Over heating tank

After painstakingly testing my parameters for over a month;  10% water changes weekly (on a 120g); fragging up one of my acro colonies and giving it to people in hopes reviving it, but most of all being so unbelievably stumped as to why my corals were in such decline....I come to discover that one of my heaters must be bad.  As many know I live up in the mountains and don't have air conditioning so, I have to pay close attention to the tank temp in the heat of the summer, some times turning off my mh's and opening the door to the sump to aleviate the heat.  Currently, the outside morning temp is 40-50F and the afternoon temp is around 70 (that's being generous), so I didn't think I needed to pay close attention to the temps.

many reasons really.  I stopped using a heater in the valley.  The ambient air temp was good enough...usually too hot and I just didn't trust the Neptune to control the heater.  I had several issues with the x10's failing, which ended up being a simple matter of being different phases?  Not sure if the terminology is correct there.  I ended up buying $$heaters that weren't supposed to fail and I guess it worked in a way...I didn't end up with a cooked tank overnite

I believe that heat was the reason for my coral decline as well.  It's the parameter I would be least likely to test.  When I finally decided to do something about the problem and put my hand in the tank I was very surprised at how warm it was.  My digital Thermometer read 91 degrees.

I have had great luck with the Neptune controlling my heater but I don't use X10s. I only use the Direct Control boxes. (DC-8)

Will,

jpiotrowski wrote: After painstakingly testing my parameters for over a month;  10% water changes weekly (on a 120g); fragging up one of my acro colonies and giving it to people in hopes reviving it, but most of all being so unbelievably stumped as to why my corals were in such decline....I come to discover that one of my heaters must be bad.  As many know I live up in the mountains and don't have air conditioning so, I have to pay close attention to the tank temp in the heat of the summer, some times turning off my mh's and opening the door to the sump to aleviate the heat.  Currently, the outside morning temp is 40-50F and the afternoon temp is around 70 (that's being generous), so I didn't think I needed to pay close attention to the temps.   Anyway, last night I was looking at my tank and felt the heat coming off.  When I checked my neptune it read 83.4.  I have read a couple of posts about tank temps getting up that high with little to no problem, but...I have no other explanation as to why my corals are in decline,   Other than I very rapidly reduced the phosphate in my tank (from over 1.0 on the test kit I used to 0 in 3-5 days), but that was weeks before this decline.   My question is what have people seen as far as coral decline due to heat.  How do the soft corals fare?  How about LPS?  Fish?  Algae blooms?  Inverts?  Please be sure to note what the temps were, especially if it was excessive.   Thanks, John

So I will have to add one more thing to my 6 month maintenence on the tank. ..

Dang 175 bucks for the DC8? Why is it so expensive. I to have had problems with my X10s.

Mike Savage wrote: It is much cheaper if you get it with a ACJr.   Mike

Yep, heaters caused all sorts of issues with my tank- I haven't run them since I pulled them out.  I only use them now for mixing up water.