Has anyone dremeled an aquapod to install a chiller

[The Wedge]

I am just worried about keeping the temp 78...and I don't want to mess with evaporation because the lighting is kind of limited with the aquapod 24. Has anyone installed a chiller by dremeling the back of the hood?

[Sasquatch]

Are you drilling through a plastic hood or through the tank?

If it's the plastic hood, there's no real problems as long as you stay away from any of the electronics ... aside from the stink of burnt plastic.

I've done several modification on the plastic hood of our tank with a Dremel and things went pretty well. You just have to be patient and keep clearing away the accumulation of melted plastic.

Before you do anything though ... do you already have the chiller? I ask because they can be pretty expensive!

[The Wedge]

I am going to drill in the back of the hood near the switch box away from the wires. There is a built in refugium in the back that has a right and left side. Is that where the tubes should run into...the left side has the pump and powerhead and the right has the filter compartment. I have rubble on both sides but not to the top. I plan on buying a JBJ mini chiller...or maybe a JBJ nano if it can pull the weight. The money I invest into my little living friends is worth the money to keep them happy.

[Sasquatch]

I'm not familiar with the layout of Aquapods, but as long as you're working on the plastic and keep away from the wiring, a Dremel should do a fine job.

I found that the rotary saw bits for cutting wood or drywall worked best. The small saw like blades accumulated too much melted plastic and it really slowed you down.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

78 is really not a bad temperature at all. Is this a freshwater or marine tank?

[coachfraley]

There are lots of different ways to plumb up a chiller. The important thing is that you use the right pump to "feed" the chiller. Each chiller has a suggested flow rate. Keep in mind that the flow will decrease when you pump the water down to the chiller and then back up again.

Some people with all-in-ones just upgrade their return pump, and use it to feed the chiller. Instead of going from the return pump into the display...you plumb it from the return pump, to the chiller, then back up to the return nozzle.

Another way is to put an extra pump somewhere in your sump, and have that one feed the chiller. Then you have to decide where to have it go back into your system. You can have it return into another compartment in back, or you can go "over the wall" and add a new return to the display. Just keep in mind, that if you do add a new return, it will greatly increase the amount of water that will need to pass through your sump intake (ie. it might not work).

I hope this helps...this stuff is hard to explain without diagrams.