Nurse Nini Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Can anyone recommend a good chiller (that doesn't cost an arm and a leg)? We have a 110g and we can't get the temp to stay constant under 80. My husband said that we may need to get a chiller...any suggestions? Thanks! fish.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammondegge Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 have you tried fans yet? i put icecap fans on my sumps and am controlling one setup with the AquaLogic 2Stage Controller http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp...dproduct=AL1713 this successfully dropped the system by 2 degrees and the fluctuation is 78-80. of course this increases evaporation so you would want to set up auto topoff as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammondegge Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 BTW Welcome to ARC Nurse Nini hello.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nurse Nini Posted April 10, 2006 Author Share Posted April 10, 2006 I have two fans blowing in on the Metal Halides...which, btw..should they both be blowing in, or out, or one in and one out? I read on Maast to have them both blowing in, so that's what we are doing. What are icecap fans? confused5.gif Sorry, we are new to the salt water tanks...we have fresh water tanks and a pond, but there is soooo much more involved in salt. We need to figure something out...the AC is on 76 all day so the house is pretty cool. Thanks for the help! and the welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammondegge Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I have two fans blowing in on the Metal Halides...which' date=' btw..should they both be blowing in, or out, or one in and one out? I read on Maast to have them both blowing in, so that's what we are doing.one in and one out. what you have going right now is blowing the heat down to the water surface. if you run one in and one out you will introduce cool air and remove hot air. that may reduce your tank temp by a degree or two. What are icecap fans? confused5.gif really good variable speed 3" or 4" muffin fans http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/fan_tra...ay.html Sorry, we are new to the salt water tanks...we have fresh water tanks and a pond, but there is soooo much more involved in salt. We need to figure something out...the AC is on 76 all day so the house is pretty cool. Thanks for the help! and the welcome! you dont have to use icecap. there are other good fans for around $20. icecap are excellent in the lighting hood as they are variable speed with a temp sensor and will increase speed as temp rises. the controller that i gave you a link to is very nice. i just started using one and the stability of temp has made my tank very happy. running fans on the sump can drop a degree or two as well. lmk if i can help further. robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nurse Nini Posted April 11, 2006 Author Share Posted April 11, 2006 Thanks! We'll change the fan direction and see how that goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 I'd say that Pacific Coast makes a good affordable chiller if you do indeed go that route. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishypets Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 Robert, Did I sell you my two ice caps a while back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammondegge Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 yep, and you cant have them back laughing6.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 Anyone have any experiance with this chiller for the NC12: http://nanotuners.nanocustoms.com/nanotune...&products_id=79 I'm getting one this afternoon, and I wonder what I getting myself into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishypets Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 yep, and you cant have them back laughing6.gif You know I am only running two in a closed canopy and my temp never reaches over 81. BTW my lighting consist of 800W M.H. and 160 T5 actinic. Clint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 Anyone have any experiance with this chiller for the NC12:http://nanotuners.nanocustoms.com/nanotune...&products_id=79 I'm getting one this afternoon, and I wonder what I getting myself into. Well I got mine installed sucessfully. I highly recomend this product to anyone having temp problems with NCs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishypets Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 Cool Andrew..........What size chiller/tank do you have? And if you don't mind what did you spend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 Cool Andrew..........What size chiller/tank do you have? And if you don't mind what did you spend? The chiller integrates into the hood of my 12 gal nano cube. check out the pic in the link I posted. It works fantastic, but there is quite a bit of modification involved. I got a great deal on it. The ICA chiller retails for $90 by itself not including shipping, and I got it for 50 with the chiller, pump, no kink tubing, and precut splashguard from a LRC member here in Lubbock. It brought down the temps immediately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquadoc Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 I showed my friend that link, and he is going to get one for his nano(10g). It has been a time comeing for them to get a hide away chiller for nanos. He said thanks for the link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 I showed my friend that link, and he is going to get one for his nano(10g). It has been a time comeing for them to get a hide away chiller for nanos. He said thanks for the link. Glad I could help. It's nice that people are finaly breaking into the nano market and developing such products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nurse Nini Posted April 12, 2006 Author Share Posted April 12, 2006 So, let me know your opinions....Would it be more cost effective to buy a chiller for my 110g, or change lights while selling my current ones? I have metal halides, and I didn't know if any other lighting systems might provide less heat?. dontknow.gif Anyone have any opinions on this? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammondegge Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 from my experience, properly installed MH lighting adds no more heat ( and in some cases less heat ) than alternatives. pc, t5, and vho all are going to be plased closer to the surface of the water than mh. have you tried adding fans to the sump yet? the increased evaporation will cool the tank. did you switch the fan direction in the hood and did that help any? what are you wanting to keep in the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishypets Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Tell us a little about you canopy. If you have a pic that would be great. Also what is the average temp in your house? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nurse Nini Posted April 13, 2006 Author Share Posted April 13, 2006 We've been keeping the thermostat at home on 76 24-7. In my tank right now I have 3 blue-green chromis, a bubble tip anenome, skunk shrimp, 2 peppermint shrimp, some hermits and snails. I also have some polyps coming out of some live rock that I bought. I tried a pair of black clowns, but they died. Steve at Horizon tested my water and everything is fine. The water temp is between 78-80 constantly right now, once it got up to 84, but that was a while ago when the AC was off. Ultimately I would like to have corals (haven't gotten that far, so I'm still not up to speed on the different types) a pair of clowns, and a couple of tangs. The canopy is pretty tall, prob between 18-20 inches tall...two cirlces cut out of the back for 4" fans, opens up from front, only a few inches of water is shown, it has a barrier to kinda seal off the area the lights are in. confused3.gif sorry if that's not very descriptive...I don't have a digital camera (I know I'm the last person on the planet who uses 35mm film!) so I don't have a pic I can post. I have two led moonlights mounted to the top, along with the two MH's (one is 250 (I think), and the other is 400w). My husband has not switched the flow of the fans yet, and I need to order one for the sump. Suggestions? Thanks! glasses10.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammondegge Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Nini, 78-80 is a great temp range for texas. i wouldnt change a thing, you are doing fine. except the fans. go ahead and switch direction on one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I 2nd that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nurse Nini Posted April 13, 2006 Author Share Posted April 13, 2006 I know this has nothing to do with what I originally posted, but knowing what I have in my tank, and what I want to put in it...can seahorses do well in it? Or should I wait for my next tank for those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammondegge Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 SHs are best kept in special species tanks as they are VERY slow eaters and dont compete well with many fish. here is a link to get you started http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/t...tankmates.shtml you will find that most will suggest tank temps at around 76-78 but i have never had any trouble with H.Reidi's in a 20g at 78-80. they live with a Mandarin, Yellow Watchman Goby, Gorgonians, Sea Grasses, and some select corals. they are AWSOME! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Seahorses are wonderful creatures, but I would advise against it. It is possible but not feasible. A 110 gals is a very large tank for seahorses. It would be hard to provide the proper denisty of food for them in such a large tank. They also like low flow enviorments with lots of stuff to wrap their tail around. Most reef tanks have too much flow for them. The bubble tip anemone would have to come out, as they would be a very expensive meal for it. They are awesome fish, and fun to watch, but they require alot of time and research. I'm not trying to discourage you from keeping them, they are worth all the trouble. Just make sure you do your homework. If you want to pursue keeping them check out www.seahorse.org for more detailed information. Hope this helps. FWIW, Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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