Hey all, I think I'm going to purchase a chiller for my RSM. Marine Depot has JBJ chillers for 25% off this month. I'm going to opt for an external pump, but I have no experience with them. Any ideas on what size and model is best for a 1/4 HP chiller?
You will just have to check the GPH on the Chiller you want to buy. Most of the time people hook the chiller into the return lines from their sumps but in your case you would have to pump out and then back in with a hidden pump somewhere.  I like blueline for the price, there are others out there.... Just make sure that the one you do get, there are easily avalible replacement parts. You may not want to think of that snail shell shattering your impeller but never count it out as a possiblity.
Not sure if you had seen mine or not, but I just hooked my JBJ Arctica Titanium up to the right side where the RSM chiller fittings come out and used the stock pump for a while. Its barely rated for it so when it came time for chiller maintenance (flushing every 6 months), I got an extra Red Sea pump, the higher flow one from the left side, and used it in place of the lower flow one that originally came on the right. Plenty of circulation. I guess you could use any pump of that general flow rating for that matter. No need for a Red Sea. I even added two shut off valves, two reasons: to reduce flow if necessary because I wasn't sure if corals on the right side would like the new flow and secondly, to use as a shut off when I need to disconnect my chiller for flushing in another few months. Regardless of adequate flow, keeping the chiller clean and flushed, including running vinegar and water to remove deposits from the temp sensor, is absolutely critical to getting accurate temp measurements from the internal water temp sensor. I have absolutely no problems with my JBJ and love it for the RSM. Its almost a necessity. Glad you decided on one.
I have had a 1/4 JBJ Artica since my first big tank and it is still going strong. Now I can not say the same for the 1/10 JBJ witch had the thermostat go out which I bypassed and then finally expired a couple months latter. The smaller chiller did not have near the same quality build that the larger chiller has. To answer your question the website has a chart for recommended flows just don't forget to take into account the decreased flow from lift to your aquarium when selecting your pumps flow. I tend to feel that it is better to error on the slower flow range rather than the upper end of the range. You are less likely to freeze up the chiller than you would be not get efficient cooling from a flow that is to high. Sent from my A100 using Tapatalk
