Here’s the long answer:

If you’re only interested in an aquarium chiller because you live in a warm climate where it’s difficult to control the temperature of your tank in the summer months, or even parts of spring and fall, then no - you don’t need an aquarium chiller in the winter. That said, it’s still the best time of the year to find deals on aquarium chillers, since they sell at a premium in the summer when buyers tend to run into the store desperate to save their tank.

If you use metal halides, however, you may still want to use an aquarium chiller on your tank, particularly if you have a small water volume. I know a lot of people who link to grow SPS corals in nano cubes or other small tanks because they live in apartments or don’t have a large room to dedicate to their aquarium, which leaves them with a lot of powerful lights and not much water volume to dissipate the ambient heat. In this case, an aquarium chiller is an essential piece of equipment year-round to balance out the heat from your lighting rig, although you may need to adjust the temperature in the winter to account for the change in weather.

And if you own a larger tank? That really depends on your tank volume and lighting rig. I know a guy who needs two chillers to cool his 200g tank because of the number of high-intensity lamps that he’s using to light his coral; however, many other hobbyists will be able to properly balance their lighting and tank volume. Ultimately, the aquarium chiller is just another tool to allow you to manipulate the tank space and lighting that is available to you. If you have no interest in stony corals, an aquarium chiller is probably overkill, unless you live in Texas or somewhere similar. However, if you’re interested in a full, vibrant reef set-up, and the kind of lighting that it requires, you’re probably going to need a chiller for at least part of the year.

Check out the store to learn more about what options are best for a tank and lighting set-up like yours.

Iceprobe Thermoelectric Aquarium Chiller

Cooling Ability
Noise Level Score
Price

Available on Amazon for $126 here

*This is ONLY for small tanks*

The Iceprobe is quiet, reliable, and efficient, and doesn’t use gasses or chemicals that could hurt your livestock. However, it’s only ideal for small aquariums. The manufacturer states that it can lower a 10 gallon tank 6-8 degrees, but it just doesn’t work for big tanks - they even say you might need more than one!

I use one on a 24 gallon tank, though, and it works great. It climbed up to 100 degrees this summer, and the air conditioning in my apartment isn’t that great, but with good flow I managed to keep my water temperature in the safe zone.

The Coolworks Iceprobe is currently on sale for $24 dollars off

Let me show you what current owners have to say about it.

JPC1985.,

I bought this chiller because I wanted to have more cooling power for the summer, but didn’t want to buy or install an expensive chiller. I have it set so that if the water temperature reaches 78.5 it turns on, then if the temperature reaches 78.9 the fan turns on too. Since I’ve had it, the fan has only turned on once for a few minutes. I feel that it exactly offsets the heat from the metal halide. I give it 5 stars based on price, easy install, and because it makes no noise!

Review Paraphrased for size – view original review here.

A lot of people have been asking me lately why some people suggest aquarium chillers for seahorse tanks, and other people don’t. It’s not actually a matter of opinion - it depends on the type of seahorse you want to keep.

Different species of seahorse occupy a wide range of habitats across the globe. While many live in tropical areas, there are species of seahorse that live as far north as England, and as far south as New Zealand.

Seahorses from these temperate regions need water that’s much cooler than tropical fish tanks, and in order to keep the water at about 60 degrees Fahrenheit year round, you’re probably going to need an aquarium chiller.

Some of the cold-water seahorse specis are the Pot-bellied seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis), the Cape seahorse (Hippocampus capensis), the Short-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus breviceps), and the Sydney seahorse (Hippocampus whitei). These species are mostly from South Africa, New Zealand, and southern Australia, which is why they need cooler water to survive.

In cooler areas, you can keep these species safely most of the year, though an extended heatwave could certainly be a problem. However, in most areas of the world, an aquarium chiller will be needed year round to keep these seahorses healthy and happy in your aquarium.

Photo by Tambako the Jaguar

My answer: absolutely

I know that buying an aquarium chiller is a big investment, but I tend to think of it like this - an aquarium chiller is an insurance policy. It helps keep your tank stable and keep you from losing the hundreds or thousands of dollars you’ve spent on equipment and animals.

Maybe you’ve got a good hold on your temperature for now; maybe your weather is stable most of the year;

But for me? Knowing that my city gets hit with major heatwaves that last for weeks on end, knowing how hot my metal halide lights get, and knowing that my girlfriend likes to crank the heat in the winter time, I need something that’s going to keep my tank cool.

Frankly, with all the money that people put into building their saltwater aquariums, paying a little bit more to keep them safe just makes sense to me.

I know everyone might not want or be able to afford a big aquarium chiller - the most common question I get is how you can make a cheap aquarium chiller to cool your aquarium without spending a lot of money. Here are the most popular solutions that I’ve tried, and the pros-and-cons of each approach.

1. Clip-on Mini Fans

You’ve probably got 10 of these little fans lying around your house right now, or clipped onto your desk at work, but did you know they’re a popular piece of aquarium equipment? Lots of people have used these fans to cool off their aquarium, from 10 gallon nanos, to rows of fans on a 300 gallon reef tank.
Why are they so popular? Easy: they’re like a cheap aquarium chiller, and they work.

