Reef tank temp?
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: SPS
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions SPS corals.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=21942
Printed Date: May 02 2025 at 9:17am
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Topic: Reef tank temp?
Posted By: jpiotrowski
Subject: Reef tank temp?
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 9:15am
I'm not sure how long it has been going on but the late part of summer I noticed the fish tank was hot to the touch. Needless to say the tank temp was 83.5. I took the tank through hell and back trying to figure out why the acro polyps weren't extending as far as they once would, only to find out they were being cooked! My own little global warming was caused by a faulty heater.
Well, I lost a lot of acros
 , but my porites is still alive with (knock on wood) little damage. This weekend I connected my heater (the culprit) to an x10 and programed it to turn on below 73F and turn off at 73.5.I figured the tank would heat up a bit but over a 24 hour period. the temp range was 73 to 73.8. I did notice however that the temp this morning was 73.4 so I am thinking the final temp will balance out around 74.2-ish.
The question is if I am able to keep my temperature fairly constant, with only a 1 degree increase. Is 73 warm enough?
John
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Replies:
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 9:54am
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My tank is currently 83 degrees... I'd love for it to be 73.... Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: cl2ysta1
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 11:09am
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my tank stays pretty constant at about 80-81. With the first inch of water being about 83. everything is doing great ------------- I <3 Boxers Achilles tang lover |
Posted By: ReefBones
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 11:21am
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I try and target 73* .. but usually runs around 77* by the end of the day ... ------------- 140 gallon Reef 65 gallon Reef 55 gallon Aggressive www.thesalttank.com 801-865-6074 "encourage other divers and sea enthusiasts to take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but bubbles" |
Posted By: cl2ysta1
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 11:40am
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http://saltaquarium.about.com/library/weekly/aa052901.htm - http://saltaquarium.about.com/library/weekly/aa052901.htm ------------- I <3 Boxers Achilles tang lover |
Posted By: cl2ysta1
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 11:43am
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http://www.reefcorner.com/Manual/temperature.htm - http://www.reefcorner.com/Manual/temperature.htm
another article ------------- I <3 Boxers Achilles tang lover |
Posted By: Shane H
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 12:07pm
| I'm with Adam, lower is better - but my tank was regularly over 80. |
Posted By: jpiotrowski
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 12:11pm
| Thanks for all the input. I never had a problem with temp before...I swear by pendent lights and an open hood! Which is why I didn't think to check the heater! My temp swings were crazy! 80 one day then 68-70 two days later. I'm sure that is why the corals were so stressed. I am suprised though that my fish don't show any signs of stress? |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 12:21pm
| 73? What temperature is your house?! |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 2:14pm
Too cold
 John and I were just talking about this. He lives in the mountains and is on propane. It is too costly to heat the house much at night and when no one is home then the sun comes out and really warms the house up through the windows.
Mike -------------  |
Amie wrote:Posted By: jpiotrowski
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 2:21pm
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Mike is right. The solar energy is amazing at 8k feet. The loft, the tank isn't here, but it's my only measured exmaple, will be around 64-67 during the afternoon on a cloudy day with the outside temp at 20, but if the sun is out full the loft could get up to 80. |
Posted By: dkle
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 2:24pm
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http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php - http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php This is a great article to read. There is also a reference to temperature of most reef water (83-86F). ------------- If you can't bedazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bs! Dinhkim Le - Procrastinator extra-ordinare |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 5:07pm
Do you have solar panels??
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Posted By: eldiente
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 5:39pm
That has some great info in it. Thanks for sharing! ------------- Brian Twin Falls, Idaho 210 Gallon Glass reef |
Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 5:54pm
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Personally I keep my Reef between 76.8 - 80F... However, I think too large a daily temp 'swing' is more of an problem than what specific temp you choose as a target. 73F is probably OK - but what happens in the summer?
I don't think too many valley tanks could stay down in the lower 70s w/o a chiller running all summer long... ------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: GARFVolunteer
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 10:25pm
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I would like to keep my tank around 75 degrees but finances say to keep it at 79... I never have agreed with Ron Shimek about water temps in reefs. Today's reef temperatures run anywhere between 68 (Galapagos) to 75.5 (Australia) to 86 (Palau where it is bleaching). It is currently summer time where the majority of the reefs are and most of them are less than 83 degrees... NOAA Coral Bleach watch usually shows bleaching events above 84 degrees.
Gotta love Google Earth...
