....................WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE WATER CHILLER.........................+rep

Im looking to purchase a water chiller, ive done a tone of research on the net and
furums. But it seems everybody wants to go with a DIY setup! im looking to just buy
a good one.

My res is 55 gal. and I will insulate the lines going into and out! so my big Q is what
brand and hp is best suted for a 55gal res? and what size pump will be best for it?
+rep to those who help out!

this is totally off topic, but in reading your post i realized you might be able to answer a question i been wondering as i design a new recirculating DWC setup. with a 55gal res don't you spend a ton on nutes? i m currently mixing at 50% the recommended still getting a little burn but they are adapting pretty well, but im going thru a lot of nutes on my little 18 gallon tote (use 9 gallons of water). any tips or will i just have to be willing to shell out the cash on nutes?

Was using a 1/4hp active aqua chiller for a 50g reservoir before with
good results in texas summers. Still been running after 3 years of somewhat
constant use, handles the load quite easily and is probably overkill but that
means it doesn't have to work that hard.

I also have a 1/10hp ecoplus, but it was unable to keep up with my 50g
res in the texas summers, but could keep up the rest of the year decently well.

1/4 horse power will work.

so it sounds like a 1/4 hp is the way to go, now there is a few brands and eco plus seems cheaper quality.
your active aqua has been going off and on for three years? is it easy to clean?

Justin00 said:

this is totally off topic, but in reading your post i realized you might be able to answer a question i been wondering as i design a new recirculating DWC setup. with a 55gal res don't you spend a ton on nutes? i m currently mixing at 50% the recommended still getting a little burn but they are adapting pretty well, but im going thru a lot of nutes on my little 18 gallon tote (use 9 gallons of water). any tips or will i just have to be willing to shell out the cash on nutes?

Click to expand...

not realy sure what your asking but il take a shot at it.
I do not use alot of nutes for a 55gal no I use the same as
i do in my 25gal just less water means less nutes by volume.
I get 2weeks out of a res!

Justin00 said:

this is totally off topic, but in reading your post i realized you might be able to answer a question i been wondering as i design a new recirculating DWC setup. with a 55gal res don't you spend a ton on nutes? i m currently mixing at 50% the recommended still getting a little burn but they are adapting pretty well, but im going thru a lot of nutes on my little 18 gallon tote (use 9 gallons of water). any tips or will i just have to be willing to shell out the cash on nutes?

Click to expand...

Its wise to do a res change every 7-14 days. So you will just have to pay for the nutes.

Both have lasted quite a while and would recommend either for
doing their job. I'd just make sure to go overkill on the ratings just
to ensure that your unit can do the job. Cleaning both my chillers is
very easy as I just hook it up to a 5g bucket with some bleach and
water and let it run (powered off) for 48 hours or so just to make sure
it's good and clean.

Currently not using either of mine as I'm trying to get away from needing
them as it saves a lot of electricity and don't have to worry about the
heat they put out either. But while I was living in tx, the summers made
them pretty much mandatory.