Kman's Red Sea 250

[nanoreefing4fun]

Here a good read...

http://www.ronshimek.com/salinity_temperature.html

small extract...

The average temperature calculated for all 1000 + coral reefs was 81.7°F. Over all reefs, the average lowest temperature observed was 76.4°F, and the average highest temperature was 86.4°F. One way that these data could be interpreted would be to say that for most corals and coral reef animals, the best conditions would be between 76°F and 86°F, with the average being about 82°F.

 

[Kman237]

Thank you nanoreefing4fun, really good stuff!

 

[DianaKay]

I'm back!! I've got a question. Do i need a chiller for this tank? I've been running the tank without a chiller for close to 3 months now. I've monitored the temperature of the tank and I've only seen a 1 degree change from night to day. The owner before me didn't have a chiller. That or he removed the chiller before I came to pick up the tank. The Tank was up and running and we broke it down together after i made the decision to take it home.

Do most saltwater tanks need chillers? - sorry newbie question

I should probably mention the temperature remains between 77-78F

Kman, I love that you are asking all these questions!! Makes me feel that you are taking this hobby as serious as it needs to be!
GLENN gave some great advice HE ALWAYS DOES

I DO RUN A CHILLER. I live in the same humid part of the world that You live in and my reason for having a chiller is based on that and the "WHAT IF's" that can happen.
Such as:
What if my home AC went off during the hottest part of the HOT humid Summer? What if the AC repairman said, it's going to be a week before I can get there & get parts to fix your AC. ?
These above what if's have happened to me. (Didn't have a tank either time!)
I have too much invested in my SW tank to take a chance of losing everything.
I CAN & did afford a chiller, so I have one. I also have a generator to run my tank in case the power goes off.
There are things we can't control (like tornados) but I like the control to the best of my afordable options.
That's why I have a chiller & a heater & a generator.

 

[pablomay28]

I live in California and I run a 1/4 hp chiller. Since going to a sump in the left cabinet with a fan on a timer to match the lights it has not turned on. It is good to have in case the temp goes up. These tanks do run warm.

 

[pablomay28]

 

[pablomay28]

 

[ziggy]

The critical question is what do you expect the highest room temp to be during the summer in the room the tank will be in? If 75 or less, you should be OK. If more than 75, you may have a problem.

I see the average temperature range for reefs was provided previously. I believe that setting an average temp that livestock adjust to is not as critical as then maintaining that temperature value to within 1 degree, 24/7. Your heater will maintain the 1 degree on the low, cool end but the issue is maintaining the 1 degree when your room gets hot

 

[Kman237]

AHHHHH! so much good information here. Thank you everyone I am seriously loving this forum. Totally makes since to me why everyone is running chillers. The summers here in Texas are very warm and my house stays around 75-78 when I'm not home. I run the AC at 70 when I return home.

DianaKay and ziggy very good points. The AC has defiantly gone out before. I actually had thoughts about when i move here in about 9 months to my new house to get a generator for the tank. During our ice storms its typical for the electric to go out for a day. I'm the type of person who wants to do my best to create a safe environment for my fish and my investment in this hobby.

My next question is what chiller would you recommend? Also where can i find an article or youtube video on how to setup the chiller for my tank?

Cheers everyone!

 

[Danreef]

AHHHHH! so much good information here. Thank you everyone I am seriously loving this forum. Totally makes since to me why everyone is running chillers. The summers here in Texas are very warm and my house stays around 75-78 when I'm not home. I run the AC at 70 when I return home.

DianaKay and ziggy very good points. The AC has defiantly gone out before. I actually had thoughts about when i move here in about 9 months to my new house to get a generator for the tank. During our ice storms its typical for the electric to go out for a day. I'm the type of person who wants to do my best to create a safe environment for my fish and my investment in this hobby.

My next question is what chiller would you recommend? Also where can i find an article or youtube video on how to setup the chiller for my tank?

Cheers everyone!

Setting up the chiller is very easy. You just connect the tubings and ready to go. I had a JBJ 1/10, new, during the last summer. I am nearby Boston, but during the discounts upgraded to a 1/4 just in case. Now I have added a 20G refugium so I am happy of the upgrade. All is plug and play. Waters goes from tank to chiller and return to the tank. The RSM has the connectors in the hood. Just be sure you have the correct pump for the chiller size you will buy.

Talking about security during winter and summer, I have all my tanks with a Reef Keeper Lite. Its main function, for ME, is to avoid cooking the corals. If the heater breaks and start to heat non-stopping I had it set up to cut the electricity on the plug at 85.

Now, if the heater do not heat, it has an alarm below a setup temperatur. In my tanks to reduce this risk I always have,at least 2 heaters connected to the same controller plug.

