Looking for Opinions on my next equipment purchase...what would you do?

theplantman

Active Member
The joys of living in a farmhouse in WV abound. You have the acreage, the stream, wildlife, no light pollution, peace, quite and tranquility:whstlr:.......you also have a 230 year old historic house that is insulated about as well as a 1974 AMC Gremlin...:snow: and is heated by you guessed it, a million fireplace/wood burning stoves. :bmcflme:So all winter long I had 300 watts of heater in my 34 gallon tank to control the temp at night. (Yes it actually needed both and both ran full time at night)

Well warmer days have hit, earlier than anticipated, 82 degrees Tuesday, the aquarium room was a balmy 76. Translation, even with my 250W metal halide about 10-12" off the water surface, there was still enough heat transfer to drive my temp from 78.8 to 83.3 :eek:by the time I got home from work. So added a fan that I had just in case, removed one of the two 150watt heaters and by the time I finally crept to bed after chores were done :drunk:tank dropped to 80. Starting temp yesterday was 77.8 degrees outside temp was 88, inside temp 78 and tank only climbed to 79.5 degrees. Problem solved...... for now. FYI, the room never really got above 85 last year on its hottest days.

I have two upgrades I would like to do first is going LED with an AI Vega Color. The second is a chiller. Here is the chiller I am looking at.

SeaChill TR-10 1/8 HP Aquarium Chiller by TECO* - AquaCave.com

I know its overkill for the 34, but I am thinking about future upgrades to a 120 so might as well buy equipment I can use.

So if I go LED now, it replaces my 250mh plus 48w T5 and my heat transfer problem is solved. Plus I need to worry about acclimation for a tank full of corals if I do it later this summer.
I will still most likely need to add the chiller in July or August.

If I do the chiller first, I'm still burning up the electricity with the old lighting and dumping excess heat into the room, but my temp is stable on the tank until I get the LED's which would most likely be when the bulb needs replaced in September.

Which $600.00 purchase would you make now? Either way, they are both happening, its just the order of implementation. Think I will do some exercises while I await your many opinions. :rougiem:
 

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
Add some more to your budget and go GHL Mitras. It's a great forward thinking product because it would go great with another one over your 120 (or maybe your 180 or 240 . . . ).

Just saying :)
 

theplantman

Active Member
Very nice fixture Allen,:drooool: Although I don't think 190 watts of high power LED is good over my 34, poor little corals would think they are on Mercury. Now however, you did avoid answering the question. LOL
 

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
All I can tell you is: I love checking my tank temp and it is ALWAYS at 78.4 to 79.8° ALL THE TIME :D
(All because I added a chiller....best insurance policy I've bought so far) PEACE OF MIND ;)
Temp stability and reef-like water flow with my Vortech MP10 seems to have kicked my algae troubles to the curb for now. Could be it was just time for them to end naturally cause it didn't happen fast but things have improved.
Now, I'm looking for "WHAT'S NEXT" also ....this is a fun way to spend money :D
 

ReefingFun

Member
I would say go for the chiller. When you go bigger (soonish) anyway, you can buy your LED's then so the corals you put over can acclimate then. I think that would be easier tbh. If you buy a new setup they will need to acclimate again anyway, so might as well use the LED then no?
Also I barely notice a temp difference in my small living room with the chiller. Don't think it will affect your room temp that much. My living room is closed, poorly ventilated and i barely feel a temp difference when the chiller is on so much.
 

theplantman

Active Member
Diana,
So glad to hear your algae troubles are under control. Great job. When I was in Atlanta I maintained a half degree temp swing using my fan set up, but room temps never got above 76 in summer. So you vote for chiller.
 

theplantman

Active Member
I would say go for the chiller. When you go bigger (soonish) anyway, you can buy your LED's then so the corals you put over can acclimate then. I think that would be easier tbh. If you buy a new setup they will need to acclimate again anyway, so might as well use the LED then no?
Also I barely notice a temp difference in my small living room with the chiller. Don't think it will affect your room temp that much. My living room is closed, poorly ventilated and i barely feel a temp difference when the chiller is on so much.

Another vote for the chiller, the new build will be next year most likely, I want to get this one fully up and stocked and growing so it provides coral for the upgrade. The temp difference comes from the MH lighting if I keep them running. This sunpod puts out the heat of a small space heater it seems. Thanks for your input Reefingfun. Oh and good luck to you and your fiancée.
 

theplantman

Active Member
Yep, but if it was ME....I'd just GET IT ALL :yup::pBJ:

Actually thinking about that, but trying to be reasonable about my obsession. Especially with spring here and all the garden stuff that needs to go in too. :flower: 's for the little lady at home:eek:lsmile:
 

Mayja

Social Media Moderator
RS STAFF
My vote: chiller first, lights second. First priority for our tanks is water stability. What's the use of pretty awesome lights if everything in the tank died due to stress? This will give you some time for budgeting/decisions and possible sales for the lights.
 

theplantman

Active Member
Thanks for the reply Mayja, that's 3 for chiller. What we don't have any impractical reefers here? LOL Nobody wants to see another you tube video of a disco tank completely freaking out the fish?:laughroll........:fishy:
 

Mayja

Social Media Moderator
RS STAFF
Thanks for the reply Mayja, that's 3 for chiller. What we don't have any impractical reefers here? LOL Nobody wants to see another you tube video of a disco tank completely freaking out the fish?:laughroll........:fishy:

^This coming from the guy who said he wants to be reasonable with his obsession. :LOL:

Sir, there is nothing reasonable about an obsession. An obsession, by definition, is a compulsive, unreasonable idea or emotion. You are swimming upstream on this one! LOL!
 

theplantman

Active Member
^This coming from the guy who said he wants to be reasonable with his obsession. :LOL:

Sir, there is nothing reasonable about an obsession. An obsession, by definition, is a compulsive, unreasonable idea or emotion. You are swimming upstream on this one! LOL!

:laughroll Unfortunatley Mayja, I am more reasonable than I sometimes want to be and already know the right decision. I just dream about being unreasonable one day.:rolleyes:
 

ReefingFun

Member
:laughroll Unfortunatley Mayja, I am more reasonable than I sometimes want to be and already know the right decision. I just dream about being unreasonable one day.:rolleyes:

To be alive means we can be unreasonable some time and let go once a while. At least that's what I keep telling myself when I come out of the LFS :D
 

theplantman

Active Member
To be alive means we can be unreasonable some time and let go once a while. At least that's what I keep telling myself when I come out of the LFS :D

I have been there numerous times. Sometimes I think they should actually change the abbreviation of LFS to CFW (Currency Free Wallet). That's how I usually leave anyway. LOL I should just go in with only the money I actually want to spend (that is before entering the store):idea:
 

ReefingFun

Member
I have been there numerous times. Sometimes I think they should actually change the abbreviation of LFS to CFW (Currency Free Wallet). That's how I usually leave anyway. LOL I should just go in with only the money I actually want to spend (that is before entering the store):idea:

I'm actually doing that now. I take my 2nd card with me and put only the money on that I want too spend. I know people will say that if it's gone that far, it becomes an addiction. However I find that to care for things like animals or plants is vastly different than a real addiction and is worth every penny I have to see that they have it as good as possible.
 
Top