Last Night Was Chiller, Chiller Night - Chill Solutions

[banasophia]

4 minutes ago, RebeccaAnnBaselice said:

Ok just ordered this! 😅

Nice! I hope it works well for you... mine definitely gives me peace of mind and keeps my tank temp stable year round. I love your tank, by the way!!

[RebeccaAnnBaselice]

2 minutes ago, banasophia said:

Nice! I hope it works well for you... mine definitely gives me peace of mind and keeps my tank temp stable year round. I love your tank, by the way!!

Thank you! I upgraded to Steve’s LEDs, inTank Basket, Tunze 9001 Protein skimmer and now the new chiller....lol. This cube is expensive!! I’m about to order an upgraded pump, but am undecided right now. 🤔 we keep the house at 75 during the day and 73 at night and still the tank is 80-84!! 😱 I’m hoping the small chiller and more efficient pump may lower that. I don’t like keeping the hood open (blinds you and my corals need all the par). 

[banasophia]

24 minutes ago, RebeccaAnnBaselice said:

Thank you! I upgraded to Steve’s LEDs, inTank Basket, Tunze 9001 Protein skimmer and now the new chiller....lol. This cube is expensive!! I’m about to order an upgraded pump, but am undecided right now. 🤔 we keep the house at 75 during the day and 73 at night and still the tank is 80-84!! 😱 I’m hoping the small chiller and more efficient pump may lower that. I don’t like keeping the hood open (blinds you and my corals need all the par). 

Yeah, the chiller should totally take care of the temp issue for you... my tank was doing the same before I got the chiller. All the equipment upgrades add up, but good investments in the tank I think. 

 

Ah and I recognize that rock flower nem & clownfish duo from the rock flower thread! 💛💛💛 Did you enter a good shot of them into the Photo of the Month Contest for this month??? If not, you should!

[RebeccaAnnBaselice]

22 minutes ago, banasophia said:

Yeah, the chiller should totally take care of the temp issue for you... my tank was doing the same before I got the chiller. All the equipment upgrades add up, but good investments in the tank I think. 

 

Ah and I recognize that rock flower nem & clownfish duo from the rock flower thread! 💛💛💛 Did you enter a good shot of them into the Photo of the Month Contest for this month??? If not, you should!

Lol. No I haven’t, but I will now! 🤗

[Cpl_Wiggles]

Received mine June 2019. Temps reached 110 here in the Valley. Installed to tank and with house temperature at 89 degrees (AC off, CA $$) the tank never went above 79 degrees. Would highly recommend for tanks in dry, hot climates. Remember, dry air/low humidity is key for efficiency of thermal cooling. A humid place like my native Iowa may not see same results. 

 

Very happy with this purchase. 

 

@RebeccaAnnBaselice - I have Steve's LED and you can crack your tank lid less than an inch (I stuck a small scrap of wood where the feeding door is, then ran a desk fan airflow pointed directly at the crack. This will net you ~4-5 degrees of cooling, at the cost of 1 cup of RODI water every day or two to help with evap.

[RebeccaAnnBaselice]

37 minutes ago, Cpl_Wiggles said:

Received mine June 2019. Temps reached 110 here in the Valley. Installed to tank and with house temperature at 89 degrees (AC off, CA $$) the tank never went above 79 degrees. Would highly recommend for tanks in dry, hot climates. Remember, dry air/low humidity is key for efficiency of thermal cooling. A humid place like my native Iowa may not see same results. 

 

Very happy with this purchase. 

 

@RebeccaAnnBaselice - I have Steve's LED and you can crack your tank lid less than an inch (I stuck a small scrap of wood where the feeding door is, then ran a desk fan airflow pointed directly at the crack. This will net you ~4-5 degrees of cooling, at the cost of 1 cup of RODI water every day or two to help with evap.