Of course, when you have one of these controllers then you use it for, like me, to control the dosing pumps and lights...etc.

Someone will say that for Temp. safety are cheaper stuff. Yes, that is correct. But a RKL is the cheapest controller on the market at $120 an do lots of stuff, not just the temp.


Cheers
Daniel

 

[Kman237]

Perfect thanks Danreef! Sounds much easier then i thought.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Hi neighbor good advise from all above - temps here to 116F we run air conditioning about 5 or 6 months a year, to not run a chiller, you do need to keep the ambient room temp below 75f & run the rear cooling fans 24x7 - with a chiller you won't need them and you will topoff about 1/2 as much an added benefit - I don't run a chiller, but lots do

here another good post related - hope this helps
RSM 250 Chiller Install

 

[Danreef]

Perfect thanks Danreef! Sounds much easier then i thought.

A chiller is a good investment, as Diana mentioned. In a blink of an eye you will find that you have spent in fish and corals a 1000 + to several 1000 depending on corals you add (there are corals of 500 or more). So, safety for the life that you keep and your investment will be always good. And if you think in that way it is not expensive at all

By the time you have a tank like Glen and Diana's tank you have already invested thousands in time, equipment, water changes, fish, corals, etc ...... this hobby is a real commitment. Tell me, that I am trying to recover my tank from a very bad situation. You can find my thread.

Enjoy it as much as all here we do !!!!!

Daniel

 

[DianaKay]

I run the JBJ 1/10thHP. Bought it because I didn't want to pay MORE for the next bigger HP rating. It's working fine & keeps my tank at 78° w/o kicking on very often. But keep in mind that the T5s run a little hotter than the LED lights on my tank. Something is better than nothing if the home AC goes on the blink.

 

[ziggy]

I would recommend the JBJ 1/4hp for your state and situation. If no A/C in the house, in Texas, in the middle of summer, that extra horse power for cooling is needed. And you only pay for the initial investment. If it does not turn on because it's not needed, then there is no electricity operating cost.

 

[Kman237]

ziggy, I am thinking the same thing. Been reading a ton of reviews about the JBJ 1/4hp. Its good to know the chiller doesn't turn on unless its needed. Another thought i had is if I ever decide to upgrade the tank to a bigger one I wont need to buy another chiller. Looks like the JBJ 1/4hp can handle up to 120 gallon tank. Not sure if i will ever go bigger but if I do it would be nice to be able to to use the same chiller.

Thanks everyone! I will probably order the 1/4hp in a month or so. Trying to find the best deal I can for one.

 

[Oxylebius]

Here are a couple of articles with some basic info on chillers:
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/Aquarium-chillers/
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-06/nftt/

I also run the jbj 1/10. It only kicks on once in the afternoon and only in summertime. I run the chiller to keep the temp swings minimal, I target a range of 78-79 degrees. Due to the combined room temp and heat from lights, my tank hits 80 degrees in the summer months, so the chiller easily brings it back down to 79 degrees.

 

[Kman237]

Thanks Oxylebius that was a good read!

I'm back with another question. Who is running an auto top off and which one?
I'm currently looking at buying one of the two.
Tunze Osmolator Universal 3155 and
Tunze Osmolator Nano 3152.
I am currently thinking the Universal 3155 would be the better pick?

On Friday the 10th I received and installed my Nano Reef Systems: Red Sea Max 250 Nano Skimmer. The two pump skimmer. The installation was super easy and I'm currently only running one pump. So far so good the skimmer is still breaking in but i have already seen some skimming. The Skimmer is much quieter then the stock one. I'm going to keep the skimmer on one pump and have the 2nd pump as back up. Over the weekend I only adjusted the air line twice! With the Stock skimmer i was adjusting the air line 2-3 times a day. I will keep everyone posted on how well the skimmer does.

Thanks in advance - Kman.

 

[pablomay28]

You should be running your skimmer with both pumps as they use two pumps to get the adequate air and water movement for a 65 gallon tank. They sell a model that has 1 pump for the RSM 130. You are practically using to small of a skimmer for your tank by only running 1 pump.

 

[Kman237]

You should be running your skimmer with both pumps as they use two pumps to get the adequate air and water movement for a 65 gallon tank. They sell a model that has 1 pump for the RSM 130. You are practically using to small of a skimmer for your tank by only running 1 pump.

pablomay28, I spoke with the company I bought my Skimmer from and was advised to run one pump until the skimmer breaks in. I will take your advice into consideration. After the Skimmer has had some time to break in i will add the 2nd pump.

 

[Kman237]

Another question. I have a friend who wants to sell his 1/3hp Chiller. I know that's a little over kill for the tank but i can snag it for cheaper then a new 1/4hp. Would this cause me any problems?