Thanks,
Scott ------------- President Idaho Marine Aquarium Society A fair and biased reef hobbyist "How do you make poor people rich by making rich people poor" Rush Limbaugh on Obama taxes |
Posted By: dkle
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 10:56pm
I used to worry about the tanktemperature being on the high side; but after reading the article, I just let it ride. In the winter, my tank's temp is around 76-80. In the summer, it's around 80-82. My fish and corals don't seem to mind ------------- If you can't bedazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bs! Dinhkim Le - Procrastinator extra-ordinare |
Posted By: ReefBones
Date Posted: November 19 2007 at 11:25pm
Between 70 and 72 is where I set the furnace ... ------------- 140 gallon Reef 65 gallon Reef 55 gallon Aggressive www.thesalttank.com 801-865-6074 "encourage other divers and sea enthusiasts to take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but bubbles" |
Posted By: shaggydoo
Date Posted: November 20 2007 at 12:18am
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I try to stay at around 80. Has always worked for me and so I just leave it alone. ------------- 60g LPS Cube |
Posted By: jpiotrowski
Date Posted: November 20 2007 at 8:54am
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I bumped up the temp setting on the neptune to 75. The weather is changing in my parts so I need to be ready to be blasted by the cold. After three days the tank hasn't been warmer than 74.2, but one of my VHOs went out and of course all go out, so I'm sure that has something to do with the 73.0 reading this morning. I am worried that the heater wil not be able to keep up with the cold nights. I will be hooking the extra heater to an x10 and plugging that in tonight,
BUT I have to say that the X10 controlling the heater is sweet! I will eventually buy a new heater but I think I will have it hooked to the x10 as a back up in case the temp gets to high the x10 should cut the power!
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Posted By: jpiotrowski
Date Posted: November 20 2007 at 9:03am
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Ahh summer, my summer lasts for about a month- 6 weeks. The temp is around 85 and (because we don't have air or swamp cooler) we have fans throughout the house in which we turn on at night. The nights are usually on the cool side and we are able to cool down the house quite a bit. So, I simply unplug the heater and reduce the hours my lights are on. I have pendent lights and an open hood so tank heating via lights is not an really issue.
Solar panels...if I had the money I would have bought a few of the large panels yesterday. Our plan is to start with one in a couple of years, finish our back deck/pantry/breakfest nook; turn the upper deck into a greenhouse and use solar energy to heat them. BTW the greenhouse will be tropical! Know anyone I could get orange seeds from?
John
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Posted By: Shane H
Date Posted: November 20 2007 at 9:13am
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I still feel more confident maintaining an aquarium on the lower side of the safe range. If you do have a problem and your tank is 75* you will have time to solve the problem - however if your tank is already 82* and you have a heating issue - well then, you're just in trouble. Remember: only bad things happen quickly in a reef tank.
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Posted By: jpiotrowski
Date Posted: November 20 2007 at 9:28am
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I agree with you Shane. I originally set the temp through the neptune at 73 for that very reason. Left alone set around that temp (the heater) the tank temp just kept increasing. By setting it low and noting the temp many times in a day I should be able to trend the data. Unfortunately, I was at the low end of the spectrum temp-wise with moderate house temps. The weather started changing last night and is supposed to get down right cold. My fear is that the heater will not be able to keep up and I may find a temp of 65 chilly degrees. So, in essence it is the same ideology just reversed
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Posted By: Aquatic Evolution
Date Posted: November 20 2007 at 8:22pm
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68 -70 F IS CRITICAL TEMP. CORAL WILL BEGIN TO DIE.
71-75 F OK FOR CORAL BUT WILL SLOW METABOLISM, SLOW GROWTH
76-80 F IDEAL RANGE, MAXIMIZE GROWTH AND COLOR
82 F WORRY
84 F PANIC
85 F
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Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: November 20 2007 at 9:00pm
So it looks like I'm smack-dab in the middle of "ideal"    ------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: Bryguy514
Date Posted: November 29 2007 at 10:29am
| I never realized ppl on the board kept there tanks at diffrent temperatures. i have always been told 78.2 is perfect. On my 180 with 3 250w halides my temperature goesfrom 78.1 - 78.3 |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: November 29 2007 at 11:09am
I'd say you are doing great!
Mike ------------- |
Posted By: Bryguy514
Date Posted: November 29 2007 at 11:13am
| I bought to clip on fans at a garage sale for 50 cents instead of a $800 chiller. |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: November 29 2007 at 11:30am
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I have had great luck with clip on fans too. They do evaporate a lot of water though.
Mike ------------- |
Posted By: LordMaximo
Date Posted: December 10 2007 at 10:42am
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Wow...am I ever glad my tanks stay with in a couple degrees of each other. My house faces south west with a bay window on the corner, the garage and a fire place. The house temmp is set for 68*, my tanks have NO HEATERS in either of them. They stay at a constant 72* to 74*, summer and winter both. I am really quite lucky my tanks have not gone down yet. Just keep up with the water changes and everything balances out.
Maximo ------------- Trigger Master |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: December 10 2007 at 11:29am
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Your pumps must put out enough heat to maintain temperature at night.
Mike ------------- |