Miami Reefer Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Basically my tank is running very hot. It was like 82 with the stock hood on normal position. I lifted the hood with pvc and ran a decent size fan and water dropped to 80. (the rig looks horrible) So my question is what chiller should I get. 1/10 or 1/15 hp? what brands? how exactly do they work? I'm reltively new to this and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Link to comment
omarortiz Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 Basically my tank is running very hot. It was like 82 with the stock hood on normal position. I lifted the hood with pvc and ran a decent size fan and water dropped to 80. (the rig looks horrible) So my question is what chiller should I get. 1/10 or 1/15 hp? what brands? how exactly do they work? I'm reltively new to this and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks I am kind of surprised your temperature is that high with the stock hood. For a chiller, 1/15 hp is more than enough. They cost over 300 dollars. You also would need to plumb it and buy a pump to run it, which could add about another 50-100 dollars to your price. Not to mention the higher cost of electricity. Essentially, most chillers use a water pump to draw water from your tank and push or pull it through the chiller and back up to your tank. You would need to drill holes in the BioCube's hood to get a couple of hoses into your setup (one in, one out) I can't recommend that you get a chiller, but if that is what you want or think you will need... You may want to consider upgrading your lighting if you are committed already to spending 300 dollars. You will inevitably upgrade your lighting on the tank because the BioCube 29's lighting is not even 3 watts per gallon. I'd recommend the Current USA 20" Nova Extreme Pro. You can then run the tank open top if your fish aren't jumpers, or you could make a custom DIY lid out of acrylic from Home Depot. Some people buy HQI metal halides, but then you would probably run into the heat issue again. The Current USA T5s are the cooler option. I attached some links below for you to look at. Nova Extreme Pro 20" Current USA 1/15 Chiller Oceanic 1/15 Chiller Link to comment
omarortiz Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 Here is a much lower price on the Nova Extreme Pro 20" Use the HOLIDAY coupon code to save $23. Pet Mountain: Current USA Nova Extreme Pro 20" Link to comment
Miami Reefer Posted December 26, 2008 Author Share Posted December 26, 2008 i think the chiller would be my best bet because its now the winter and its not so hot here in miami like 80 lol. during the summer i can easily get to 100 and i dont run the ac while im not home. i think adding a light would just create more heat problems. I was looking at the current 1/15 chiller. is it reliable what mantanance does it need? Anybody else care to chime in? thanks Link to comment
iFISTmoose Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 AquaEuroUSA Pro Aquarium Chiller Link to comment
omarortiz Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 i think the chiller would be my best bet because its now the winter and its not so hot here in miami like 80 lol. during the summer i can easily get to 100 and i dont run the ac while im not home. i think adding a light would just create more heat problems. I was looking at the current 1/15 chiller. is it reliable what mantanance does it need? Anybody else care to chime in? thanks I'd check reviews of people who actually have one. I would go with the Current one because I generally trust their brand. Go with the one with the better warranty if possible. Also, I think you will want a good reliable external pump to go with it. The Danner Mag-Drive pumps are pretty reliable, but they are pretty bulky and make a bit of noise. Whatever pump you choose, be sure to get one that can be used externally. You can get any other plumbing items like hose and pvc fittings at the hardware store. Use 1/2" inner diameter hose with 5/8" outer diameter because it will be more flexible than the 1/2" ID, 3/4" OD and you will need that flexibility. The Mag-drive pumps usually come with pre-filter sponge that will attach to 1/2 inch fpt, you will want to use that to minimize stuff getting sucked into the chiller. The tricky part will be making a cutout in your plastic hood (don't try drilling the glass ) so you can put in your in and out hoses. Does your BioCube have hinges attaching the hood to the tank, or does the hood fit onto the tank without hinges? If it is the latter you can probably cut/drill it anywhere but right on the corners. But if it is the former, then you will probably have to cut/drill it in a place where the structural integrity isn't compromised as much so that you can still use the hinges with confidence. I have drilled a BioCube hood with a 3/4 inch Forstner drill bit, which cut very cleanly and smoothly, then I ran a hose into it. (You should take the top off when you drill it because the shavings from drilling go all over the place and you probably don't want them in your tank.) The size of the hole also creates just enough friction to keep the hose from coming loose. When I did this, I ran the hose to the return pump port from the opposite side of the tank so I would not have any bends in the pipe. For your setup, one hose (the one that sucks) will have to go to the bottom of the return pump chamber and the other hose (the one that blows) will link into the hose adapter that is already attached to your BioCube outflow nozzle. (Take that stock pump out and save it to help you do water changes or as a backup.) You can also plumb it with pvc, but that will be even more work. Finally, use zip ties on the hoses to keep them from popping out of the hood. The above way would replace your stock pump through this process if you go through the return pump chamber (the one farthest to the left) and use a 450-500 gph pump. I don't really see the need to have more than one pump in this case because the pump will always be on for your chiller. Sound complicated enough? P.S. I have heard that a culprit for excessive heat in BioCubes is the stock pump. Anything is possible I guess, but you will definitely need a chiller during those balmy Florida summers anyhow. Link to comment
