Help!? Need "chill" advice for Nano tank!

[6TankReefer9]

Sooo... Living in Central California, where it's already hitting the 90's and temps will averaging 100+F all summer, what's my best bet into chilling a 10-15gallon nano setup. I've been looking into and reading about the Thermoelectric Chillers however from what I've gathered they only pull out or draw heat away from the tank if the room temperature is much colder than the tank, yet as the tank is situated upstairs and the home AC is typically set to 80f with the room that the tank is in getting much warmer it doesn't seem like the thermoelectric chiller is the route to take. That leaves me thinking that the best bet is just to go with the JBJ Artica 1/15hp chiller route, with my main reservation being it's in the room that I sleep in and since it's run on Refrigerant should ozone or possible refrigerant leakage be of concern? Also, are there any other viable cooling options that I am missing? Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[James M]

A chiller seems over kill for a 10-15 gallon.
You can use desktop fans on eBay

 

[Mudder]

How much warmer than 80 degrees F does the room get where tank is set up?

if around 80 I would try James advice and try a fan or 2

 

[6TankReefer9]

How much warmer than 80 degrees F does the room get where tank is set up?

if around 80 I would try James advice and try a fan or 2

80F is room temperature, but with the powerhead, heater, and return pump + lights, which all add heat to the system, the tank can get close to 90F, and a fan will not reduce the temps by 10F and will only contribute to greater evaporation. I'm looking for a stable solution.

 

[Ebslinger]

I have been thinking the same thing... Yesterday it hit 89 degrees here in Roseville, CA and tank temp went up to 79...I also keep the house at about 79 - 80 degrees in the summer. Or try to, it's hard when the wife wants to open the house up and air it out...

I took a look at the JBJ Artica and might pull the trigger.

I wouldn't worry about a refrigerant leak... I think the small amount that it holds wouldn't cause a problem. Plus, isn't it heavier than air?

 

[Ebslinger]

It looks like JBJ uses R-134A which has a insignificant ozone depletion potential.

 

[Ebslinger]

I may have spoken a little to soon... It looks like California outlawed R-134a effective 1 Jan 2019...

You might not be able to buy one...

 

[Mudder]

I do understand the temp stability if reaching 90 degrees might be a little high.Thats why I asked how warm..I have a 55 gallon in the upstairs game room that does fine with a couple fans on it..but the room probably don't get much hotter than 82 or 83 .I have no experience with the JBJ Artica series chillers..I have been running a Hamilton tech chiller for over 4 years on my SH tank with no issues .don't know if I would want it in my bedroom though.

 

[6TankReefer9]

Yeah, California is getting a bit crazy with all the laws. I wasn't able to buy the Air Purifier that I wanted either because certain manufactures, especially smaller ones, who don't have all the permitting budgets to pay all the legal fees, even if their products meet the code. If a product exhibits a clear health violation, then that's one thing, but if it's just like smog where the state pockets the money, that's another.

 

[ZoWhat]

Float one of these... preferably in a sump area. Let your heaters balance out if the frozen water bottle makes the saltwater too cold

I have a 180 and float two frozen gallon milk jugs in my sump when the statement climbs over 82. It works great

 

[6TankReefer9]

Float one of these... preferably in a sump area. Let your heaters balance out if the frozen water bottle makes the saltwater too cold

I have a 180 and float two frozen gallon milk jugs in my sump when the statement climbs over 82. It works great

Yeah, I'm familiar with that technique however it doesn't work as well in hotter states or smaller units, especially if I have to go out of town for a week, and with the house AC off the ambient temperature would be in the 90's, so wouldn't be a tangible long term solution, and I'd rather fork out a a few hundred then have to daily maintain and worry about tank stability.