That is great news! I did purchase the chiller and it arrives tomorrow, but I’m definitely putting the fan on it now! I would love to discuss Steve’s leds and what you have yours set on and the ramp up/down/times for the BlueFish mini gen 2, as it makes zero sense to me! 🙄 I’ve got great growth, but want it to be beautiful blue mostly in the evenings and don’t get how to make that happen. Any insight would be appreciated. 🙏🏻 

[Cpl_Wiggles]

6 minutes ago, RebeccaAnnBaselice said:

That is great news! I did purchase the chiller and it arrives tomorrow, but I’m definitely putting the fan on it now! I would love to discuss Steve’s leds and what you have yours set on and the ramp up/down/times for the BlueFish mini gen 2, as it makes zero sense to me! 🙄 I’ve got great growth, but want it to be beautiful blue mostly in the evenings and don’t get how to make that happen. Any insight would be appreciated. 🙏🏻 

Sure - I have the Hurricane and the Iridescence booster add-on but the functionality is the same with the two channel system.  PM me and we'll dig into it. 

[RebeccaAnnBaselice]

Alright got the chiller installed and it is whirring and “burr”ing! 😆 Easy install other than the normal issues with putting anything additional in the back of the BioCube.  Very important to note that the total head length for the small install Rio pump is less than 3 feet!! I had to re-cut the tubing after I had it all set up. 🤓 Also had to go to LFS and get supplies so of course I came back with a new Yuma and ...whatever this is (it’s not zenia)?? ☺️

[DSA65PRO]

I have a small desktop personal fan blowing on the back glass, which has about six coats of oil Based paint on it, and on the bottom glass. I'm maintaining 77.6 F to 78.1 F, basement is now 74.5 F. I think the heater maybe coming on. Need to find my Kilowatt to see. I'm not doing anymore evaporation than before. Tank has a custom made glass top, about a third of the Sump is covered. I've been looking at Clip-on Stroller fans, USB powered, low volt, with battery back-up built in. 

[Christopher Marks]

On 9/12/2019 at 1:26 PM, RebeccaAnnBaselice said:

Alright got the chiller installed and it is whirring and “burr”ing! 😆

How have the tank temperatures been this past week? 🙂 

[RebeccaAnnBaselice]

Hi....lower and close to 78, but fluctuations between 78-79.5. The chiller can’t seem to keep it steady and is about 1 degree different than what my digital thermometer says. Sigh...so, I’m still lifting the feeding door for more ventilation. I also added my heater back and set it on 77 because I’m worried about the difference. I guess I’m ultimately glad the temp is no where near the 84 that is used to be, but was hoping for dead-on consistency. I don’t really understand it, because my water volume vantage be more than 20-25 gallons (or less) based on the 25lbs live rock that’s in there, so the chiller should be able to maintain a temp IMO. I’m wondering if upgrading the tiny little Rio pump to something more powerful would help? 

 

On a a side note, I upgraded the return pump to the Mj 1200 yesterday! 😆 

[Cpl_Wiggles]

Keep in mind that your lights produce alot of heat up top, there is going to be temp fluctuations much like there are cold spots in the ocean. Mine probably fluctuates too - that's okay! Your stock isn't going to care as long as it's the safe zone. Keep your hood shut to cut down on evap.

[banasophia]

6 hours ago, RebeccaAnnBaselice said:

Hi....lower and close to 78, but fluctuations between 78-79.5. The chiller can’t seem to keep it steady and is about 1 degree different than what my digital thermometer says. Sigh...so, I’m still lifting the feeding door for more ventilation. I also added my heater back and set it on 77 because I’m worried about the difference. I guess I’m ultimately glad the temp is no where near the 84 that is used to be, but was hoping for dead-on consistency. I don’t really understand it, because my water volume vantage be more than 20-25 gallons (or less) based on the 25lbs live rock that’s in there, so the chiller should be able to maintain a temp IMO. I’m wondering if upgrading the tiny little Rio pump to something more powerful would help? 

 

On a a side note, I upgraded the return pump to the Mj 1200 yesterday! 😆 

Hmm I’m surprised you’re getting that much fluctuation, but two degrees in that range shouldn’t be an issue... Are you saying the chiller reads that the tank temp is more than the temp you set it at but it’s not turning on? Or I wonder if your digital thermometer could be inaccurate? 