rmalone Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 I will be making this choice soon myself. If you know you will have to cool it from 100deg ambient temp I would think 1/10th hp would be a min. My tank is at my greenhouse in Michigan so it will see 90deg + on july and august days I'm thinking 1/10th hp for my 12g, and I might go bigger just in case I get stupid and get a larger tank. Other than purchase price the larger unit shouldn't cost too much more than a smaller unit to cool a given volume, it will take X amount of BTU to cool Y amount of water from temp A to temp B. A larger unit will just run less time than a smaller one, total electrical draw should be pretty similar, the larger unit will just cover "worst case scenario" better. Link to comment
fshaqrmman Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 Just purchased the Aqua Euro CL-150 for $197 on ebay. Brand new....he had three of them, you should still see if they are on there. I bought it for my 29 Biocube and have had it for about 4-6 weeks....works great!! Highly recommend. Link to comment
Miami Reefer Posted December 27, 2008 Author Share Posted December 27, 2008 Thanks guys, all this has really helped me. I think im going to go with the current or the aqua( I have to do a little more research) but a couple questions for plumbing. I have a rio 1100 to replace the stock pump so do you think its possible to use the stock pump to run the water down and back from the chiller? both pumps would be in chamber 3. Thanks. Link to comment
omarortiz Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Thanks guys, all this has really helped me. I think im going to go with the current or the aqua( I have to do a little more research) but a couple questions for plumbing. I have a rio 1100 to replace the stock pump so do you think its possible to use the stock pump to run the water down and back from the chiller? both pumps would be in chamber 3. Thanks. The stock pumps for the BioCubes are only submersible pumps. I suppose you could try putting both pumps inside. One in the third chamber and one in the second chamber. You may want to try experimenting if you don't want to get another pump just yet. I'd be interested in seeing how that would work. GL. Link to comment
fshaqrmman Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I have my stock pump still running the tank, and I believe I am using the maxi jet 1200 to run to the chiller. I have both pumps in chamber 3 with no problems. Link to comment
Miami Reefer Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 Thanks for the advice guys. I ordered the current 1/15 chiller monday night so i should be hooking it up this weekend. I have a rio 1100 laying around and im going to try and see if i can use that as my only pump and pump into the chiller and back up into the tank. We'll see if it has good flow. Will update this weekend. Link to comment
nanomax Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Just purchased the Aqua Euro CL-150 for $197 on ebay. Brand new....he had three of them, you should still see if they are on there.I bought it for my 29 Biocube and have had it for about 4-6 weeks....works great!! Highly recommend. How did you hook your chiller up? I've got a biocube 14 and a chiller and I'm struggling to figure this out. Any help would be greatly appreciated. mmoss1@austin.rr.com Link to comment
Miami Reefer Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 So i jsut installed a current prime chiller 1/15 hp. Made the opening into chamber 2 wider and threw a rio 1100 as the only pump into chamber 3. I used 5/8 tubing for the whole thing and it seems like it flows just like the stock pump, maybe just slightly more. I ran the tubing from the pump down to the chiller and then back up and into the tank. Here are some pics of the install. Anybody have any ideas on a better way to clamp the tubing to the nozzle? Now that I have my water cooler I can begin to add coral. Link to comment
disaster999 Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 better remove that metal clamp and replace it with plastic ones. gonna rust like no tomorrow Link to comment
Miami Reefer Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 thats what i figured but i didnt know about those plastic ones. I'll pass by my lfs tomorrow and hopefully they have one. thanks Link to comment
H&Wnano Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 bookmarking for reference - we are getting ready to do the same thing - good ol Cali gets just as hot in the summer and we need to stabilize our temps Link to comment
AllXJ96 Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Now you neede to put a sump in the cabinet, lol THe chiller looks good, how much did you wind up finding it for??? Link to comment
Ando Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 miami reefer. How much in total did your chiller cost and with everything else you need for it? I live in Florida also and my tank with the stock hood and lighting would get to about 81 and it's winter time. I just purchased the nova extreme pro T5's and have noticed my temperature of my tank stable at about 79. I'm hoping I won't need a chiller for the summer as my house does get about 81 or 82. Link to comment
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