to chill or not to chill is the question

hoginme · Feb 26, 2011

I have a jbj 28 HQI nano, I am debating on weather to get a chiller or just let it ride. I have a sps dominant tanks my temp swings from 77-78 at night to 81 at lights off. I run my light for 7.5 hrs. Should I get a chiller, what brand is good and what size, where to buy? I live in the midwest and run my ac in the summer keeping my house temp around 73. I have just started looking around at chillers, I have been seeing the jbj's 1/5 for around $600ish.

swannyson7 · Feb 26, 2011

Have you had the tank set up during the summertime yet? You may be able to get away with just having a fan blowing over the top of the water to drop the temp a couple degrees, but this will really speed up your evaporation. If you decide to go with a chiller, you can get away with a small chiller than a 1/5 HP as well. I'd look into the 1/10 HP.

Mr E Wrasse · Feb 26, 2011

I've got the same tank and even in the winter my temps were 82-83 with lights on, so I had to spring for the 1/15 ink chiller and it has no prob keeping the temp at 77-78

hoginme · Feb 26, 2011

I havent had it set up in the summer yet I had seen the aqua euro 1/13 on premium aquatics for$289

hoginme · Feb 26, 2011

Do you have to buy a power head to use one of these? Does does the power head mount in the back chamber of the tank? Sorry never used a chiller before.

thewackyreefer · Feb 26, 2011

Yes, you would have to find a way to pump water through the chiller and back into the tank. Another benefit of having the chiller is pretty much no temp swings if you run it consistently. I use mine with a ReefKeeper and my temp doesn't fluctuate more than .2 degrees or so. Not saying you need a controller, but you get the point.

reefer916 · Mar 7, 2011

My son and I have been running our AP24 with 150 watt MH's without a chiller for 2 years now. We bought a cheap fan from Walmart to blow across the water, when the MH's kick on. The temp stays between 79-80 degrees. I had bought two used 1/10 HP or 1/15 HP chillers that came with the AP24 and my AP12 gallon, but never hooked them up. However, I may use the Oceanic on our new 45 gallon because it's running pretty hot with the 250 watt MH's. Anyways, if your interested in a JBJ chiller that was only used for 4 months by the original owner shoot me a pm and make me an offer. I don't have a pump for it, so you'll have to pick one of those up. It's pretty much brand new because the guy only had his tank for 5 months before upgrading and he had the receipts to prove it.

fsu1dolfan · Mar 7, 2011

reefer916 said:
My son and I have been running our AP24 with 150 watt MH's without a chiller for 2 years now. We bought a cheap fan from Walmart to blow across the water, when the MH's kick on. The temp stays between 79-80 degrees. I had bought two used 1/10 HP or 1/15 HP chillers that came with the AP24 and my AP12 gallon, but never hooked them up. However, I may use the Oceanic on our new 45 gallon because it's running pretty hot with the 250 watt MH's. Anyways, if your interested in a JBJ chiller that was only used for 4 months by the original owner shoot me a pm and make me an offer. I don't have a pump for it, so you'll have to pick one of those up. It's pretty much brand new because the guy only had his tank for 5 months before upgrading and he had the receipts to prove it.

1+ on the fan option...i was debating a chiller for a while too, as i live in Florida and summers get hotttt! But i have a small dual fan that i run when the lights are on. Drops my temps down to 77-78 on the dot. Lights out, fan turns off 30mins after and my temp stays pretty constant. Last few months it has been cool/cold(for floridians LOL) so no need for the fan...soon though it will get back on the tank. Just a thought

Captain Nemo · Mar 7, 2011

Personally if your temp starts to swing alot or stays to warm in the summer I would get a chiller, but if not I wouldnt sweat it. My bet is though that if you are at 81 now in march and in KS, then you may want to go ahead and get one. Just my .02

reefer916 · Mar 7, 2011

My cousin has a 28 gallon JBJ HQI and his tank runs really hot as well because it's not an open top and the opening is much smaller than my AP. You may need a chiller depending on your setup or run your AC during the summer lower. It'll probably be cheaper to run a chiller vs. keeping your house at 68-70 degrees during the summer. I keep my air conditioner set at 72 during the summer and it gets to be 90-110 here in the Central Valley. I'd try the fans first and then if that doesn't work invest in a chiller. For the most part if your keeping hearty corals 2-3 degree temp flucts don't really hurt anything. If your doing sps or other delicate corals you would definitely want to invest in a chiller.

cmcneil · Mar 7, 2011

i think the fan is a great option for small tanks like yours.id also suggest cutting your light back to 6 hours,you really dont need to run it more than that anyway.i run my lights for 6 hours and get great growth and color and my tank is loaded with sps and lps.for the money a chiller costs you could also switch your lights to leds and not even need a chiller.my tank stays around 78 max with the lights on and my sump fan never turns on to date and im in florida with my house kept at 78 degrees.just a thought.

hoginme · Mar 8, 2011

Thanks for all the input! I bit the bullet and picked up a new 1/15 chiller, I decided not to risk it since I have an all sps tank.

geckoman2003 · Mar 19, 2011

hoginme said:
Thanks for all the input! I bit the bullet and picked up a new 1/15 chiller, I decided not to risk it since I have an all sps tank.

I have the same tank. I have been debating the same thing. So give me the details. What one did you get, where from , and how much?

hoginme · Mar 22, 2011

I grabbed a jbj 1/15 off of atomic mall cant remember the online store out of MO im sure if you search for best prices you will find it I paid 298 with shipping included. If you cant find it let me know and I will look it up. I am really happy with it, one of my best investments so far it has kept my tank at 77-78 with no problems. Very easy to set up an use.

butts182 · Mar 26, 2011

getting a chiller would be best to control the temp swings with the sps

fragman2 · Mar 27, 2011

I have a 24 g Aquapod and I run a chiller that is too large for the tank. It came off of a friend's 150 g system. I got a good deal on it. It is a Teco 20 with the built in heater and UV sterilizer. The problem is that it is just too loud for my office. How quite is your new JBJ 1/15th?