Aqarium Chiller Cheap

Break out the ducktape !

Moderator: snoopdog

Post Reply
User avatar
AgeDynasty
Amoeba
Posts: 191
Joined: Fri Jan 08, 2010 2:37 pm
Are you a Bot ?: No
Location: Saraland,AL

Aqarium Chiller Cheap

Post by AgeDynasty »

I am thinking of making a Emergency Aquarium Chiller for the hot summers, problem arises like so many other people I don't have the money to purchase one. So after much testing I have a made me aquarium chiller from 1 Styerfoam Ice Chest, 25ft of Quater Inch Tubing, One Small Aquarium Pump with enough push to push water through the lines. So here is the plan. :!: Styerfoam IceChest, Drill two wholes horizontal to each other near the top. The Tubing will be coiled starting at the base of the cooler assembly and go all the way to the top. And the tubing will be ran back into the tank. The cooler will be filled with Ice and the pump will pump tank water through the lines while be cooled by the ICE and then be returned to the sump. Give me your opinions, I will starting on it this weekend and thoughts or ideas would be welcomed. I know the burdon of changing the ice out everyday will be no fun but its a temporay soultion till I can get a chiller.
150 Gallon Mixed Reef
75 Gallon Mixed Reef
40 Gallon Frag System
User avatar
andy4499
Chromis
Posts: 1580
Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2004 5:26 pm
Location: Daphne, AL

Re: Aqarium Chiller Cheap

Post by andy4499 »

A long time ago I almost made a DIY chiller, bought all the parts and never put it together. So I sold everything. I came to find out that I really did not need one. What you will be doing is a good Idea in though but I think it would be just the same as taking bags of ice and floating them in the tank until it melts. I would think you really don’t need a chiller you just need to find out why your water is running hot. Install a fan in the canopy or in the stand and get the air circulating. I run 4 MH (3x 400w and 1x175w) on my tank and the highest I have ever seen my water is 81 degrees. In the long run you could end up spending more on ice then you would on a chiller.

So my suggestion is to find the root of the problem, before buying a chiller.
225 Gallon Aquarium, Two 40 gallon frag tanks, 75 gallon refugium, 30 gallon sump
neptune aquacontroller III
Lighting = 3 x 400 watt MH, 4 x 6' VHO's,
Pumps = Panworld 100 (return), 2 x Vortech MP40, Seio 1500
ASM G-4 Skimmer, GEO calcium reactor.
Post Reply