Chiller Reccomendations Needed

Okay, I need a chiller. I hopes not to need one, but my tank hit over 80 F yesterday on a day that was under 95 F, so I clearly need one.

I'd like to spend as little as possible, while still getting a reliable unit that can hold my 46 gal. to 76 F or under in 95+ F conditions. I'd love a combined heater/chiller system, but I'd like to spend $350.00 or less.

The two units I've been looking at are:

CL-280 Titanium Chiller, $339.99

Does this go in-line with my canister filter?

PJC 70 Peltier Chiller, $250.00

Not sure about reliability and performance on this one.

Any and all suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks.

 

I have the Pacific Coast CL-280. I got it from http://www.captivereefs.com. It works great. It should do the job for you. It's inline so you will need something like a Mag-5 or Mag-7 to run the water through it. I don't think the peltier will have the strength to hold that temp down. Whatever you do don't get a drop in! They are more like toys to me. Your only problem will be the fact that you don't have a sump. I don't know where you can put your pump. I guess you could put it in the tank. Any other ideas on this you guys?

 

a friend of mine has that pacific coast one also and he loves it. i have got a techclima on my reef but it was kinda expensive, but it does have a heater in it also, i in effect have 2 heaters in my reef. i also have a jalli titanium heater in the sump. the pacific coast should do the trick very nicely. great price too.

 

Hope you don't mind my jumping in here for a minute. I'm also checking around for a chiller. Had thought about the combo but was talked out of that. They were saying if one part of the unit goes out then basically they are both out cause you have to take it out to be repaired. So what's a good one to use in line (120 gl reef) that won't put out a lot of heat in the room ?

Good luck with your search for a chiller. I'll be listening in for any other thoughts or recommendations.

Thanks!

Cindy

 

It sounded like the Peltier chiller was not up to the job, so I went with the CL-280 and purchased a Gen-X 4100 pump (1050 GPH at 0') to power it. Apparently it can all be setup in-line and no sump is required. This was the universal reccomendation from everyone I talked to. I paid ~$417 at Reef Exotics, with shipping, for the chiller and pump.

So, do I get rid of my canister filter now? I'll be approximately quadrupling my water flow in the tank (to around 550 GPH.) If so, should I put something else in-line with the chiller for filtration? I already have a protein skimmer and 50 lbs. of live rock (Premium Aquatics Fiji, which is absolutely thriving.) Is there something else I can put in-line with the chiller and pump that will clean as well or better without adding dead spots? Suggestions are welcomed.

 

It would have to be some kind of canister type filter to put inline with that Gen-X. Maybe you could try an Ocean Clear canister. I've always liked those. I really think you should get a sump. You could maybe even do a fuge. I think it's Matt that can tell you the pains of being sumpless. If you don't have room that's cool. It was just a suggestion.

 

Forget About Buying Any Current USA Prime 1/15hp or 1/10hp Chillers

Whatever you do, forget about buying the Current USA Prime Chillers. I Have Three of them and after a year they all bomb out with the same symptoms. They just simply refuse to cool as if the r-134a gas has leaked out. I don't believe they are of very good quality. I have been searching high and low for someone to repair them because after the 1-year warranty is up, they simply say you should just buy a new one. Our landfill is covered with crappy products that don't last long enough or cannot be serviced because of no replacement parts etc. Products that cannot be serviced should be banned especially those one time use chillers.

 

I have an artica chiller. I think it is 1/4 HP and it brought my tank down from 84.9 to 77 where I had it set with no problem rather quickly.This was for a 75g, but I purchased it with the knowledge I was moving up to a 125g in a matter of months.

I am not familiar with other chillers, but I really like this one. It is super easy to run and control (as are all now a days I am sure) but it also does not take up a lot of room or make a lot of noise. I did not notice a lot of heat coming from it either