16 Chillers
Description
This article is from the Aquaria: Filters FAQ, by Bruce Hallman.
16 Chillers
While not really a filtration, saltwater aquarists occasionally have
the need to lower the temperature of their aquarium water. The high
light levels needed in reef aquaria involve a build up of excess heat.
Use of a hood fan and removal of the ballast from the vicinity of the
tank can also help. Submerged pumps are also a source of unwanted
heat, and as a solution, reef aquarists favor the ``non-submerged''
pumps due to the decreased transfer of heat to the water.
A little recognized source of heat control is through the natural
cooling effect of evaporation in wet dry filters, and through the flow
of air over the surface of the aquarium. Nevertheless, additional
cooling is often required, especially in warm climates.
This is achieved through the use of "freon" style cooler units similar
to home refrigerators. They either pass the water through a heat
exchange unit, or pass coolant through a heat exchanger in the tank.
Those chillers are expensive but not many people have had success in
the "do it yourself" construction of chillers. (The "dorm" type of
refrigerator is not powerful enough to be of use, just in case you
were thinking about this.)
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