It’s starting to warm up in the UK, I think summer could be here.

[stevesparkes]

It’s started warming up in the UK, I don’t have a chiller so I’m doing everything I can to ensure the water temperature doesn’t get to warm. I’m running a RSM130D and so far my temp is where I want it but the house is warming up and not cooling down, so I’m focusing on ways to keep the temperature within the limits. This is what I doing so far.

1. Rear fan is on.
2. Lights are on for 8 hours a day
3. Rear skimmer lid is left open.
4. Front lid is left open

Tonight I will be placing a portable table fan directed at the tank to hopefully ensure temperature don’t start rising. Everything is working so far and I managing to keep my temperature between 24 C - 75 F & 28 C - 82 F. This is my first summer, the temperature’s don’t get silly in the UK normally so it’ll be interesting to see how it all go’s.

 

[Nowellsy SNR]

You should be fine hopefully things wont get to warm for you

Good luck Steve

My house is fine till the sun starts to hit my house in the late afternoon it gets so warm

 

[Max250]

It's hot here in scotland too. My chiller has been on all day almost.

steve, another fan over the water surface would work.

 

[Monkeyboy]

I got home from work yesterday to find out my tank was hot (83.5 F) I'll admit i paniced a little and got every fan in the house pointing at the tank. Took me an hour before my temp got to a satisfactory level. Fortunatly all seems ok.

 

[screemer]

I've had a few wonky moments too with temp but a desk fa and the lid open soon cools it. Fortunately i have it in a room which doesnt get any sun.

 

[Max250]

A chiller does 'pay for itself'. Just taking all that 'overheating' stress out of your reefin life, was worth it alone for me. Some good deals on second hand ones...

 

[Tufftey]

Looks like we are all panicking, my temperature has got up to 30 and isn't really falling below 28 at the moment. At what point does it become dangerous for the fish and corals?
I'm thinking of getting a chiller does anyone have any recommendations. I'll need one to fit in the 130 and sorry to sound stupid but how does a chiller work (apart from cooling the water that is)? Will it fit in the back or does it need to go in the cupboard?

 

[imaccat]

Will it fit in the back or does it need to go in the cupboard?

Not sure what you mean by 'fit in the back', my chiller is 33.8 x 21.8 x 32.5 cm and fits in the cabinet of my 250, not sure about the 130 sizes though. It needs to have space around it to work properly so it has a flow of air around it. Some people have them in the cabinet and others to the side of the tank.

+1 to MAX250s comments, trying not to gloat here, but I have no worries about temp!!!

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

I have never run a chiller, outside temps in Arkansas get up to 105F (41 C) & imo 83 (28.33 C) and under is fine... I do run air conditioning all summer & keep the house at 74 (23.3 C)

 

[brookejk]

Ive got a Deltec 750 on my 250 but i still keep a couple of frozen plastic bottles in the freezer that i can float in the tank in an emergency to bring the temp down !.

 

[Tufftey]

Just found out my mil has a portable air conditioning unit so I'm going to try that, I'll keep the frozen plastic bottle idea though if I have an emergency, hadn't thought of that. The trouble with the British weather is it's so unreliable, by the time a chiller arrived it would probably be cold, wet and raining, but I am going to cost them up and keep an eye out on Ebay.

 

[stevesparkes]

Cheers for the feedback, I'm managing to keep on top of the temperature at the moment and I’m reasonably confident that I’ll be OK.

The ice bottle is a good idea and one I’ve used before when I had tropical fish.

The temperature isn’t normally a problem in the UK, which makes a chiller an expensive option. However melting your live stock would be expensive and heart breaking. So I will be keeping a close eye on the situation.

 

[Reefmack]

How hot has it been getting in the UK?

 

[imaccat]

It was around 90 in my back garden yesterday, a bit cooler today though

 

[RachShaffy]

It's too hot. We're British, we aren't used to seeing the sun for prolonged periods!

 

[Nowellsy SNR]

Terry where i live its been getting to 25oc but its soon to get hotter

Like Max250 says a chiller really does pay for itself

 

[Reefmack]

Thanks Anthony. I hope it doesn't get much hotter there. Where I am it's been unusually hot this early - 10 days of 32C +, and the last few days it's been 40-41C on the temp. sensor in the shade in back of my house. 41C (106F) yesterday and the same today. Too hot! My step son said he had 98F (36.7C) yesterday up in Toronto, Canada. No place to escape the heat in this part of the world.

 

[Shazbah]

Thank heavens i have my chiller. The best piece of mind i ever bought. I can sit back and enjoy the sunshine and heat knowing that my tank wont go over 26. Here in the UK we don't get enough heat to warrant having air con installed so when we do get some hot day's it sure is a shock to the system. I remember the times when i didn't have a chiller and i was permanently trying to keep the tank cool and stressing out. Never again

 

[tnwillia]

Sunny South Carolina's been at or very near 100 deg F for 2 weeks now. It's HOT!

 

[Dweezil]

I start to melt past 80....This Yankee blood can not tolerate that kind of heat! LOL