Chillers

Chillers are the opposite of heater! They cool the water to an acceptable level. There are a few reasons to need a chiller and a few different types of chillers.

Why would I need an aquarium chiller?
Ambient temperature in homes is a large factor in aquarium temperature control. Generally room temperature is too low for aquariums and we need heaters to bring it up to an inhabitable temperature. Room temperature has a large effect on the water in both warming and cooling ways. You should always have a thermometer and keep your tank temp between roughly 75 and 82 degrees, however you should tweak your aquarium temperature to what is best for your species of fish.

Another reason for abnormally high tank temperatures is heat from equipment. This problem usually occurs in reef tanks that have a lot of equipment inside the water. This includes things like power headers, water pumps or any other electronic device that gives off heat. Lighting in aquariums is usually what affects the water temperature the most. Most of the heat can be extracted by using hood fans to remove the heat. Heat that is transferred to the water can be dealt with by blowing a fan over the water surface, if that doesn’t help you may need to invest in a chiller.

What types of chillers are there?
There are submersible chillers and inline chillers. Submersible chillers have a coil that is cooled similar to how air conditioners cool the coils that the air is blown through. This coil is put directly into the water, usually in a sump. In line chillers actually pump water through the cooled coils inside the chiller. Contact of the warm water with the cool coils transfers heat to the coils from the water. Heat from the water is transferred into the air so it is important that the chiller is placed in a well-ventilated area to keep the hot air from re-warming the tank.