Keeping your aquarium cool WITHOUT a chiller?

Do you run a chiller on your tank?

  • YES

    Votes: 77 11.6%
  • NO

    Votes: 563 85.0%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 22 3.3%

  • Total voters
    662

OldSchool Reefer

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I haven’t made a dedicated thread on this but I can absolutely make one. I am always concerned/cautious about what constitutes advertising on R2R given I have my small 3D printing business; members will inevitably ask to buy the housings and complete assemblies if I make a thread. Don’t want to step on any toes!

I did share the free file though, which makes it pretty open source and probably okay to share. Will work on a post this afternoon that explains everything including the wiring to apex 24v accessory port!

Following for that! I just picked up a sheet of 3/16 Acrylic that should work great for this. I’ll have to wait till I’m home to download the STL files and convert them into something usable, then I can modify them on solid works or master cam too accommodate the lip on my sump. Thanks!
 

nukemdanno

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How did you do during the windstorm in January? My power was out for almost 5 days and I lost everything but some microfauna.

No chiller here and I always used fans when I lived in warmer climates.
Sorry to say alot better than you fared. We only lost power for about 5hrs. I was living on my battery back ups...then when they went out I left work early to fire up the generator
 

BryanJ

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I voted other. My lights are causing some heat issues in the summer time so I have a fan blowing on the light fixture
 

melonheadorion

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i am in wisconsin, but apartment living means that not every room has AC, including the room with the tank. it is also my office, and this room can easily get to 90 degrees during the summer. to combat that, i have bought a portable AC unit for the benefit of the fish, and myself of course. since it is portable, i can actually put it right next to the tank, and direct the air towards it, which will keep the tank cool enough to the point that it actually needs to turn the heater on. anything in addition, i will end up setting up clip on fans above it, if the AC isnt enough. i dont foresee any issues, but we will see
 

DH78

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i am in wisconsin, but apartment living means that not every room has AC, including the room with the tank. it is also my office, and this room can easily get to 90 degrees during the summer. to combat that, i have bought a portable AC unit for the benefit of the fish, and myself of course. since it is portable, i can actually put it right next to the tank, and direct the air towards it, which will keep the tank cool enough to the point that it actually needs to turn the heater on. anything in addition, i will end up setting up clip on fans above it, if the AC isnt enough. i dont foresee any issues, but we will see
When I lived in an apartment I had one large ac unit in the living room. I used to setup a large fan blowing down the hallway and smaller fans blowing into each room to spread the cold air around. I would have loved to have those portable ac units around back then.
 

melonheadorion

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When I lived in an apartment I had one large ac unit in the living room. I used to setup a large fan blowing down the hallway and smaller fans blowing into each room to spread the cold air around. I would have loved to have those portable ac units around back then.
we have an AC unit in one room also. its in the master bed room, which is next door to my office, but because of the work i have, i have to keep the door closed. so that was one factor. the other is, that i have tried the fan thing, and it doesnt work all too great, at least not as good as the portable ac
 

Klyle

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I'm a 90s reefer from Georgia, living in Minnesota so I'm aware of how lucky northerners are when it comes to reef tanks in the summer! Ha. Never ran a chiller in my second story apartment in GA because I didn't use metal halides but definitely used the water bottle trick a time or two! I haven't experienced any challenges with high temps since I've lived here. (It definitely gets hot in Minnesota but at least my ac can keep up with it!)
 

Sunny in Miami

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We turn the heater down (40gal breeder tank) during the day in the summer months if the window is open to help keep everything cool. Also probably helps that our house is kept at 75 degrees in all seasons, and the tank is in a room with a 16ft vaulted ceiling so the extra warmth is usually much higher than the tank level.

My pico fishbowl is in the basement office, so the temp doesn't fluctuate very much.
Here in Miami FL. It is currently 84 F. ., pretty hot out there considering my house faces west. Our AC is at 74 and the my reef is running at 76 with no lid. This is with the AI Hydra32 lights going 7 hours. At night with lights of I don't see any change in temp. of the water and the thermometer is inside the aquarium plastic JW type. I believe it is pretty accurate.
 

Sunny in Miami

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Well we're already in the 90's here in the northern part of Georgia and the reef tank is warming up! I'm thankful that mine is currently in the basement where it is naturally cooler but it's still getting warm enough to warrant something to help keep it cooled. But I have no chiller and have no plans to add a chiller! So what do I do? Well for me and my situation a fan directed on the top of the sump water keeps me 3 degrees or so cooler so it works just fine. But what about you? Today let's talk about!

1. How do you keep your tank cool WITHOUT a chiller?

2. Do struggle to keep the tank temps down during the warmer months?


This is the baby that helps keep my thousands of dollars worth of livestock alive during the hottest months! PS. Plus it's great for spills! HA!

