Question: Matching a filter to a chiller

[Lachlan McKillo]

Hey everyone,
I need some advice on some filters that would be good to use with the Hailea Chiller 150A.
I plan for my tank to be a 80 liter or 20 gallon about that size.

After doing some research I have found that it either needs to be connected through a canister filter or have it's own pump I figured two birds one stone get the canister filter. So what I would like is some advice on what size filter I should get as i'm sure the filter is going to lose some flow from going through the chiller as well.

I understand not much flow is good for axolotls but it does get quite hot where I live and I want to make sure the chiller makes the whole tank consistently cold.

 

[axowattyl]

Mate,

I think I can help you here, as I have been looking into this extensively recently (yes, due to our recent heat wave).

For a start, this was the cheapest I could find that chiller for:

Chilling & Heating - Hailea Chillers - Hailea HC-150A 1/10hp Chiller Marine Aquarium to 400L - Guppy’s Aquarium Products Online - Hailea HC-150A 1/10hp Chiller Marine Aquarium to 400L

And I went with this cheapy cannister for my four footer:

Internal & External Filters - Pro-Aqua Canister Filters - 1500L/H CANISTER FILTER WITH ALL FILTER MEDIA NEW - Guppy’s Aquarium Products Online - 1500L/H With UV CANISTER FILTER WITH ALL FILTER MEDIA NEW

Which brings me to the question...

Why only 80L??

If you're going to spend the coin, why not find a 3 or 4 footer on a stand for next to nothing on gumtree/ebay, then add these and you're in business.

Definitely run a canister through the chiller by the way.

I got conned into buying a second pump at the LFS, and when I checked the specs on my cooler I would have been fine running the filter through it

PS:

I generally assume these chinese cheapy cannisters are running half the flow rate quoted.

Nothing against Chinese (price is good) but let's face it...they have been known to be creative with the truth when it comes to specs, energy ratings, etc on their products.

 

[Lachlan McKillo]

I got the chiller for $349 including postage from Aqua Wholesale, Pumps, Filters, Chillers & Other aquarium Supplies
The reason I was going to get an 80 liter is I'm probably only going to get one or two axolotl probably just one. And I read that 40 liter per axolotl is good. Bonus is the chiller does not have to work as hard.

My main concern is that the chiller will reduce the flow to much and not filter very well. do you find it messes with the filtration much?

I guess it goes Filter IN - Filter OUT - Chiller IN - Chiller OUT so if anything it would mess with the chiller.

 

[Lachlan McKillo]

Did the tubes on that filter connect to the chiller alright?

 

[axowattyl]

Don't know yet as the filter hasn't arrived yet.

Might be a little trip to bunnings/LFS if it needs to be married up, but I'd expect the hose size is pretty much standard across the board.

 

[ThickAsaBrick]

I have a Zoomed 501 Turtle filter (Amazon.com: Zoo Med 501 Turtle Canister Filter: Pet Supplies) married up to a MaxChill 1/13 HP chiller (Amazon.com: 1/13 HP Aquarium Chiller: Pet Supplies). This filter is a small low flow job and I was worried that it wouldn't have the strength to push water through the chiller. It is recommended to have this filter at tank level and I already have it below the tank. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it worked just fine. I did have to get a pair of converter barbs (Valterra (RF885) 1/2" Barb x 3/8" Barb Reducer Coupler : Amazon.com : Automotive) because the tubing size required for both were not the same.

Good luck getting it all hooked up. Having the chiller eliminated so much stress over keeping the tank at a healthy temperature. I'm in Florida and barely maintained even a tolerable temperature before getting the chiller.

 

[Elise]

When you get a chiller it will have a required flow rate. You will need the canister filter to exceed the minimum flow rate otherwise it will damage the chiller. You also need to make sure you don't add excess media to your canister filter, reducing the flow rate. For a 1/10hp chiller, I would expect the minimum to be around 160GPH(600LPH).

 

[Lachlan McKillo]

Got a refund cause the site had none of the 150's so I got a 130 on the way with a H12 Aquarium Power Filter, It's flow is apparently 1200 the chillers max is 1000 but I doubt the filter flow will really be 1200 and I can always cut it back a bit. Now using a 153L tank looks much better heh. Just hope they have this one in stock...