Which Chiller?

[Gauge]

I have been considering building my own chiller, but as it doesn't seem feasible, I guess I'm going to buy one. My tank is simply too warm. However, I can't seem to find any good information on which chillers are superior to others. I have looked for reviews and such, but have found none. These are the chillers that I'm considering for my 92-gallon tank:

Aqua Medic Titan Chiller 1/6hp
Arctica Titanium Chiller DBA-150 1/5hp
Current USA Prime Aquarium Chillers - 1/4hp
CH-PC-PL-450 Pacific Coast 1/6 HP inline chiller (click on the "See Details" for the Pacific Coast 1/6 HP chiller)

I figure my system (92-gallon tank and 15-gallon refugium) run on about 80-85 gallons of actual water. I need a chiller that can take the tank reliably down from 82 degrees to about 76 degrees, preferrably without running all day long. I have the following questions for anyone who can answer them:

1) Are chillers like UV sterilizers in that they claim to be powerful enough for much larger tanks than they can actually handle?
2) Is there a good place to find (non-customer) reviews of these products?
3) Can anyone comment on any of these chillers in terms of power usage, thermostat accuracy, chilling effectiveness, or noise level?
4) Does anyone recommend a different chiller than I have listed above?


Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[CBRGuy]

I was able to lower my tank by 4 degress by putting a fan over my sump. IMO it is the best way to go. The only problem is that you will evaporate water and a much higher rate.

 

[Gauge]

I have a fan over my tank. My sump is covered to prevent splashing water from escaping.

 

[CBRGuy]

I have a fan over my tank. My sump is covered to prevent splashing water from escaping.

Do you have an internal pump or external? If it is internal then that's were all of your heat is comming from. I have a mag on my prop system and it gerates some serious heat in my tank. with a lid on the sump it would just trap that heat. Chillers are nice, but I think they are an overpriced solution.

 

[Gauge]

I have a Mag 7 return pump and a Mag 5 running the protein skimmer. Both pumps are external.

 

[CBRGuy]

That would be a heat problem for sure. I know Mag pump CAN be run externally, but they are not recomended. They are cooled with the water in the sump. Right now they are acting like little heaters on you water. I typical External pump like a Iwaki , Dolphin etc have a cooling fan/Fins build into them to stop the heat from transfering to your water, but mag pumps just have impellers for the water and not the heat.

Here is a semi thread that talks about Heat issues with externally plumped Mag pumps.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pumpselmar3.htm

 

[Gauge]

I'm going to get a chiller either way. I may replace the pumps in the future, but for now I want the chiller. I want to keep the tank cooler than the apartment stays anyway. I don't believe that a fan will be able to compete with the pumps, PC lights, MH lights, and the ambient temperature in the apartment to get the temp down where I want it. Any advice on the chillers?

Thanks for all the input, though, CBRGuy. I will have to look into the Iwaki pumps. I hear nothing but good things about them.

 

[CBRGuy]

No problem.. yeah I know it does get hot down there You may be better off with a chiller. JBJ has a little calculator so you can get the right size. Here is the link for the sizing Calc

http://www.jbjlighting.com/prod_chiller_size.asp

HTH