Heat from T5 (sunlight) unit

[Ann1214]

I have the T5 8 bulb set up. I have been using it for about 2 weeks, and I think I might be heating the tank up too much. I have a 100 gal tank, and the temperature was at 80 degrees when I got home today. (It was at 76 degrees this morning.

I can put the lights on with 4, or 8 bulbs turned on. How far off the top of the tank should the system be? do I run all eight lights?

Sugesstions?

 

[gussy]

Mine is an inch from the tank. Put fans.

 

[old salty]

Mine are about 4-5 inches above the water. Temp swings are less than 2 degrees. I have the acrylic shields, so that most likely keeps a lot of the heat off the surface of the water.

 

[Ti]

start using fans.

 

[cgk29]

I have the same issue. My last unit (a power compact with legs) had fans to move the air. This one does not. Temporily I put a floor fan near the tank that blows air around. I will probably put some fans behind the tank to blow air accross the top out soon.

 

[Alaskan Reefer]

Use a household fan or buy one for your canopy (icecaps are nice). I have the 8 bulb Tek fixture sitting 10" off the water along with a 150W HQI on one end -- temperature swings from 78 to 80 with a basic household fan over the sump, 78 to 82 without it...

 

[PRC]

I have six T5s about two inches off the water and only get temp swings of about 2 degrees. They're not all Sunlights but I don't imagine that matters since they're all pulling about 100W from the Icecaps, most of that ends up as heat eventually. I do run fans when the tank reaches 80.