How to Choose an Aquarium Chiller

I bet you've heard of aquarium heaters, those small fish tank equipment you install in your aquarium to heat up the water temperature. Well, aquarium chillers are in a sense the very same thing except that instead of heating the water it cools it down.

The reason you need Aquarium Chillers is the same as why you need aquarium heaters. And that's regulating water temperature. In a nutshell, if water temperature gets too cold or too warm your fish might get sick or even die. If you're living in a cold region you're most likely to need aquarium heaters. But if you live in the warmer parts of the globe an aquarium chiller might be just what you need.

Aquarium chillers are identical to air conditioners. It has heat exchangers, a compressor, a radiator and a fan. It works the same way as well. And there is really no need for you to know the inner workings of a chiller, except that it brings in warm fluid (in this case the aquarium water), cools it by transferring the heat from it to another fluid that is colder.

The following are some points to consider when choosing an aquarium chiller:

Ideal water temperature of the fish
If you don't know what your fish's ideal living conditions are, don't bother getting a chiller. This is probably the single most important information, (sadly often left out part), any fish hobbyist should know. Research about your fish. Where did it originate from. Was the water warm or cold there. How cold or how warm in exact Celsius or Fahrenheit. What water temperature does it need to breed or lay eggs.

Temperature range to chill
Get the temperature of the fish tank water and the ideal water temperature of the fish. Subtract the latter from the former. This is the temperature difference your water chiller needs to chill. Find a reputable aquarium chiller vendor and ask the sales person if the unit can lower the temperature difference you calculated.

Efficiency
Just like a refrigerator or air conditioning unit, a chiller has to be efficient in using power or you run the risk of very expensive utility bills at the end of the month.

Warranty and service
Even the best built fish tank chillers will breakdown, eventually. Having warranty and service is like having car insurance for your chiller.

Not everyone needs an aquarium chiller. There are a lot of ways to temporarily cool down water temperature if your experiencing a heat wave or sudden surge in hot weather temperatures. However, if excessive warm weather is your situation and you prefer to have a convenient solution, an aquarium chiller is your answer.

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