Starting over

DanDanTheBaldMan · Feb 16, 2026

Hello I am brand new here and I have a few questions.

I have a 65 gallon salt water tank that I started about 6 years ago. It got overrun with algae and aptasia so I sold all the fish and broke it down and the tank sat for a year. I am starting back up and I have been watching some videos but I have a few questions.

1) In the video the guy mentioned that a chiller is only used for cold water set ups. The guy who sold the tank and stand also gave me a chiller with it. It is a complete red sea set up. I assumed since the chiller came with it I needed it. I live in Shenzhen China which is very similar in climate to LA. So do I even need the chiller? It takes up a lot of space next to the sump.

2) I also want to make sure I have the sump set up correctly. The water from the display tank drains into a reservoir that drains into the filter socks. Then it drains into a section with a pump that connects to the chiller. The chiller output goes into the protein skimmer section which overflows into the return pump section. I hope that was explained clearly enough. Is this the correct set up or do I have something wrong, or could I set something up better. I am really trying to learn and do better with the tank this time.

Thanks for any comments and help.

Gumbies R Us · Feb 16, 2026

A chiller is good if your tank is running too hot, either due to external reasons (the heat of your house or environment) or if the equipment you are using is causing your tank's water to be too hot. I would evaluate your tank's temperature first, then decide if you should use the chiller.

I am going to tag @BeanAnimal and @Troylee for the second part of your question

Fish Fan · Feb 16, 2026

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

#WelcometoR2R

Good luck with your new tank!

DanDanTheBaldMan · Feb 16, 2026

Gumbies R Us said:
A chiller is good if your tank is running too hot, either due to external reasons (the heat of your house or environment) or if the equipment you are using is causing your tank's water to be too hot. I would evaluate your tank's temperature first, then decide if you should use the chiller.

I am going to tag @BeanAnimal and @Troylee for the second part of your question

Thank you, what is a good temperature for the tank? As I said it does get hot here but during the summer I keep the curtains drawn when I am at work, so it does not get too hot inside.

DanDanTheBaldMan · Feb 16, 2026

Fish Fan said:
Welcome to Reef2Reef!

#WelcometoR2R

Good luck with your new tank!

Thank you!

slingfox · Feb 16, 2026

A chiller is used in hot climates. Ideally you want to keep your tank in the 24°C and 28°C (75°F–82°F), with 25.5°C–26.5°C (78°F–80°F) being the ideal target range. If you have air conditioning in your home you may not need a chiller but that would mean you would need to keep the A/C running all day and night. I keep my tank cooler during the summer by keeping A/C on and using a fan which blows over the surface of the tank.

Troylee · Feb 17, 2026

DanDanTheBaldMan said:
Hello I am brand new here and I have a few questions.

I have a 65 gallon salt water tank that I started about 6 years ago. It got overrun with algae and aptasia so I sold all the fish and broke it down and the tank sat for a year. I am starting back up and I have been watching some videos but I have a few questions.

1) In the video the guy mentioned that a chiller is only used for cold water set ups. The guy who sold the tank and stand also gave me a chiller with it. It is a complete red sea set up. I assumed since the chiller came with it I needed it. I live in Shenzhen China which is very similar in climate to LA. So do I even need the chiller? It takes up a lot of space next to the sump.

2) I also want to make sure I have the sump set up correctly. The water from the display tank drains into a reservoir that drains into the filter socks. Then it drains into a section with a pump that connects to the chiller. The chiller output goes into the protein skimmer section which overflows into the return pump section. I hope that was explained clearly enough. Is this the correct set up or do I have something wrong, or could I set something up better. I am really trying to learn and do better with the tank this time.

Thanks for any comments and help.

If your tank doesn’t get 82f+ then no reason for a chiller and even the a simple fan would cool it by evaporating. The skimmer shouldn’t be fed by a chiller it should just get water from the sump. I take it it’s external? Do you have any pics of said system? That would help.

DanDanTheBaldMan · Feb 17, 2026

Troylee said:
If your tank doesn’t get 82f+ then no reason for a chiller and even the a simple fan would cool it by evaporating. The skimmer shouldn’t be fed by a chiller it should just get water from the sump. I take it it’s external? Do you have any pics of said system? That would help.

Yeah I can try to take some pictures, where would I send the output for the chiller?