Is there any chillers cheaper than like 2 or 3 hundred? Why so expensive? I can buy a small fridge 4 like 150 lol. OR is there any tips to lower it that r cost effective? I have a fan in my light canopy & my house is always at 75.
If you're using a fan then watch out for evaporation. You'll have to top up with freshwater after 1 or 2 days. Chillers are expensive but will in a long run ensure a constant temp range
The real issue is stability. If you can keep your tank stable at 81 you should be fine. A fan over the DT or sump will help by 2-4 degrees F by evaporative cooling.
I use an aquarium controller for two-stage cooling. The fan over my sump turns on at 77.5, off at 77.3. My chiller turns on at 79.0 and off at 77.5. It all depends on how warm the room gets but my chiller is on much less since I added the cooling fan. You should run an ATO system if you're setup for evaporative cooling to keep osmotic pressure stable (part of providing a healthy environment for your fish).
Don't buy cheap if you get a chiller, you'll just end up buying twice or you'll need to buy a separate aquarium controller to compensate for the crappy thermostat that came in the cheap chiller. You should also be aware that running a chiller makes your room warmer, it's a heat-exchanger just like an A/C unit so hot air is blown out the back. Comparisons to small fridges aren't valid, the compressors are made for much lighter duty in a fridge.
This might not be a viable option for you but I actually unplug my heater when I know it is going to be 80+ F outside. My house was built in 1939 and can't keep the heat out very well but I have an AC that keeps the ambient temp in room around 72 degrees F. My temp stays at 78 and doesn't move and I plug it back in before going to sleep. But that's the trick if you forget about it might be a disaster =/.
I am in the process of building a sump in the basement and hoping that once it is all plumbed the lower air temp in basement will cool the water as it passes through.
I took the chiller plunge & bought one. My main reason for going ahead and spending money on a chiller was the thought that if my home AC unit went out & a service repair person couldn't get it fixed up for a few days during the HOT & HUMID Oklahoma Summer...my tank would CRASH. It's very common here for AC units to go on the blink from having to work too hard, mine has before (no tank then tho). What I paid for my JBJ Chiller is my "peace of mind" insurance policy. It seriously gets up to 115° here and very humid at times.
Just create a new GOLDEN RULE:
All money spent on making life better for SW Fish is MONEY WELL SPENT!
(And it's all just around $20 each for more fish & coral )