so I'm lookin for a small chiller for a 55 gallon tank. I keep finding my tank at 86 degrees in the middle of the day. Anyone have a chiller they'd part with?
Sorry I already sold my 1/4 hp aquanetics chiller. I would say though that I have been experiementing with higher temperatures on my 300 gal central sump system as a result of my 1/2 hp chiller awaiting an over haul and have found while my corals are not thriving at 86 degrees they are not suffering either. I can also say that my fish, which I did not think could tolerate temperatures this higher are doing very well but I will qualify this answer by pointing out that this system has a massive surface area for oxygen exchange. It is for this reason that I think that I have gotten away with temperature so high with little to no effect on my animals. I do know I could never think of attempting to acclimate a new fish into this environment and the urchin that I have had for over two years could not tolerate the heat either. But all in all with enough oxygenation in a tank I have been surprised at how much heat that the animals can tolerate over liturature recomendations.
I don't think you may see a problem for a bit, but long term I believe you will. That is pretty high for the corals and will stress them over time.
The average temp for natural coral reefs is 82 degrees. They vary from the lower-mid 70's to the upper 80's. As the temp rises, there is less dissolved oxygen. If you have plenty of surface area/gas exchange, your critters can handle a higher temp. As your tank gets warmer, increase the water flow to compensate for the lower oxygen level.
Have you tried placing a small fan close by to blow over the top? That's just enough to keep my 135 at a constant 79-80 degrees.
I use fans as well. I have a fan blowing at an angle into one side of my 75 gal canopy in the back, and this tank has 2x 250 watt MH lighting. I need to add a couple on our 55gal because we have HO T5's that are close to the surface.
MY HO T5'S ARE DOING THE SAME TO MY TANK I JUST KEEP FLOATING A COUPLE OF FROZEN 2 LITER BOTTLES EVERY DAY NOW
