The heat is on! 81F so far

[JoJosReef]

Thanks to my new Hydros system, I can watch my office tank cook from home all day long.

It's 100 here in SoCal. Office automatically shuts off A/C on Friday at 5pm till Monday 8am.

How bad is 81? 82? Hoping the fish and coral make it!

 

[Tahoe61]

Not good. Fish will be fine. ATO and fans should take up the slack for corals.

 

[JoJosReef]

Not good. Fish will be fine. ATO and fans should take up the slack for corals.

Went in and got two fans hooked up to the inkbird. Tank is currently at 83F. Will be spending the week looking for chiller/space A/C options.

 

[Fish Fan]

Thanks to my new Hydros system, I can watch my office tank cook from home all day long.

It's 100 here in SoCal. Office automatically shuts off A/C on Friday at 5pm till Monday 8am.

How bad is 81? 82? Hoping the fish and coral make it!

@JoJosReef I know that you know the answer here, but my fingers are crossed for your work tank and its inhabitants :)

In my very humble, non-expert opinion, I think that 84 F is the threshold for marine tanks. Over 84 F, bad things may happen.... Fingers crossed, friend!

I have a humble two floor home in upstate New York, and I am trying to keep the salty stuff in the downstairs. Upstairs can get very hot, either from seasonal changes, or if I'm cooking up a storm in our modest kitchen ;)

Best of luck, JoJo!

 

[bubbgee]

I have two huge juice jugs with RODI frozen in the fridge. Both can drop temp by 2 degrees in unusually high temperature. Still running aquarium fan (3 pc fan sized). Might upgrade to six fans at this point.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

hoping for the best for you jojo! cant believe you guys are that hot down there!!

 

[JoJosReef]

Hydros is still showing 83.1F in the tank. Fans are going, but even with the temp outside going down, we've still got our warehouse keeping the inside of the office super hot.

I am thinking of two options: 1) chiller -- I just don't know why they are soooo expensive; 2) a small space A/C. For the latter, I can't exhaust it out of a window, so what I might have to do is rig up a sort of "flat" exhaust opening that can go under the door. That way I can keep the door closed and just heat up the rest of the office--it's already blazing hot in there in any case.

 

[UncommonSense]

Hydros is still showing 83.1F in the tank. Fans are going, but even with the temp outside going down, we've still got our warehouse keeping the inside of the office super hot.

I am thinking of two options: 1) chiller -- I just don't know why they are soooo expensive; 2) a small space A/C. For the latter, I can't exhaust it out of a window, so what I might have to do is rig up a sort of "flat" exhaust opening that can go under the door. That way I can keep the door closed and just heat up the rest of the office--it's already blazing hot in there in any case.

How wide is the office door? Approximately how much gap underneath? — i’m wondering about corking up the 4” exhaust of a stand-alone unit if there’s <3/8” door gap on a 32” wide door… — 4” duct rarely pushes more than 200cfm…

A really, really small portable AC (5,000-8,000btu range) with a 3” duct would let you get away with a 1/4” door gap on a 32” door… point your cold air directly at the tank?



Re: water chillers, and this specific emergency scenario? Look up brewing chillers; they’re way nicer than aquarium chillers, and are on the used market…

alternatively; an old YT vid from the king of DIY comes to mind…A mini fridge, two holes drilled in it, a big coil of tubing in the fridge, and a pump in the tank recirculating water through the tube!

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Hydros is still showing 83.1F in the tank. Fans are going, but even with the temp outside going down, we've still got our warehouse keeping the inside of the office super hot.

I am thinking of two options: 1) chiller -- I just don't know why they are soooo expensive; 2) a small space A/C. For the latter, I can't exhaust it out of a window, so what I might have to do is rig up a sort of "flat" exhaust opening that can go under the door. That way I can keep the door closed and just heat up the rest of the office--it's already blazing hot in there in any case.

For you the chiller is the best option. It will still create heat like an AC, Because it is an AC, But you are cooling directly. Also Offer Up is a good source of chillers. I also prefer JBJ chillers.

