Question: Intel on chillers?

[chemgrl08]

OK, I am preparing to put my axies in their aquarium, and I feel pretty confident that I should invest in a chiller (I live in Miami, FL. Quite hot!) Now, the aquarium I will be putting them in has the same setup, but some fish (in order to initiate nitrogen cycling; they will be removed when the axies go in.) This tank tends to set at around 69.9-70.5*F. This is a tad too high for my comfort.
I don't want to use fans due to surface water disturbance and higher rates of evaporation.
Does anybody have a "favorite" chiller? I see a lot that are quite pricey ($250-$350) but I'm wondering if this nano-chiller (CoolWorks Ice Probe with Power Supply) will do the job. It isn't rated for a 30 gallon tank, but I wonder if it would be enough to lower the tank temp just enough? Or, if I am going to spend the money, should I just get a "real" commercial chiller?
Has anyone had good experience with the DIY chiller? (DIY Do It Yourself Aquarium Chiller - DIY Do It Yourself Aquarium Chiller) I have a mini fridge to use, but it doesn't have a freezer section as the instructions suggest. At the "least cold" setting, the fridge cools water to 50*F, so the "very cold" setting would probably be good. Do you think this is ok?
I just want to do all the necessary research before I spend the money. Its big investment! Thanks for any tips!

 

[michael]

What size tank do you want to chill? I've found the ice probe chiller to be o.k. to drop a few degrees but it has it's limitations. I suspect much the same for nano chillers. I'm using a 1/13 h.p. Aqua Euro chiller for an 18 gallon tank and it seems appropriate for a 20 to 60 gallon tank. For the Aqua Euro you would also need to get a pump. The whole thing should cost a little over 300.00. It is a recent introduction and seems to fill the gap between nano chillers and huge chillers.

 

[chemgrl08]

Yes, Sorry I should have specified. Looking to cool a 30gal tank. Thanks for the opinion, any other voices out there?

 

[jb1]

I just got a 1/13 h.p. Aqua Euro chiller for a 29 gallon tank and have been running it for about a week. It seemed like a good match for a fairly small tank, and I'm very happy with it-- it's in our living room and is very quiet, even quieter than the constant gurgling from another aquarium's HOB filter. I'm using it to bring down our air conditioner's ambient temperature of 78F (it's 101F outside here in Central Texas) down to 69F. The compressor kicks in when the temp rises to about 70/71F, which can take several hours; I think having the full 29 gallons of water in the tank helps preserve the temperature (thermal inertia); it kicks in far less than our central air conditioner.

It was expensive, but in my opinion, well worth it. I couldn't get the temperature this low using bags of ice cubes and frozen water bottles, and my wife appreciates having ice cubes for her drinks.

 

[chemgrl08]

Thanks for the intel guys! I was able to find what seems like a good chiller on ebay. Its a 1/15 hp, Prime brand. I got a pretty good price on it; they retail for $350, and I got a used one for $220 (Shipping included!) Its seems to be in good shape and has a return warranty on it, so I'm looking forward to getting it in the mail. A little bit of a gamble buying online when you can't see the product, but I've I haven't had too much trouble with ebay in the past. Plus, if I ever need to sell it, South Florida seems to be a like a pricey chiller area, so it should be sold easily. (But lets hope the axies live long enough not to require that!)
And also, as a random aside, how awful is this icon?! :kill: Like, really? So violent! lol

 

[jb1]

Congrats on the chiller! It's a hefty investment... but what else can you do when the outdoors temp is hitting 104F/40C? I made mine promise not to croak on me ("indicate your agreement by flapping your gills") and I'd like to believe that they appreciate the sacrifice. Nevertheless, I'm weaning 'em off black worms and putting 'em on pellets.

:happy:

(Isn't that icon a reference to Neal Boortz's solution for thugs?)