 

I set my heater at 76 so the tank won’t fall below 76, and set the chiller at 77 or 78.

[dling]

On 8/3/2018 at 11:17 AM, banasophia said:

My Biocube 16 has been running in the 80 - 84 F range since summer hit and I’ve been dealing with what seem to be more diatoms, algae, and unhappy corals, so I decided to get a chiller. Decided on this one from Chill Solutions, which came out to less than $300, including the installation kit, wall mounting bracket, and shipping. 

 

Very happy with the decision so far - great customer service via their chat feature when I ordered it, fairly easy to install with their kit that includes u-bend connectors, it’s compact, and seems to work well so far. Temp went from 81 to approximately 78, which is what I set it to. It’s only been up and running since last night... I hope it proves to work well and gets me through the summer with less tank temp anxiety!!!

 

Here’s a link to their website, if you want to check it out. You can order it from Amazon too, but they didn’t have the install kit on Amazon when I checked. 

https://www.chillsolutions.com/

So its been 2.5 yrs. Hows your chiller holding up ? Ive read a lot of reviews with people complaining 

about them not lasting very long.  I have a 10g that I may need to do something about temp wise.

[banasophia]

On 2/6/2020 at 12:34 PM, dling said:

So its been 2.5 yrs. Hows your chiller holding up ? Ive read a lot of reviews with people complaining 

about them not lasting very long.  I have a 10g that I may need to do something about temp wise.

Hi! I hadn’t heard there was an issue with them not lasting long. I guess you’ll motivate me to take some action on mine. 🙂
 

So... I still recommend it, but I *am* on my second one.
 

Here’s what happened... back in August, the cable guys came to install our new cable. They had to move my tank and stand to do the job and moved it back when they were done. This was all done under my husband’s supervision, so I didn’t see what happened. Within a few days, the chiller stopped working and when I inspected it, it appeared the connection between the two parts of the power cord had warped/melted preventing the two parts from making a proper connection... when I squeezed them together, the chiller still seemed to work normally.

 

It seemed to me at the time the plug had gotten damaged/crushed when they moved the stand. It had just gone out of warranty a month prior, plus I had to go out of town the very next day for Reefapalooza, so luckily my LFS had one in stock that I was able to pick up in the morning and hook up before running to the airport to get to RAP. The new one has been working well since that time. 
 

I never followed up on having the old one repaired since I had a working new one, but when I saw your post yesterday I went to the website and texted with them... they said since it’s out of warranty I will have to pay for the repairs, but I can send it to them and they’ll fix it. So if I can get myself organized tomorrow, I’ll send it out... will keep you posted on the outcome. 
 

If your 10 gallon is an open top tank, though, you may be able to just attach a small fan that you can aim at the water’s surface to take advantage of evaporative cooling... I would do that vs a chiller for an open tank, personally, it’s just hard to do that with a tank that has a lid. You may just need an ATO to replenish the water lost due to evaporation, but that’s cheaper than a chiller. 
 

You might be amazed by the power of evaporative cooling... I served in the Peace Corps in Zambia, Africa for 2 1/2 years (back in 98-2000)... there they used something called an umutondo, or “African fridge,” to keep their food cool/fresh (and Peace Corps volunteers that lived in towns used them to keep beer cool). 🙂 An umutondo is just a porous clay pot that gets filled with water, the water slowly seeps through the pot and as it evaporates off the surface, it cools the water inside, significantly... then the villagers usually kept another container inside holding the food they wanted to keep fresh. And Peace Corps Volunteers living in towns with access to beer kept their bottles of Castle Milk Stout in the cold water... it was always a treat to go into my nearby town and get a nice cold Castle from my fellow volunteer there.

Here’s a pic of the miniature umutondo my neighbor in my village made me to bring back home:

 

 

Anyway, I think my experience with the power of evaporative (beer) cooling, combined with my observation that I get no appreciable evaporation in my tank with its lid, was what made me consider the benefits of running a chiller in a tank with a lid. 

