water temperature

[NC2WA]

Deb,

Just think, your tank is as old as some of our young RF members.

Kirk

 

[Damsel13]

Well old is good sometimes

 

[NC2WA]

I hear ya and I'm with ya.

 

[jamiehill]

Your success is very rare, folks have been trying this for years without success. I couldnt get it to work with a chest freezer running at -5F and 500 ft of poly line in block of ice. Whats the secret?

Don

Here are some pictures of my chiller. I try to keep the fridge running at around 40 degrees. Of course, when the pump has water going through it the fridge warms up a bit. It usually stays below 60 though.

Inside the fridge with the hose coiled up.

Inside the fridge where the water comes in and goes out.

Hoses giong into the back.

Full tank shot with the fridge next to it.

 

[Damsel13]

Your tank looks really good. The DIY chiller is too hard for me but thanks for the ideas. Keeping the water near 80F instead of 84F has made a huge difference. I am just getting stressed with changing frozen water bottles to keep the temp. down.

 

[risin]

I think the problem/misconceptions with the mini fridge chillers are that some people try to use them for the wrong reasons. if you are using one to cool a tank that peaks at 85F with no cooling in the middle of the day, then it will work great. If you are trying to constantly cool a tank that can reach 100F (hood+halides) then it's not going to work.

I would say the mini fridge is a good substitute for a fan because it doesn't evaporate the water, not a good substitute for a chiller.

 

[Damsel13]

Well, I don't know but looks like not a good investment. If I want MH at some point I am going to need a chiller. I think I will buy a chiller, then lights.

 

[Damsel13]

Oh actually I will just take out a loan and buy the whole thing ( in my dreams) :lol::lol:

 

[customanimalart]

This does work. I bought a mini-fridge off of CraigsList a while back and converted it into a little chiller. It has been working great at pulling my temp down. I also had been plagued with the 83 degree water problems due to the heat of the last few weeks (not so much the last few days though).

I drilled holes in the back of the fridge and got some flexible 1/2" PVC and wound up about 75' inside of the fridge. I am using a Rio pump to run water from my sump over to the fridge and back. So far, everything is working great. I am using my ReefKeeper to control the Rio pump so that it only runs water through if the temp gets above 80.

that is a neat idea.

 

[NC2WA]

Deb,

<Knock on wood>, but so far I have had no need for a chiller with my MH lights (fourth row of pics). I have fans running across the top of the tank and an attic fan that automatically turns on when the temp in the garage reaches 70 degrees. It pushes the hot air out of the house and sucks the cool air from the crawl space into the garage. The garage is the coolest part of the house.

kirk

 

[Damsel13]

ok my fish are happier!
been rotating the frozen bottles like I am juggling and am keeping the water down to 80F.
I feel like I am tap dancing! Still can't quite come up with a fan idea, even after all the good input. What I want is a fan that can clip upside down to a salty area and not fry. I think that is impossible!

 

[jamiehill]

ok my fish are happier!
been rotating the frozen bottles like I am juggling and am keeping the water down to 80F.
I feel like I am tap dancing! Still can't quite come up with a fan idea, even after all the good input. What I want is a fan that can clip upside down to a salty area and not fry. I think that is impossible!

I bought a small clip on fan at WalMart that really works well. It allows me to clip it in just about any position. Might want to check them out.

 

[NC2WA]

Deb,

I have a fan that clips upside down. I will see if I can get you a pic.

Kirk

 

[Damsel13]

please that would be great! I am not a good shopper. Also has anyone heard that frezzing plastic is toxic? Toxic for all of us?

 

[edwing206]

please that would be great! I am not a good shopper. Also has anyone heard that frezzing plastic is toxic? Toxic for all of us?

That's not true.
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/plastic-cancer-link-hoax.html

 

[risin]

I have a cheap $4 fan from walmart that has been about 4 inches from saltwater for over 10 months and is still running. It's over the sump too, and has some salt creep on it; although, I have very minimum salt creep over all so...

 

[Katchupoy]

I too have those cheap fans. One note though, it collects dust and debris on the fan cover, so you need to clean this regularly. While you are at it, lubricate it also. The debris and dust accumulation on the fan will make it less efficient and blow far less air to the water.

 

[Damsel13]

will be taking a trip to HD. No Walmart near :shock: but might drive out of my regular area if I have to...

 

[Reeferdude]

An improvement may be to place spacers between the coiled hose to create more air flow around the tubing...