chiller this summer, and run the AC ofcourse, here in socal, it gets almost 120F, so a chiller is a must, and a generator....DWP and EDISON like shutting off power during the summer for no good reason.
 

Gorgar

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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?)
Could you possibly define well placed in the canopy?? I didn't have problems keeping my 220 cool but I just installed a Pentair 80W UV and the temp has been climbing steadily for days now (only at 79.6 now but it's creeping up)
I plan on putting two more PC fans in my canopy on top of the one but do I need to piint them at the water? Or just have them blowing air into the canopy!
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jassermd

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My challenge is not my DT, but rather my mixing station in the garage. My DT is in my office with a separate thermostat, set at 72-74 and my tank is between 77-78.
As for the mixing station in the garage, that's a whole different challenge. In DFW, it gets quite hot and my newly mixed salt water will get to 85-90 easily. Was using floating ice bottles to chill it before a WC, but just bought a 1/4hp Aqua Logic drop in chiller. Can do double duty... cool my new water and if temps go up in DT, can use it there too.
Love it when I find a tool that is multi-functional
 
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