Can we install a cooler instead of a heater in an aquarium?

  • An aquarium chiller can indeed be used in place of a heater. My 10-gallon aquarium is fitted with a chiller instead of a heater and has been for about a year now. The temperature inside the tank stays constant at about 68 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the whole year. The temperature at room level fluctuates between 65-72 degrees (during the winter).

  • I don't think that it can be a replacement for a heater since they function completely differently. For example, a chiller/cooler actually cools the water down in case it gets too hot for specific species (think mostly of saltwater tanks). A cooler, in theory, cannot heat the water at all since many don't have that function unless you buy a combo unit that does (which isn't normally used unless you need to process a lot of water through the same system).

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