Water temperature

[CompulsiveAqua]

I need some info on water temperature parameters, I figured you guys could help. I know 75 to 82 is ideal and once you find a temp you should keep it there. How much can it fluctuate? 1degree, 2 degrees...Ive searched the web and can find no definite answers. Thanks.

[bbl_nk]

That is a tricky question and one you will most likely get tons of varying answers! In general you want to keep the fluctuations down to a minimal for the most success, the more severe the swings are you may find your tank in a bit of stress. One of the major points in higher temps is the lack of dissolved oxygen in the water and that can be where a lot of the problems start.

I know people who will flip out if their temp even slips past 80 degrees and others who have beautiful tanks that can run into the higher parts of the 80's that look great (oxygenation is key to this!). In answer to your question, how stable can you keep it? If you can easily keep the temp swing to 2-3 degrees from coldest to hottest, that is pretty great. If you struggle to keep your tank

Not all of us can run a chiller or have the AC on all day but you can do a few things in the hot months to keep your tank more stable:


Evaporative Cooling: Get a small fan and have it blow across the water of your sump or display tank. It is one of the best and cost effective ways to keep your temp from spiking
Surface Turbulence: I know we all love a quiet tank but sometimes that's not the healthiest way. Make sure a powerhead or return pump is agitating the surface of the water to allow for more gas exchange (oxygenation of the water)
Check and Alter Light Cycle: Have your lights on too long or in the hottest part of the day? The longer the lights are on, the hotter it will get. Try cutting back slowly on the time you have it on.
Adjust Your Overflow: If you have a sump having the water splash is another way to get good oxygenation. Maybe add an angle fitting so your water splashes against the side of the sump.
Open Doors and Canopies: having your doors closed looks great but traps heat and oxygen poor air, try opening them up more and allow oxygen into the stand and canopy.
Double check that heater!: These little units are notorious for ruining your setup! Check your temp setting and maybe think about getting a new one since when they fail...they fail HUGE!


Here's a great link on these and more tips: Reef Hobbyist Magazine Volume 2 Issue 3 (http://www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com/archives/vol_2/issue7/pages/issue_7-18.htm)

[CarmieJo]

Brian is right on the money! I have a dual phase controller. My heater comes on below 79 and my fan when it hits 82. The controller could fail but I think it is safer than relying on a heater's built in thermostat.

[CompulsiveAqua]

That sounds great...I guess my fluctuation is alright then. It goes from 78.8 to about 80.5. It's been in the 90's here in Cleveland for a couple day, not normal. The water on the surface is always broken, I have a fan on day and night because of the 2x250 MH. No canopy. Open doors sounds good. The problem is that the tank is in my basement with only those small windows, hopefully there is enough new O2 coming in....I need an OK on what i've been doing though: I make RO/DI ice cubes and put them in the 65 gallon sump about three times a day to keep the temp constant, is this OK? Thanks guys!

[rayme07]

Yep ice cubes are ok. I do that to if my tank temp gets to high.

[bbl_nk]

I wish I had your problem ;) With the high temps here in California's Central Valley hitting 90 and beyond (above 100 often!) and living in an old duplex build circa 1940, my inside temp of my house is pretty high and my tank goes from around 79 deg to as high as 83! Not the kind of temp swing I like but have been experimenting with shortening my lighting cycle, I froze a few water bottles I stick in the sump and try to get a fan on it as much as possible. My little desktop clip-on fan crapped out on me about a month ago and I'm so tight on cash and haven't had a chance to get another one yet.

As for being in your basement, some folks have used an outside line connected to their skimmer air input to get better oxygen. There is also a new CO2 scrubber on the market that works too: CO2 scrubber from MCU research promises to raise your pH (+ coral growth, – algae growth) | Reef Builders -The Reef Aquarium Blog (http://www.reefbuilders.com/2009/08/11/co2-scrubber-mcu-research-promises-raise-ph/)

[CarmieJo]

You could probably experiment with having the fan come on with the MH lights instead fo running 24/7.

[CompulsiveAqua]

The fan is on24/7 cause my darn refugium stays on at night...I move the fan over there. I have 130 watts of PC over the refuge...boy if you want the caluerp to grow.....OOC (out of control). And I believe with that light is what caused me to get my first coraline algae...3709

[CarmieJo]

Ah ha! I only have a 13 watt light over my fuge.

[THEJRC]

hmmmm wow I'm always going against the grain....

At night lights off my system will slowly drop to around 76 by early morning, by noon with lights on it'll pop up to 80, on very hot days 82. I have a lot of open top "sumps and stuff" and a lot of areas of high surface area churn so oxygenation is not a problem. I havent run into any problems at all but that may be more attributed to the fact that the swing itself is also consistent.