Just a crazy thing which struck me funny about comparing ocean conditions with tanks: I was listening to a talk at the New England Aquarium here in Boston a couple years ago, and the expert mentioned that many of the Tropical "caribbean" fish they have are caught right off the coast in commercial fishing nets and have traveled up the gulf stream to New England waters, where it seldom gets warm enough to even swim at the beach.
ideal temperature for a reef tank? 82-84 F
- Thread starter Elliott
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RogerBrooks
New member
I beg to differ on the reef tank temperature debate. As an avid diver, while most of the reef surface temperatures near the equator may be in the low 80's, please remember that corals don't grow at the surface. You'll find most at 30 to 60 feet below the surface where the temperatures are in the mid-70's.
I just dove in Fiji, the soft coral capital of the world, where in the summer months (U.S. winter months) the surface temperature will be in the 82º to 85º range, and in the winter months, 79º to 82º. But at depth, the water changes very little no matter what the season - perhaps two degrees.
Based on this, I actually believe, and this is my personal opinion, that most mixed-reef tanks do best at 77º. You'll also end up with more oxygen in the tank at this temperature, versus higher temperatures.
I just dove in Fiji, the soft coral capital of the world, where in the summer months (U.S. winter months) the surface temperature will be in the 82º to 85º range, and in the winter months, 79º to 82º. But at depth, the water changes very little no matter what the season - perhaps two degrees.
Based on this, I actually believe, and this is my personal opinion, that most mixed-reef tanks do best at 77º. You'll also end up with more oxygen in the tank at this temperature, versus higher temperatures.
I agree. I've kept my tank at 77-78 for many years.
I have been diving since 1972, including fiji, my experience is the same as yours.
DiscusHeckel
Acropora Gardener
My tanks have always run between 27-28C. My latest tank has been running at this temperature range for the past 6 years without any issues. I use data provided in Borneman's book as a reference (see attached).
One thing I took from this book is that if a reef tank is kept at a lower temperature and there is a sudden spike in temperature (e.g. 30C or over), then anecdotally there is a higher risk of coral wipe out. There is less risk if corals are accustomed to normal reef temperatures as shown in the photo.
Moreover, at higher temperatures, the metabolism of an entire tank is raised. If this is coupled with high flow and high light (with correct spectrum), coral growth can be enhanced. My tank runs on this "high energy reef" concept quite successfully.
One thing I took from this book is that if a reef tank is kept at a lower temperature and there is a sudden spike in temperature (e.g. 30C or over), then anecdotally there is a higher risk of coral wipe out. There is less risk if corals are accustomed to normal reef temperatures as shown in the photo.
Moreover, at higher temperatures, the metabolism of an entire tank is raised. If this is coupled with high flow and high light (with correct spectrum), coral growth can be enhanced. My tank runs on this "high energy reef" concept quite successfully.
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corals seem to adapt to a temperature range :thumbsup:
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