1/15 hp chiller overkill for a 3.5 gallon pico?

[Cryersen]

Hey Everyone,

Was just wondering if my purchase for a 1/15 hp current prime chiller was overkill for a 3.5 gallon pico tank. The minimum flow rate required for the chiller is 100 gph, which is what my current pump on that tank can produce. I know there is the ice probe chiller, but I'm not too big on thermoelectric cooling, especially if there is a high ambient room temp. Also, for the price I paid for the chiller, it still was less than the ice probe. In addition, if I ever want to upgrade from my pico to a larger nano tank, the chiller will still work fine.

Thanks

 

[pbjelly]

I don't think it's overkill. I run a 1/15 on my 14 gallon and love it.
The trick is going to be getting enough power to pump the water through the chiller and back into your pico. Depending on the distance and height the water has to travel, you could lose a great deal of pressure from the already minimally powered pump. I had to find room to cram a pump dedicated to feeding just the chiller because the head loss made it impossible to use my return pump.

 

[Cryersen]

Thanks for the advice pbjelly. I'll look into a more powerful powerhead capable of handling the difference in head loss from the chiller to the tank. I'm just a bit worried though that the increased flow rate may cause a tsunami in my pico tank lol.

 

[pbjelly]

See what happens if you try your return pump first. That was my original plan. The problem I had was the opposite of a tsunami.
The head loss was so bad that my return became a trickle and I had no water movement in my nano anymore.