- Location
- Long Island, 11769
Those of you that don't have chillers on your tanks, what do you do to keep the temp down when it starts to get warm out? I've been floating frozen water bottles and turned the heater down. Any other suggestions?
Chillers...
- Thread starter tentacles
- Start date
- Location
- Flushing, NY
Place a fan blowing over the water surface. You can also turn the lights off if it gets too hot
- Location
- Far Rockaway
Buy a chiller. Or come home on day to dead corals. I take the chiller.
- Location
- Long Island, 11769
Yeah, I cut the photo period a little bit mid day because thats when it gets the warmest in my apartment, and moved the powerhead up a little bit so it would break the water surface more.
I know a lot of people run their systems without chillers, so I was just asking for a few suggestions to be a little more economical :smile:.
- Location
- Far Rockaway
Whats the temp getting to ?
I have to use a chill all winter i never used a heater my temp in the winter was 82 with the lights off lightes on it goes to 86 so i needed a chiller.
I have to use a chill all winter i never used a heater my temp in the winter was 82 with the lights off lightes on it goes to 86 so i needed a chiller.
- Location
- Long Island, 11769
Yesterday the highest it went was 83.5, which isn't horrible but I like to keep it around a steady 78.
:sigh: I just don't want to shell out $300 right now.
:sigh: I just don't want to shell out $300 right now.
- Location
- Far Rockaway
You might need a chiller because summer not even here yet . You can put some fans on the tank for now but when the heat comes in like 90deg weather your going to need a chiller .
What size tank and what tipe of lights are you using .
What size tank and what tipe of lights are you using .
- Location
- White Plains
i have a 120 gal and i keep my tank at 78 and all i have is a 6 fan unit on top of my tank i got off ebay and it works great
A Fan will help for a little while depending on how hot your apartment gets. But eventually on a hot day it is going to skyrocket. Unless your house is constantly air conditioned you will need a chiller especialy if you are running MH.
Tentacles, I run two large tanks both without chillers. Granted I am between the Beach & the Jamaica Bay which helps to keep my house relatively comfortable.
My tanks do reach 84 degrees during the hottest days in past summers.
What I do for my tanks is; 1) I run 2 - 4" fans in the canopies 1 fan blows across the surface of the tank while the other one pulls the hot air out.
2) I keep the cabinet doors open.
3) And most important of all lights on my reef are on a controller set to go off when the temp in the tank reaches 85 degrees.
4) I shorten the photoperiod of the MH during the summer months to 4 hours.
And I am trying to get the outlet for my 18000 BTU AC installed as well.
I do not like the chillers for a couple of reasons. 1) It heats up the room while chilling the tank.
2) It will rise my electric bill two fold since the AC will also have to work harder to cool the room that the chiller will be in.
What size is your tank? Do you have an AC? Is it automatic? Can you set it at a certain temp?
My tanks do reach 84 degrees during the hottest days in past summers.What I do for my tanks is; 1) I run 2 - 4" fans in the canopies 1 fan blows across the surface of the tank while the other one pulls the hot air out.
2) I keep the cabinet doors open.
3) And most important of all lights on my reef are on a controller set to go off when the temp in the tank reaches 85 degrees.
4) I shorten the photoperiod of the MH during the summer months to 4 hours.
And I am trying to get the outlet for my 18000 BTU AC installed as well.
I do not like the chillers for a couple of reasons. 1) It heats up the room while chilling the tank.
2) It will rise my electric bill two fold since the AC will also have to work harder to cool the room that the chiller will be in.
What size is your tank? Do you have an AC? Is it automatic? Can you set it at a certain temp?
- Location
- Long Island, 11769
Thanks for all that info! I'm really trying to avoid buying a chiller because the initial cost is high (even for a small one,) and then the electricity use... between that and the AC in the summer :Yikes: My tank is only a 24g cube, but it is in my living room which doesn't have air conditioning. I am however moving out of my current apartment within the next 2 or so months, and I am planning on relocating the tanks to my bedroom so that it can be in the AC. I guess I'll be going to the store fore a small fan :splitspin
- Location
- Flushing, NY
a strong fan will be able to lower the temperature by 4-5 degrees on non-humid days. On hot AND humid days, it will barely lower by 1 degree. But a fan is better then nothing
- Location
- Long Island, 11769
Awilda, do you experience any coral issues when your tank reaches 84? Mine is currently at 83.8.. and it's only May
I just got home at it at 84.3 :frown:
Like Ming said fans are better than nothing. Putting the tank in a cooler place or a room with ac would be ideal if you dont want to go with a chiller. But you just got home and it was at 84 at night whith the light off? When there is a hotter day you will have issues. Try getting a used one if you can.
Eric, I didn't have any issues last summer. I did have a problem a couple of summers ago, but can't really say what was the cause. May have been the heat, or my adding 4 #4 Koralias without acclimation, too much gfo, or simply the neglect of the tanks due to being in the pool with the grands which left no time for the tanks.
Tentacles, 1 fan will not do it! You will need a few fans, and please do not forget to get a fan going on the sump as well.
I think it is a great idea to move the tank to the air conditioned room.
My little 20 gallon was in my bedroom where I do have AC, and it didn't have any heat issues. The only fan on that tank was the fan in the light fixture. I did not run the AC 24/7. What I did in the case of that tank was; I kept the windows, blinds, and curtains closed. In the late afternoon as the sun moved to the front of the house I would turn the AC on low. That tank did great, unfortunately due to physical problems I had to shut it down.
Forgot to mention that I also have ceiling fans that I have on 24/7. They also help with pulling the heat up, and away.
I did have a problem a couple of summers ago, but can't really say what was the cause. May have been the heat, or my adding 4 #4 Koralias without acclimation, too much gfo, or simply the neglect of the tanks due to being in the pool with the grands which left no time for the tanks.Tentacles, 1 fan will not do it! You will need a few fans, and please do not forget to get a fan going on the sump as well.
I think it is a great idea to move the tank to the air conditioned room.
My little 20 gallon was in my bedroom where I do have AC, and it didn't have any heat issues. The only fan on that tank was the fan in the light fixture. I did not run the AC 24/7. What I did in the case of that tank was; I kept the windows, blinds, and curtains closed. In the late afternoon as the sun moved to the front of the house I would turn the AC on low. That tank did great, unfortunately due to physical problems I had to shut it down.
Forgot to mention that I also have ceiling fans that I have on 24/7. They also help with pulling the heat up, and away.
- Location
- NJ
Have any of you ever tried reversing your photoperiod so your lights come on at night when the temp is a bit cooler?
I'm goinng to do that until I have this heat issue worked out. I have t5s but I think they do give off some heat. I raised my tank temp to 79-80 to cut down on the daily vairiance and got a strong fan. I may try to use my not-yet-arrived RKL to control the ac when I'm out. Don't want to buy a chiller but I will if I must.greenycrew said:
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