 

[banasophia]

On 9/26/2018 at 9:51 PM, Tamberav said:

Nice to see someone else trying one of these out. I have one and used it in my cold water tank and it kept that tank 60 degrees. Tiny powerhouse! 

How has yours held up over time... is it still working? 

[Tamberav]

1 hour ago, banasophia said:

How has yours held up over time... is it still working? 

It still works but I haven't used it in awhile....I used it for over a year with no problems. I upgraded to a big chiller because using this one to keep a tank at 60 meant it never turned off as 60 degrees is asking a lot! 

[dling]

6 hours ago, banasophia said:

Hi! I hadn’t heard there was an issue with them not lasting long. I guess you’ll motivate me to take some action on mine. 🙂
 

So... I still recommend it, but I *am* on my second one.
 

Here’s what happened... back in August, the cable guys came to install our new cable. They had to move my tank and stand to do the job and moved it back when they were done. This was all done under my husband’s supervision, so I didn’t see what happened. Within a few days, the chiller stopped working and when I inspected it, it appeared the connection between the two parts of the power cord had warped/melted preventing the two parts from making a proper connection... when I squeezed them together, the chiller still seemed to work normally.

 

It seemed to me at the time the plug had gotten damaged/crushed when they moved the stand. It had just gone out of warranty a month prior, plus I had to go out of town the very next day for Reefapalooza, so luckily my LFS had one in stock that I was able to pick up in the morning and hook up before running to the airport to get to RAP. The new one has been working well since that time. 
 

I never followed up on having the old one repaired since I had a working new one, but when I saw your post yesterday I went to the website and texted with them... they said since it’s out of warranty I will have to pay for the repairs, but I can send it to them and they’ll fix it. So if I can get myself organized tomorrow, I’ll send it out... will keep you posted on the outcome. 
 

If your 10 gallon is an open top tank, though, you may be able to just attach a small fan that you can aim at the water’s surface to take advantage of evaporative cooling... I would do that vs a chiller for an open tank, personally, it’s just hard to do that with a tank that has a lid. You may just need an ATO to replenish the water lost due to evaporation, but that’s cheaper than a chiller. 
 

You might be amazed by the power of evaporative cooling... I served in the Peace Corps in Zambia, Africa for 2 1/2 years (back in 98-2000)... there they used something called an umutondo, or “African fridge,” to keep their food cool/fresh (and Peace Corps volunteers that lived in towns used them to keep beer cool). 🙂 An umutondo is just a porous clay pot that gets filled with water, the water slowly seeps through the pot and as it evaporates off the surface, it cools the water inside, significantly... then the villagers usually kept another container inside holding the food they wanted to keep fresh. And Peace Corps Volunteers living in towns with access to beer kept their bottles of Castle Milk Stout in the cold water... it was always a treat to go into my nearby town and get a nice cold Castle from my fellow volunteer there.

Here’s a pic of the miniature umutondo my neighbor in my village made me to bring back home:

 

 

Anyway, I think my experience with the power of evaporative (beer) cooling, combined with my observation that I get no appreciable evaporation in my tank with its lid, was what made me consider the benefits of running a chiller in a tank with a lid. 

 

Thanks for the reply and good luck on getting the other one fixed. Great story also. 😉

 

[nanoreeFan]

Thanks for all your feedback here Bana. A happy Nova Tec iceprobe user here for a year with a bayite Temperature Controller BTC201. Here is a DIY holder from Victor A.  bent up with acrylic to hang in the tank. Thought it was clever so just passing it along. Thanks

[banasophia]

3 hours ago, nanoreeFan said:

Thanks for all your feedback here Bana. A happy Nova Tec iceprobe user here for a year with a bayite Temperature Controller BTC201. Here is a DIY holder from Victor A.  bent up with acrylic to hang in the tank. Thought it was clever so just passing it along. Thanks

Cool, thanks for posting! Any pics of it installed in the tank? 

[nanoreeFan]

I have a little write up here if it helps anyone out. 

https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/topic/411289-diy-chiller-nova-tec-ice-probe/