The Zensui Tegaru is an adorable little inline chiller which is suitable for the smallest of reef tanks. The Tegaru by Zensui uses thermoelectric temperature control to either cool or heat the water, all in a package small enough to hold in one hand.
When we think of chillers, invariably we imagine huge heavy machines with compressors, noise and huge energy draws that dim the lights of the house when they kick on. You’ll still need a chiller like that for big tanks and large temperature pulldowns but for many tanks, just a few degrees of cooling and temperature control is just about all that’s needed.
The Zensui Tegaru microchiller is adjustable with digital thermostat accurate to 0.1 degrees Celsius, and capable of dropping the temperature of a 35l or 9 gallon tank about 5 to 8 degrees Celsius (9 to 14 Fahrenheit) or a 15 gallon tank between 3 to 5C (5.4 to 9F). Keep in mind that the Microchiller is only capable of so much, so either consider it for only the smallest of tanks, or the slightest of cooling needs.
However if you’ve got a true nano reef or pico reef, you probably can’t do much better than the Zensui Tageru which costs around 23,000¥ or about $215, and we’ve seen it online for as low as $185. The Tageru chiller from Zensui might be an exotic Japanese aquarium product but since it is DC powered it should be pretty simple to adapt it to North American voltage and current. [Reef Builders Japan]
