Chiller choice

[rcdude]

My tank temp has been as high as 84 degree lately and I am seriously thinking about a chiller. I like the Current USA 1/10hp size as the size of it would fit my cabinet nicely. Also it has a high BTU. The UMI is just too small. Please let me know what you think. Thanks

[KDodds]

1/10th hp on a 75 running 84ºF? Phew, only if you want it to run all day long, maybe, especially if you're putting it in the stand. Couple of things you should know...

If you stand at the back end of an air conditioner, you knwo the heat you feel? Well, chillers are the same, they exhaust a LOT of heat. Exhausting this heat right into the vicinity of the tank, especially if there's a sump that's also going to receive the heat, will be counter-productive and you may spend all of the wattage for little to no gain (or loss in temperature, as it were). At the VERY least I would install it NEXT TO the stand, and make sure the room stays ventilated. Better yet if you could install it in a remote room, but I know that's a pipe dream for a lot of people.

The second thing you should know is that most chillers, like most aquarium equipment, are over-rated with regards to tank capacity. For a 75, assuming you want a potential drop to 80ºF for 84ºF, I would use no less than a 1/3hp chiller.

We're actually using the Current on a (to be) temperate seahorse tank. It keeps the 40g at 65ºF just fine, but the baseline is much lower than your 84º (around 75ºF, if I remember correctly). And still, especially around midday, it runs too much for my liking. This is in a room that never goes above 72ºF.