Do i need a chiller???

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

XxTitleisTxX

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Oct 14, 2004
Messages
111
Location
Sydney, Australia
hey, i was wondering if i had metal halide lighting in my 55g tank, would i need a chiller? Theres no air conditioning in the room and i really dont have $500 to spend on a chiller Thanks
 
I'm about to put a 250w MH over my 44 gallon tank. No way I'm spending big bucks on a "chiller". I plan to build the hood tall, keeping the lamp a good 12"-16" inches above the water, and putting 2 fans in.
 
you can make a handy dandy chiller yourself with a foam cooler, a long coil of tubing, and a bunch of freezer packs.

just run a line from your tank or sump to a large pump. the outlet goes into the cooler where it spools around the freezer packs affectively lowering the tempture before it heads back to the tank. simply rotate out the freezer packs with fresh ones daily.

It takes some fine tuning to get it balanced right, and it does require daily attention, but It will help get you through those hot summer months.

Inccidently, I was able to lower my tanks temp. a full 2 degrees simply by lowering the room temprature a bit.
 
You may or may not every tank is different. If you can get the bulbs off the water 10" it helps alot. A Pacific coast 1/10 HP chiller set up will cost you around $400. If you have a sump you can increase the evaopration by blowing a fan onto the water surface of the sump; this will help alot!
 
Thanks alot. I might just get a single 400watt pendant and have it like 10-12 inches above the tank. Im not certain whether or not im gonna have a sump, but if i do, ill be sure to put a fan on it. Thanks for your replies
 
Back
Top Bottom