71Qlqr141aL._AC_SL1200_.jpg
Here in Miami FL. It is currently 84 F. ., pretty hot out there considering my house faces west. Our AC is at 74 and the my reef is running at 76 with no lid. This is with the AI Hydra32 lights going 7 hours. At night with lights of I don't see any change in temp. of the water and the thermometer is inside the aquarium plastic JW type. I believe it is pretty accurate. By the way also have a heater going.
 
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jd371

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Two tanks the main 75g is in the house with AC so that one stays 78 -79 degrees all year round. The 20g is in my small workshop around the back of the house, because there's only one window it gets really hot in there. In the NE we only get a few days to a week of really hot weather from time to time in July and August. I have an array of fans over the tank on a controller to come on when the temp in the tank reaches 80. The days I know it's going to be a scorcher I add two clamp on fans over the sump.
The 20g has been running for a couple of years now and the highest temp the tank has reached has been close to 86 degrees during the really hot and humid days with no ill effects on the fish or corals.
 

TheHarold

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Following for that! I just picked up a sheet of 3/16 Acrylic that should work great for this. I’ll have to wait till I’m home to download the STL files and convert them into something usable, then I can modify them on solid works or master cam too accommodate the lip on my sump. Thanks!

Im not sure how well the design can be converted to acrylic; there are a couple curves and stuff that would be difficult to replicate. My quick solution to the mounting issue (accommodating all tank types) is a block that attaches to the glass with double stick adhesive, and then the fan hooks onto that. Rimmed, eurobraced, etc all works this way.

IMG_9685.JPG
IMG_9686.JPG



@TheHarold How loud/quite are those fans?
Looking to replace a couple of sever cabinet fans I'm using!

The 2000rpm fan is pretty quiet, but not as capable as the louder 3000rpm version.
 

NanJ

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Do people who need chillers not have A/C? I couldn’t imagine my house being 80°+ in order to have the need for a chiller….

this is a serious question, do you only need a chiller if your tank is not in an ac area?
We are in South Carolina and have a chiller on our 300 g tank which is at about 78 degrees while the room temperature is 76 in the summer. Sump is in the basement which is kept at 74 in the summer and we run a dehumidifier that is inline with the AC unit. Dehumidifier is set to maintain 49% humidity. I assume that the pumps for the reactors in the sump, the protein skimmer, the return pump, the 6 Neptune WAV pumps and the LED Kessil lights are the reasons we need to run the chiller in the summer - all contribute heat to the water. Reading about the evaporative cooling fans sounds enticing but then there's be even more humidity in the basement.
 

ReefRondo

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No need for a chiller here in Scotland. Maybe 5 or so days that a tank may get a little too warm but nothing catastrophic.
 

jeffrey holloway

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I live on the Gulf coast of MS, A/C is not an option its a way of life. I run a chiller and fan on both of my tanks. The Apex controls all four. In addition I two computer fans installed on top my 150g hood. I bought 2 Finnex 800W heaters when I set my systems up, I have yet to use them. House A/C helps out, but I run chillers & fans 365.
 

Jay Norris

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Well we're already in the 90's here in the northern part of Georgia and the reef tank is warming up! I'm thankful that mine is currently in the basement where it is naturally cooler but it's still getting warm enough to warrant something to help keep it cooled. But I have no chiller and have no plans to add a chiller! So what do I do? Well for me and my situation a fan directed on the top of the sump water keeps me 3 degrees or so cooler so it works just fine. But what about you? Today let's talk about!

1. How do you keep your tank cool WITHOUT a chiller?

2. Do struggle to keep the tank temps down during the warmer months?


This is the baby that helps keep my thousands of dollars worth of livestock alive during the hottest months! PS. Plus it's great for spills! HA!
I don't keep my tank cool without a chiller, I run a 1.5 hp on my system year round as I live in South Florida, and keep the tank around 77 - 78 degrees.
71Qlqr141aL._AC_SL1200_.jpg
 

CoralB

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We keep the ac at 75 degrees and have never had the tank go past 79 degrees . Ceiling fan near the tank on most of the time during the day
 

Totlxtc

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Central air here and the heater kicks on to keep the tank warm.
 

Bubbles, bubbles, and more bubbles: Do you keep bubble-like corals in your reef?

  • I currently have bubble-like corals in my reef.

    Votes: 27 36.0%
  • I don’t currently have bubble-like corals in my reef, but I have in the past.

    Votes: 9 12.0%
  • I don’t currently have bubble-like corals in my reef, but I plan to in the future.

    Votes: 24 32.0%
  • I don’t currently have bubble-like corals in my reef and have no plans to in the future.

    Votes: 13 17.3%
  • Other.

    Votes: 2 2.7%
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