Water Chillers

How does a water chiller work exactly?

Does it sit inside the res; does it have a built in thermostat to sense when your water gets too warm?

Does the chiller stay on constantly or only at certain times? Are they loud? Do you have to have a certain size pump that works with the chiller you get?

What size chiller would I need for a 55 gallon reservoir?

thanks

How warm does water in your reservoir get? Most ppl have to heat thiers.

A chiller basically works exactly like your air conditioner. Instead of air it's water. For noise consideration there is a pump and a fan to cool the condenser. It will cycle like an air conditioner. You usually buy a complete chiller not the parts for one, they come as complete units. Fill the up and go or hook up and go. It will also create heat. The pump will run constantly or you could put it on a timer. It should not take long to chill the water and if you do not need to cool it very much there won't be much of a problem. I am used to huge ones.
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/239401/product.web
Here is a chiller that would work for you. It uses internal heat exchanger to cool. You just pump your water through it.
I did not look for bargains and I'll bet you can find one cheaper.
wb