Eco-Cooler - Selecting the Right Model

Deciding on the size of any cooler by system water volume is not necessarily the best way of determining which model to go for.  Many other manufacturers will state that a particular cooler will cool a given number of gallons, but this is fraught with problems.

As an example take a 4' x 2' x 2' aquarium.  This aquarium could have 2 x 150 watt halides or even 2 x 400 watt halides or T5 lighting.  The number of gallons is exactly the same for all three lighting set ups but the heat output onto the aquarium is not.  Levels of equipment used can also vary and this will also affect the amount of heat introduced to the water.

A better way to size a cooler for a system is to add up all the equipment being used (excluding heaters) and obtain a total input wattage figure, you can then use the cooling wattage that Deltec quote to select the right model for your application.

This method however requires you to know how much heat each piece of equipment generates and how much heat will be introduced from the room on a warm day. To simplify this we must go back to the suitable for X gallons and be aware that this is based on a mid range level of lighting and equipment. It is always advisable to over size than under because it gives you more flexibility if you upgrade or add more equipment and the cooler will be running for a shorter length of time.

Model           Dimensions                                            Cooling Wattage         Electricity Used

All models generally have the same appearance other than their general dimensions. Each unit utilises the same principle of design and evaporative cooling.