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Old 02-05-2005, 01:06 AM   #1
xbox live
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Default 1 Chiller for both 4ft tank + 1.5ft tank

Hi guys ,

I believe many of us have more than 1 fish tank. And to have 1 chiller for each tank is really chilling

So out of the blue thought of this method...1 chiller to cool my 2 tanks

Hope the picture can tell everything i wanted to start off with.

Requirement / Description :
- 4ft tank with water temp set at 25~26degC (with chiller)
- 1.5ft tank with water temp at 29~30degC (no chiller or fan blowing)
- Resun CL650 chiller (650w) - for 4~5ft tank
- 1 Hidor brand internal pump - strong enough for 1~2ft tank
- 2 Air/water Hose

How it works :
4ft tank water is suck out to the 1.5ft tank. As the 4ft tank water level is higher, the water will flow out to the 1.5 ft tank on its own without any help from a pump.In return, the water from the 1.5ft tank is pump back to the 4ft tank using a internal filter.It is a chain effect and i believe the water will be maintained at 25~26degC.
What i have to take care is the water flow rate of both side, need to be even.

And oh..my objective is to spend less and make use of existing equipment and juz add 2 water hose..



cheers

Last edited by xbox live; 02-05-2005 at 02:24 AM.
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Old 02-05-2005, 01:19 AM   #2
ryo88
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Good idea, but how to make sure the water flow is even at both side?? If not, your house will be flooded if it is uneven.
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Old 02-05-2005, 02:22 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ryo88
Good idea, but how to make sure the water flow is even at both side?? If not, your house will be flooded if it is uneven.

Hi,

That will be the tricky part.

I thought of using 2 internal filters and solve all problem. But the objective here is to save electricity bill from buying another chiller or spend extra filter and yet can benefit from the 4ft tank cooling water.

One way i can thing of is to control the internal filter water flow rate vs the diameter of the water hose.

Any comments?

cheers
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Old 02-05-2005, 02:46 AM   #4
higher
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I suggest you get a UPS then.
Your plan's too simple IMO, no offense but it is.

If there were to be a power failure again, your 4ft tank will siphon out into the 1ft thus overflowing and flodding your place, unless you install a ball check valve.

Btw, this way, your chiller will be working doubly hard to maintain the temperature, leaving it prone to breakdowns by overdriving it as well as raising you electricity bills by doubling its work load.

Just my 2 cents.
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Old 02-05-2005, 09:07 AM   #5
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Hi xbox live

I had exactly the same idea previously and had started another thread here. Mod Barracuda gave me alot of precious advice. You may wish to refer to the thread for further reference.

The solution would be to have a proper overflow to prevent flooding/draining in the event of pump failure. As your tank seems to be very matured, will be a pity to have to tear it down. Simpler way will be to get an I-box. Hope the info helps.
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Old 02-05-2005, 01:09 PM   #6
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William,

Care to share what an I-Box is?
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Old 02-05-2005, 08:11 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NGuy
Hi xbox live

I had exactly the same idea previously and had started another thread here. Mod Barracuda gave me alot of precious advice. You may wish to refer to the thread for further reference.

The solution would be to have a proper overflow to prevent flooding/draining in the event of pump failure. As your tank seems to be very matured, will be a pity to have to tear it down. Simpler way will be to get an I-box. Hope the info helps.

Thanks Nguy,
The thread is informative. But I -box ? ( in my mind i thought it is Ice Cream box ... )

As to the prevention of flooding in the event of a power failure, it is wise to limit the amount of water draining out from the higher tank,it means suction is limited to less than 1 inch below water level of the higher tank, in my case , the 4ft tank. (err.. not a genious idea though)

Another way is to use 2 internal filter , pump in and out of both tank

To answer Higher doubt on the Chiller to be overheated, i gues it will not as the CL650 is meant for 4~5 ft tank, it should be juz sufficient.


cheers
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Old 02-05-2005, 08:21 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xbox live
Thanks Nguy,
The thread is informative. But I -box ? ( in my mind i thought it is Ice Cream box ... )

As to the prevention of flooding in the event of a power failure, it is wise to limit the amount of water draining out from the higher tank,it means suction is limited to less than 1 inch below water level of the higher tank, in my case , the 4ft tank. (err.. not a genious idea though)

Another way is to use 2 internal filter , pump in and out of both tank

To answer Higher doubt on the Chiller to be overheated, i gues it will not as the CL650 is meant for 4~5 ft tank, it should be juz sufficient.


cheers
The thing if i am not wrong look like an hang on filter, if water is high enough, it will siphon it out to a box hanging outside the tank and it turn it will flow down to the smaller tank like sump. These are makeshift overflow system made for those marine tank which do not have a hole drill in their tanks. I think in this case works well for xbox live idea. Go check it out at the marine shop. Great ideas for great people, Cheers!
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Old 02-05-2005, 09:03 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by higher
Care to share what an I-Box is?
as rightly described by ryo88, an i-box is a plug and play overflow compartment for those who does not want to drill a hole in their current tank. when the return pump fails, water from the top tank will stop flowing once the water level is lower than the box. when the return pump starts again, the water level will rise till the i-box level and the siphon will start automatically. this will prevent the top tank from draining dry in the event of power/equipment failure. it's more popular in marine tanks as most marine hobbyists uses sump filtering system.

Pic of the i-box is available thru this link :I-Aquatic
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Old 02-05-2005, 09:09 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xbox live
Another way is to use 2 internal filter , pump in and out of both tank
IMHO, this will not work, even thou you get two internal filters of the same make, model and power. Reason being one will be higher than the other and given the pull of gravity, with one having to pump to a higher level while the other pumps lower.... errrr..... dun think they will balance out. even if both are on the same level, given wear and tear across time, both would tend to have different flow rate, not to mention external factors such as waste/debris stuck in the filter/impellar etc.

safest way will be the i-box overflow system. however it doesn't come cheap although it looks simple. 2nd hand sets are selling in SG Reef forum ard the region of $70.
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