JBJ Arctica Chiller - What Size Pump To Use (GPH)?

[dja1980]

Is anyone out there using the new JBJ Arctica Nano Chiller? I just received one for Christmas, and nowhere in the manual does it say what the recommended GPH rate is for this chiller. Being new to the chiller world, I wouldn’t even begin to be able to guess what size pump I should use. It shows the use of a pump (external or submersible) in the manual to drive the chiller, but doesn’t give any specs on how much water should be getting pushed through it. It’s the 1/20 HP model if that helps. Any thoughts? Thanks… dave

[All Delight]

I have the 1/10 and I use a rio 800. But I turned the flow down so it doesn't run through the chiller too fast. The manual should say what gph they recommend.

[dja1980]

Yeah, you would think the the manual would say, but I read the whole thing twice, and there is no mention of what size pump to use. Here's the link to the manual straight from the JBJ site:
http://www.jbjlighting.com/pdfs/nano_mini_manual.pdf

[dja1980]

Ok, I think I found it. I was looking under the installation instructions rather than the Specifications section of the manual. It lists the Flow rate as 110 - 160 GPH.

If the intake for the chiller is drawing from the back compartments of my Nano Cube and the return for the chiller is pushing water back to the same compartments, there should be no head loss, correct? I would think that since the intake and the return for the chiller end up at the same height, that the gravity helping to pull the water down to the chiller would offset the gravity it takes to push the water back up. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Jimbo327]

Let me know how you decide to plumb the chillers with your nano? I'm interested in getting a chilller. You think the 1/20 is good enough. My room gets to 100 degrees in the summer, and I'm thinking maybe I need a 1/15 for my 6gal.

[dja1980]

Jimbo - Give Chris at Nanotuners.com a call. They have a bunch of different chillers designed specifically for nanos. He's a great guy to get ideas from... and tell him I sent you. I'm sure he can give you his suggestion of which one would be best for your situation. I bought my custom 24g Nano Cube from them too, so they drilled the 2 holes above the hinges slightly larger to be able to run 1/2" tubing to the chiller. The tubing hooks directly up to the chiller without any extra fittings. I'm going to have the 144 GPH Rio pump located in the first chamber send the water out to the chiller. On the way back to the tank, I'm going to use a barbed Tee so I can tap into the loop with my Auto Top Off System. This allows me to have only 1 return running into the tank as opposed to 2 (1 from the ATO & 1 from the chiller). Obviously, I will have to use a check-valve here to prevent water from pumping down into my fresh water reserve since water will be continuously running through the loop. My house stays air-conditioned during the summer months, but my custom Nano Cube included a 2 x 70w MH + 2 x 18w Actinic PC hood, so I've got 176w running during "the heat of the day" over my little tank. I hope this helps... Dave

[Jimbo327]

Wow, so how is the 1/20 hp handling your tank? And how often is it running? Quiet? I'm seriously thinking about getting one of these chillers. Got any pics of the setup? So you pump out of chamber 1 and return to chamber 3? I was thinking of pumping out of chamber 1 and returning it back to chamber 1, but I'm not sure if it can handle it.

I'm thinking of getting the 1/15hp for the peace of mind because it is basically the same unit as the 1/20hp (size and footprint), and since my room is not going to be air conditioned, I think oversizing the chiller would be a better bet. Most of the drawdown calculations posted by the websites are based on ambient room temperatures, which does not represent my conditions.

[dja1980]

Actually, I don't have it setup yet. I originally ordered the 1x70w MH before Christmas and decided to petition for 2x70w MH upgrade as a Christmas gift. The 1x70w MH hood came with the Nanocustoms' ICA 2.0, which was mounted in the hood under the right fan. This was a nice little chiller that allowed the hood to maintain a 100% stock look from the outside. And, since Nanocustoms' upgraded systems tend to run cooler than JBJ stock systems, the ICA and fans only kicked on maybe 60% of the time that the lights were running and maintained a water temp of 78F. However, when I upgraded to the 2x70w MH system, Chris informed me that I would be much safer to run a true chiller even though all of their system include a heat safety shut-off. So now I'm just waiting for my new Rio pump and check-valve to arrive so I can set it up. I plan on posting a complete thread on Nano-Reef.com once things start rolling. I'll probably post it in the Nano section of Reef Central as well.

[Jimbo327]

Looking forward to that thread. Can you PM when you get it up? I don't wanna miss it. Thanks!

[dja1980]

Not a problem... I'm just waiting for the fan adaptor to arrive from FedEx. They forgot to pack it when they sent my new hood. Chris just sent me the tracking info today, so it looks like I should be ready to go by next week. Hopefully I will be able to order some new live rock next week and have the rock in and cycling within 2 weeks. I told Chris that you might be calling about nano chillers, so give him a call and get that thing going! I think they're located in Newbury Park, CA... don't know how far that is from LA, but you could always stop in there too.

[chocolateblnt]

I just bought a 1.15th hp nano chiller by current and I am using a Penguin Powerhead 400 gph and it works great! Not to mention it was cheap compared to other pumps!

[dja1980]

Yeah, I've heard the Current one's are pretty nice. It looks like the flow rate required for yours is 300 - 600 GPH, where as my JBJ 1/20th requires 110 - 160 GPH.

[chocolateblnt]

Yea the current is really nice ... especially quiet. We'll see how the electric bill turns out :/

[Jimbo327]

Can you say where you bought your chiller? I never heard of the Current brand, may be a good alternative to the JBJ?

[chocolateblnt]

premiumaquatics.com

[dja1980]

Current USA Prime Nano Chiller:

http://www.nanotuners.com/product_in...roducts_id=295

www.current-usa.com

[dja1980]

Everything is up and running, and so far so good. Follow along if you'd like:
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/inde...owtopic=109398