How to have a proper canister + chiller setup

[epicfish]

Hi I been into the hobby for 6 months, fairly new here so bear with me,

I recently upgraded my tank to a 2ft, with no ios. Currently, I am using an underpowered hang-on temporarily to cycle the water. This is my first time using a tank without an ios and chiller thus i need advice on how to setup a canister to chiller config.

So far I have been reading abit and I know I need a chiller 1 size bigger... will a 1/10hp be enough? Also I know I need a canister flowrate higher than the rated chiller spec. Since this is my first time, I don't know what brands of chiller + canister to look out for, I have heard names like Hailea, Resun and Eheim being thrown around...so thats a start for me I guess? Then some suggested having an external temp controller...how do I obtain this? Also, I need it to be cost-effective in the long-run...bill-wise.

Can I have an expert opinion to guide me? Pictures will be a bonus but not necessary Its better when quality info can be reached to as many as possible since it will help for future hobbyists when they google for the subject.

[stevenchia]

U may want to look at arctica chiller if you want less electricity bill. 1/10 is good enough. Can go up to 3 feet. EHIM CANISTER will be thebest. They can run for many years without failing. Eheim pro3 will be good if can afford.

[s0n1c87]

Maybe can consider hailea H28a 1/10 chiller.. its not too bad. cheap and gd i wuld say.

[kira76]

Eheim canister is the way to go! Had one in the early 90s, stored it for 10+ years and bought it out to use few years back before selling it away, only thing I need to change was the O-ring!.

As for chillers, can consider Hailea if on budget. However, problem with Hailea chillers is that the onboard temp probe not very accurate. I ended up DIY my own external temp probe for under $100.

The other question here is do you want to run both the canister and chiller as 2 seperate system loop? Or do you wanna consider connecting them in series, aka, use the canister to pump water back into your tank. Pros and Cons doing so. Pros is you save power and heat load due to not using feed pump for your chiller. Cons is that when the canister connection break, need to siphon again. Also there's a danger of single point of failure for both parameters.

[epicfish]

The other question here is do you want to run both the canister and chiller as 2 seperate system loop? Or do you wanna consider connecting them in series, aka, use the canister to pump water back into your tank. Pros and Cons doing so. Pros is you save power and heat load due to not using feed pump for your chiller. Cons is that when the canister connection break, need to siphon again. Also there's a danger of single point of failure for both parameters.

Thanks for your input Can you elaborate on the Cons? How do you break siphon?

Also The 2 separate system loop setup means I'll need individual pumps for chiller?

[KELVINx3]

for canister buy the best you can. ehiem will be great. but if there's a chance upgrade your tank with sump system. just my humble opinion canister are fresh water technology

[建沅]

For 2ft, you can choose a 1/10 hp chiller. There are several brands out there in the market, Hailea,Resun,Teco,Artica.

Hailea and Resun 's inbuild thermostat is not very accurate though, to overcome it you'll need to DIY an external thermostat to more accurate reading.

For filter, most people will recommend Eheim as they have spare parts readily available.

What i did for mine is to get a inlet > prefilter > canister > chiller > outlet > tank

[epicfish]

Thanks for your input guys I have decided to get a sump instead, anyone got experience on how to get an exetrnal temp sensor done? which shop and pricing? I want the chiller to cool the volume of water in the tank only so that way I know its the real tank temp I am looking at