Which is the best Chiller?

[SSunthar]

Hi experts, planning to start a 5ft mixed reef, what will be the best chiller for the tank? All suggestions and recommendations are welcome. Thanks.

 

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[Jimbo]

Hi, I am by no means an expert. But I would recommend a drop in chiller instead of the conventional aquarium chiller. The key considerations for drop in is due to size of your tank, a normal chiller will take some time to cool your tank. Add on sound (depending on chiller model) and heat given off by chiller, the chiller placement is also important as you do not want the heat of the chiller to affect your tank.

I am sure fellow reefers would be able to give contacts for drop in chiller installation and I see commonly Derrick being recommended.

Cheers

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[SSunthar]

Hi Jimbo

Good points, thank you very much.

Cheers. 

 

[R0B]

The worst chiller would be one under powered for the task. Not only would it not be able the chill the tank, it would be on all the time using up electricity and venting hot air, which would be made worse if you keep the chiller indoors. A bad chiller would have no secondary temperature control to attach to, or has been plumbed in such a way that makes it inefficient - such as the chiller input and output run to and from same chamber for example, or feed pump is inappropriate (too fast or too slow).

What I am trying to say is that even a good brand chiller implemented incorrectly would make it sub-optimal. That said here is my take on some brands

Teco brand is very popular world wide as it is both reliable and good performance. The TK500 should be capable of happily keeping a 5 foot tank in perfect conditions, although is pricey. (It also has a built in heater). Hailea is another popular brand much cheaper, personally I have never had an issue with them my hp66a runs a 500L system and has been sat outside for 3 years and worked perfectly fine. They have just updated their model line so worth checking out. Other brands such as Artic also available (I never owned one so cannot comment). Chillers with own compressors and coils are possibly the most powerful and a lot of people use them here in Singapore. They typically range from 1hp to 3+hp. The only issue is inital cost (although they do pop up on the forum so good bargains to be had), running costs (can easily be kept down with external probe), installation placement, and ensuring coil is appropriate for reef tank (titanium coil is best), but they are easily serviced by any AC tech.

Chillers arc in my mind essential. Not only do they keep your macro environment stable, but also cooler temps help keep dissolved oxygen levels optimised. So good luck in your search.

[Schwantz]

For a 5 foot tank, I wouldn't consider anything other than a drop in coil. You just have to size the correct HP. My 3 feet outdoor tank takes just 17 mins to cool down 1 degree at mid day. I use a Dailkin 1hp .

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[SubzeroLT]

Agree with earlier comments - compressor / drop in coil for 5ft is the most practical option. 

Personally i have a 1hp Daikin compressor next to my tank. The hot air in an apartment isn't great but got used to it.

 

One thing to note is to design your sump such that you get good flow across the drop in coil for maximum efficiency. 

 

 

[SSunthar]

Hi Rob,

Very insightful sharing, thank you very much.

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[SSunthar]

Hi Schwantz & SubzeroLT,

Thank you very much for your suggestions, drop in coil is something I am considering too. However, am a little overwhelmed with what required to be done (e.g. piping, connection to compressor, etc.) given the planned locatiom of the tank.

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[jeff lam]

Thanks for the sharing :,)


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