 

[JoJosReef]

How wide is the office door? Approximately how much gap underneath? — i’m wondering about corking up the 4” exhaust of a stand-alone unit if there’s <3/8” door gap on a 32” wide door… — 4” duct rarely pushes more than 200cfm…

A really, really small portable AC (5,000-8,000btu range) with a 3” duct would let you get away with a 1/4” door gap on a 32” door… point your cold air directly at the tank?



Re: water chillers, and this specific emergency scenario? Look up brewing chillers; they’re way nicer than aquarium chillers, and are on the used market…

alternatively; an old YT vid from the king of DIY comes to mind…A mini fridge, two holes drilled in it, a big coil of tubing in the fridge, and a pump in the tank recirculating water through the tube!

Will check on the brewing chillers, thanks!

For you the chiller is the best option. It will still create heat like an AC, Because it is an AC, But you are cooling directly. Also Offer Up is a good source of chillers. I also prefer JBJ chillers.

What is the difference between the $5-600+ JBJ chillers and this ebay chiller?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3357198906...d=aquarium+chiller&sacat=0&relatedSearch=true

 

[UncommonSense]

What is the difference between the $5-600+ JBJ chillers and this ebay chiller?

I just refreshed my memory on JBJ’s lineup and was impressed!! All their marine aquarium chillers use proper titanium wetted parts now!

The eBay chiller is almost certainly built with an aluminum heat sink; a component which is full of salt water when operating… possibly copper wetted parts too…

Good brewing chillers typically have all stainless steel wetted parts!

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Will check on the brewing chillers, thanks!



What is the difference between the $5-600+ JBJ chillers and this ebay chiller?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3357198906...d=aquarium+chiller&sacat=0&relatedSearch=true

On some of those there is no refrigeration unit, It cools from a fan blowing on a coil. JBJ chillers Refrigeration + titanium heat exchanger.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Not a JBJ but the second most popular.
https://offerup.com/item/detail/03a35118-31f9-3383-a2e3-f37ebed794e4

 

[backbayreef]

Good luck Jojo / fans might work for now if you’re near a window. I recently installed a WiFi window fan in the fish room. In the early morning, I’m pushing cold air into the fish room. During peak hours where it’s not, I would push hot air out. Also, I’ve turned my light down to 20% to reduce heat. A chiller would be ideal though.

My fish room got to 76F, which will heat the tank closer to 81. Everything looks fine though.

Good luck!

 

[Tahoe61]

What about a swamp cooler from Walmart. It seems a shame to spend all that money on a chiller that you really only need periodically.

 

[JoJosReef]

What about a swamp cooler from Walmart. It seems a shame to spend all that money on a chiller that you really only need periodically.

Looked at that, too. Only issued I've seen is that they aren't made for running over an entire weekend, although I could make some modifications and plumb a RODI gravity ATO into the swamp cooler reservoir...

 

[Smprc]

Jojo, I'm also in 100 degree socal, IE, to be more exact. I will say this. If you really plan on keeping your tank for a long time. I know that you would much rather spend on something more glamorous than a chiller. With that said, I bit the bullet, bought new no less, and I sleep better at night. Honestly, you will be happy with the chiller. I have a JBJ, don't regret it. I rinse it out once a year. Find a used one on offerup. Good luck!

 

[bubbgee]

My thought it you’d need to reduce the ambient room temp significantly to reduce the tank temp. And any energy in reducing the tank’s temp will always be affected by the room’s ambient temperature. In the end, you might need a reasonable AC and tank chilling resource.

I’d need a 1/4hp chiller at this point with this heatwave in SoCal.

 

[JoJosReef]

Problem with a swamp cooler would be that I'd have to leave my office door closed, thus raising humidity in the room and reducing effectiveness of the swamp cooler. If I leave the door open, the swamp cooler gets overtaken by the warehouse heat/heat of the rest of the office.

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

get a cooler and fill with ice, get plenty of tubing so its coiled up in the ice , use a small pump to circulate water from sump or tank through the tubing and back to the tank. should keep it cooled down for at least 6 hrs (bigger the cooler the better). this can help until you get what you need