Cost: $8-10

Pros

• Cheap - you can get these for $8-10 bucks at Target, Walmart, or Amazon
• Fast - I’ve had 5 degree temperature drops in half an hour using fans on a really hot day
• Efficient - they don’t use much power , and they can cool your tank multiple degrees

Cons

• Evaporation - and TONS of it! I had to top off 2-3 gallons per day on a 24 gallon tank.
• Salinity and pH swings - imagine what 10% evaporation or more does to sensitive corals and invertebrates. It’s not pretty.
• Gunk - the screens tend to get covered in salt-creep from the evaporating water, and cleaning it can be a real pain.

2. Bags of ice cubes/frozen bottles of water

This is what it sounds like: take a bag, fill it with ice cubes, pop it into your tank, filter or sump.

Cost: $0-5

Pros

• Dirt-cheap - I’m sure you’ve all got water and a freezer
• Super-fast - Ever put ice in a soda? This works, and in no time
• Easy - you’ve probably already got the supplies you need under your roof right now

Cons

• Poisoning/Contamination - saltwater’s hard to freeze, and RO/DI is expensive. But if tap water leaks from the bottle or ziploc, and chlorine gets out, your tank is toast /li>
• Rapid temperature swings - ice works well, but ice works fast, and you could lose livestock if the temp goes too quickly. Been there, done that - it sucks.
• Plastic problems -I’ve heard rumors of plastic bottles cooking under halides; this is a disaster, but should be ok if it’s in the sump.

3. Heat sinks/CPU Fans

If you’re a DIY fan, using heat sinks and computer exhaust fans can be a very cheap way to keep your tank cool.

Cost: $30-50

Pros

• Cheap/Efficient - low energy costs, and low entry costs, if you can do the wiring yourself
• Powerful - this is a serious machine, if you can build it. The technology is sound, and works like a charm..

Cons

• Electronics skills - I don’t know about you, but I can’t wire this. It’s better for me to buy a professional chiller than to hire someone to set this up. /li>
• Only room temp. - while these systems are very efficient, they can’t cool a tank past room temperature; that means they can counter-act hot lights, but not beat the summer heat
• Complications - if you’re doing your own electronics, you’d better do them well; if my chiller craps out, Current USA will fix it, and I don’t have to pull an all-nighter rewiring my system.

I hope this gave you guys some good information about DIY aquarium chiller solutions; let me know if you’ve tried anything like this in the comments, I’d love to know how it went.

1/3 HP Current USA Prime Tower Chiller

Cooling Ability
Noise Level Score
Price

On Sale on Amazon for $184 off

According to Amazon.com, Current’s Prime 1/3 hp aquarium chiller is the best-selling aquarium chiller on their site. This is an awesome aquarium chiller, powerful and quiet, and made out of really high quality stuff, like all of Current’s products (I use their Sunpod metal halide lights on my tank and absolutely love them.)

Benefits:

• Strong enough for a wide range of aquariums, in case you upgrade
• Insulation and rubber feet make it one of the quietest aquarium chillers on the market
• High-quality manufacturing from Current USA

Heat is a factor that can adversely affect both humans and animals and if you own an aquarium you must be well aware that each type of fish needs to live in a temperature that mimics their natural habitat. Both freshwater and saltwater fish cannot live in temperatures that are warmer than the normal temperature for their species. Cold water fish especially have a hard time surviving in a warm aquarium water.

If the water is too warm then this can lead to the death of your fish which is something all aquarium owners want to avoid. If you have a saltwater aquarium then it is crucial for you to remember that the margin for error is even less in a saltwater aquarium. Even if the temperature of the water goes up by one or two degrees this can be fatal for the health of your fish. Reef aquariums and invertebrate setups in particular are very delicate and the organisms cannot withstand warmer water than usual since these organisms are very delicate.

Both freshwater and saltwater aquariums require dissolved oxygen in the water in order to allow the fish to breathe without any problems. Saltwater aquariums in particular contain lesser dissolved oxygen as compared to freshwater and losing more oxygen will not be good for the fish. Insufficient oxygen can cause fish to gasp for air and the end result may be tragic. The main cause for insufficient dissolved oxygen in an aquarium is higher temperatures of water which cause the dissolved oxygen from the water to be let out into the air faster which causes a lack of dissolved oxygen.

Some people try running an air conditioner to help reduce the temperature of the aquarium water. This practice is not usually successful since the temperature has to be reduced every day for 24 hours till the hot season is over, and it is not practical and in some cases even possible to run an air conditioner for such long periods of time.

Aquarium chillers are the best option if you want to invest in equipment that will help you cool the temperature of the aquarium water and help you protect your precious and expensive fish or invertebrates. Aquarium chillers can also help you maintain sufficient amounts of dissolved oxygen in the water as they cool down the water temperature to the desired temperature.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Richard_Gilliland
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