Chiller for a 120g

I have a heater in my tank , but in Fla. it never gets cold enough to come on !! Have 3 -175w , 14000 k SPS bulbs with a fan on top of canopy and one on the side , they both push air out of canopy !!!!

 

All my chillers has like a 3 degree flucuation. One of my chillers has a plug in for heaters. That way if it does get to cold it is in sync with the chiller perfectly. I dont use heaters. My tank is still 80 deg with no lights on.

 

The chiller will depend on the maker. Most have sized their unit for tanks so you just have to look at their chart. I have a 1/10hp on a frag/ Q-tank and 1/3 hp on my 265g and have no problems with it. I only let my tank fluctuate 0.3 degrees before I turn the chiller on. I don't like for it to move a hole degree. The gph will have an effect on that too. My 1/3 hp runs about 1,300gph thru it so it cools the water pretty quick. I run a external TradeWinds but there are JBJ's and others out there. Watch the no name brands on flee-bay.

 

I agree with what Otty says, go with a reputable brand. I used the JBJ calculator to figure out which ones I would need.
How to Size a Chiller
A 120G would need at least a 1/5hp chiller from what I would guess. I have a 1/15hp chiller on my 20G tank, and a 1/5 on my 150G to give you an idea. If you have a smaller chiller on your system lowering your flow through it will help chill the water better, more contact time. I should have gone with a 1/4hp, but didn't think to go bigger being a noob back when I bought it.

 

How are you thinking about installing the chiller ? near the tank or outside or like i did in a garage ? The chiller really needs to be as far from the newly de-heated water as possible

 

I just got some nice fans from big lots for $8 a piece. They push quite a bit of air and very quiet.

 

I had a 1/10 on my 120 gallon. ( got it at petsolutions.com) it worked great as long as in the summer time the AC was on in the house. when the house warmed up to 80 when I was on vacation the 1/10th was struggeling to keep up and my tank warmed up a little bit. Since then I have added to volume (~220 gallons now) and I added a 2nd 1/10 chiller and they work great. it was a bit more expensive getting 2 smaller ones then one larger, but this way if one fails, the other will still be there ( I have a single controller for both chillers and both my heaters )

 

ok bumped the heaters down to 77 and had the house at 69 degrees today and the temp was still at 80 deg. It has to be the lights in the canopy. I am going to try some fans but me being me and my luck I think I will still need a chiller because it was not hot in the house today and that is just always my luck. Got to spend more money. Tangster if I do need to install a chiller it will be on the outside of the stand next to it. Not to purdy I know but I have heard the chillers in the cabinet will create a lot a heat as well.

 

It does create a lot more heat in the cabinet. I put in a small box fan on top of the chiller to push out the air. I plan on installing some vents and fans in the bottom. I'm sure its not a good idea, but I like to find out why. Plus I have a 7' cabinet, that helps a lot.

 

You shouldn't need to put your house a/c at 69. Your electric bill will be crazy. You are trapping heat some where. Florida is hotter then Georgia and I don't have my a/c on. My house is at 80 right now and so is my tank (with all my light on it.). I am not about to cool a 4000 sf home to chill one tank. My only problem is the heat under my tank from the fuge PC. I have a Schuran Jetstream Calcium reactor and they say not to put the CO2 tank near a heat source.
I am following this thread because I know I will need a chiller eventually but I have been told to go "the old school way" and reduce friction and air the water out to disipate heat. Glass tops are off and I am dreading when summer fully comes and I have to put the a/c on. $$$$$
But, if I HAVE TO get a chiller, I'll probably build a cabinet to house it seperatly with the Calcium Reactor so it's not out in the open looking ugly. I just like everything under one tank.

GOOD THREAD... still following.