Need a small chiller for Oceanic 8 gal biocube and advice (1 Viewer)

[markus]

I need to see about getting a micro chiller for my new cube It runs 81 deg and want to see if I can bring it down to 77-78 deg fairly cheaply.
I left the bio balls in there but was thinking of replacing it with LR rubble but should the rock be submersed or does it really matter. I also saw in one post about a 12 biocube that they had left the carbon tray in there. Wouldn't that take out all the minerals in the waterand defeat adding any essential elements?I have had reefs for about 13 years now and have never used it unless I thought there were toxins in the water. My 2c
Thanks for any input.
Markus

 

[karlo]

I would replace the bioballs with LR rubble but don't do it quickly remove some everyday until they are all out. I don't think you need a chiller for a 8G just retrofit a small fan in there and that should do it, go to nanotuners.com to find everything you need.

 

[markus]

Don't they make a nanochiller cheaply? This tank is actually pretty neat. There are actually 2 exhaust fans built in to the hood, 2-18w bulbs moonlight leds and 2 extra gallons over the JBJ which makes I think one of the best commercial nanos under 10 gallons.

 

[Guest]

They do on ebay... they are thermo electric so the ambient temp needs to be fairly cool.


Search Micro chiller and you will see like the Resun models.

 

[Guest]

We have an Iceprobe Chiller in our 42G hexagon seahorse tank and it works beautifully. We got a great deal on it - $30. You can find them online at various aquarium supply sites ranging from $124 - $154, but I bet you could find one on eBay for around the same price we paid.

In your 8 gallon, it would cool it down a good 3-5 degrees or so, if not more.

You'd have to cut a hole in your "canopy" to fit it properly, but it'd be worth it if you really want/need the cooler temp.

 

[Quincypunxgirl]

As for replacing the bio balls with lr. I did a mod and made it into a mini fuge. I added lr, and then put cheato. Bought an LED waterproof strip of ebay. Working well so far. I think alot of people are happy with doing this mod. This website has a lot of information on it.
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=180788&hl=Biocube

Pax also did a post on it with their 29 biocube.

 

[Reefaddict79]

a reefkeeper lite and a small fan keeps our nano at 78.4 with 150 watt halide over it. The evaporation went up a little but the temp is rock steady. I think the price of a RKL is 99 dollars now and the fan we use was just 15 dollars. Aside from the fan control it can do much more.