Need a chiller for my 20gal

Yes, I need a chiller. My home is 2500sq ft of living area. I have a large kitchen/dinning area. My 20gal is in the dinning area of the kitchen and in front of a window. The wooden blind in this window stays closed most of the time. In the afternoon the kitchen/dinning area gets rather warm. We set the programmable thermostat to 78º degrees when we leave the house at 7:00am. Even though it is spring here in Baton Rouge, LA we have had a couple of days of 80º+ and the temp in my tank has hit 80º a couple of times. I keep three frozen water bottles in the freezer in case of an emergency to the lower the temp. Please tell me what chillers and what size you all recommend for this size tank. I want to upgrade to a 65 gallon, but I don't see that happening this year. I would like to get a chiller that will do the job on both the 20 and the 65. I like a temp of 74 to 75 and no higher. I have a heater for the winter so I don't want a chiller/heater combo. Thanks in advance for all the help and suggestions. I have read that the Current USA chiller seem to have problems after a year of run time. I want something that is going to cool well, maintain the temperature and last a long time given monthly maintenance.;D

Thanks again for all the help. It is greatly appreciated.

 

clip on fans - Google Search ;D

 

I would go with just a fan/heater. A chiller is a waste of money IMO on a tank that small. When I put a canopy on my 40 breeder with my halide in there the tank got up to 84 in the afternoon. I put one little computer fan in the canopy and it keeps everything cool.

74-75 seems pretty low..I keep mine at 79. I guess if you keep it steady around there it's no big deal though.

 

I live in SUNNY and HOT Florida. My tank routinely runs 79-81* with zero problems. I believe natural coral reefs exceed 84* at times. If you want to add a fan for your own comfort, I think it's reasonable, but you will need to pay close attention to your parameters as evaportation in a tank that small may cause things to get slightly "interesting".

 

I would advise a fan like the other vets here. If you insist on a chiller, then ice cap small chiller may be your best option.

Chiller = ton of money, raised electricity bill, added ambient heat.

Fan = cheap, very effective, high evaporation.

Edit: I can't vouch for that thing. I was considering it once tho, but the dudes on here advised me against it. I trust their expertise and experience so I heeded. Not trying to steer you wrong, but I think it may work for you, given the size of your car.

 

I have always kept my tanks between 78 and 80 with no problems at all. Are you keeping cold water varieties of corals or seahorses?

~Will.

 

also changing kitchen window to a double pane insulated with low-e glass will lower room's temps a great deal.. or go get some reflective tint film and just tint the window yourself for cheap. if your existing window is single pane glass and no-tint then these two options above will help alot.

 

I keep my tank a steady 82 degrees. Livestock and corals are doing wonderful.

 

No Seahorses, just a pulsating Xenia

Hi Will,

Thanks for the post. I don't have see horses and I only have 1 pulsating Xenia. My concern with the temp was that my tank got to 80 degrees and my snails start to act weird and fall over at the bottom of the tank. As soon as the temp got to about 75º from 80º and stayed there for a couple of days the snails started acting more like themselves again. This is the only reason I ask about the chiller. My clowns did not mine the temp of 80º and neither did my shrimp, royal gramma, or hermit crabs. So let me know what you think about the snails.

Thanks

Gus Gonzalez

 

Sounds like you have margarita snails, they are generally colder water snails. I personally have a JBJ DBI-050 nano chiller that cost me $200 (I got it on sale brand new 2 years ago.) It doesn't cost me much to run, maybe $2-5 extra per month. JBJ chillers (I have 3) are quiet and efficient. I used a fan before getting the chiller, and it does work and is a cheaper method. I would only suggest doing that if you have an ATO in place. If you don't keep an eye on your water level, you will have constant swings in your SG. I would have to top off about < 1g of water per day. Imagine if I forgot to top off after a couple days...