ampemployee1
Member
Hi, wondering what fellow reefers are keeping their SPS dominated systems at? Currently, I have my system at 76-78 degrees.
Cheers, Ed
Cheers, Ed
Ideal temperature for an SPS dominated system
- Thread starter ampemployee1
- Start date
coralreefdoc
New member
24.5 - 26: Winter months ; 26 - 27.5: Summer months
Always transitioned slowly, over the course of several weeks, from one season to another. However, given that the temperature variable is 'programmed'/allowed to fluctuate, diurnally, within the aforementioned cooresponding values, the transition is essentially seamless for the organisms ...
Always transitioned slowly, over the course of several weeks, from one season to another. However, given that the temperature variable is 'programmed'/allowed to fluctuate, diurnally, within the aforementioned cooresponding values, the transition is essentially seamless for the organisms ...
reefinsomnia
Member
I do the same exact thing except opposite. I keep it warmer in the winter, and cooler in the summer. incase of a power outage you have a few degrees you can spare safely. My water is at 81F right now and will start droppping .5F every 3 weeks in a bit to be cooler for the summer. ofcourse i have my aquacontroller doing this a little at a time. Just my 2 cents.
Chriskid
New member
agreed, mine 82 winter, 79 summer
Dave & Monica
New member
77.3 +/- .2 all year long
coralreefdoc
New member
Very unnatural, compared to that of an actual reef ecosystem ...
Everyone's been over influenced by the "stable" parameters advice, but in reality it's a common misconception, when it relates to temperature, that it is ideal to maintain this value within 1degree
I completely agree, this post does a good job of explaining where that came from.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=18363071&postcount=11
Some very good reading which should help those unsure about what temps to keep their reef at...
http://www.reefsmagazine.com/forum/...eat-temperature-debate-part-1-chris-jury.html
http://www.reefsmagazine.com/forum/reefs-magazine/82353-great-temperature-debate-part-ii.html
http://www.reefsmagazine.com/forum/reefs-magazine/93637-great-temperature-debate-part-iii.html
http://www.reefsmagazine.com/forum/reefs-magazine/100587-great-temperature-debate-part-iv.html
Probably the saddest thing is the correct information has been available for many years. FWIW I let my tank run cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer. Should something happen and you lose electricity having a cooler range in the winter, where the tank will get colder from loss of power is better, as the corals have already become acclimated to cooler temps. The opposite is true in summer. Currently the tank runs from about 77 to 80-81, in summer it will run 79-80 to 82-83 and at times 84, depending on what we have the house temp set at.
trueblackpercula
New member
Winter 75 summer 82
a.browning
New member
I normally run at about 79.5-80 with great results.
Amphiprion
Premium Member
I've done the same for years. I try to average around 82 for the whole year, so roughly half the year in summer months at approx. 82-84 *F to about 77-78 *F in winter months. As long as the long term average didn't deviate, I never really had issues (except for the occasional temperature outlier, such as power outages, heater malfunctions, etc.).
ampemployee1
Member
Appreciate all the feedback. I read the articles P1 and P2 of the Great temperature debate. My takeaway was to avoid prolonged periods of temperatures above 82-84 degrees to avoid bleaching.
All the other authors and experts have differing opinions, but generally the range is in the mid 70's to low 80's.
I plan to program my controller to shut off the heater if the temperature reaches 82. I've heard a few too many stories of heaters going awry; I decided to replace my old 150W Eheim with a new one just to be safe...
If anyone happens to know the steps to program the RKL to shut off the heater (plugged into my PC4 slot 1), I'd appreciate it.
Happy reefing, Ed
All the other authors and experts have differing opinions, but generally the range is in the mid 70's to low 80's.
I plan to program my controller to shut off the heater if the temperature reaches 82. I've heard a few too many stories of heaters going awry; I decided to replace my old 150W Eheim with a new one just to be safe...
If anyone happens to know the steps to program the RKL to shut off the heater (plugged into my PC4 slot 1), I'd appreciate it.
Happy reefing, Ed
ampemployee1
Member
Figured out the Heater feature of the RKL. Too simple!
reefinsomnia
Member
I used to do the summer hotter winter colder until i had a random power outage during the summer here in california. My water was currently at 82 and got up to 88. Long story short, I lost everything. Thats why I do it the other way now.
floridascape
New member
76 - 82 whenever it fells like swinging... Daily sometimes 
Corals start stressing with as little as 2 degrees outside of their normal range. The longer the duration outside of their normal range, the more they are stressed. If your tank had normally had a high end of 84 in the summer, it may not have been as bad, a 4 degree swing is less stressful than a 6 degree swing if the duration is the same. It may not have made any difference if the tank were colder, the swing would have been higher than they could handle, but overall, the higher the temp differential, the faster the temp will change. You didn't do anything wrong, but the change was too far out of what they could handle.
One of the reasons why people who try and keep a set temp lose so much when the eventual power loss happens, the corals are acclimated to that one temp and have lost the ability to handle a fluctuating temp.
When we read that the avg temp on the reefs is 82 or 83, most people ignore the avg part, and think that anything over 82 or 83 is bad, but the reality is that it is an average, meaning cooler in winter, warmer in summer, and not just on one reef, all of them averaged together. Some reefs run much cooler than others, so that average doesn't really help us much in figuring out the ideal temp, there isn't one. We buy corals from all over the place, some are used to higher temps, some are used to cooler temps and we mix them all in the same tank. Determining the ideal temp is an individual thing, what works in my tank may not work in yours, it can be maddening. Over the years I have learned that the 77 to 84 range works, and it seems to work for most people who do it. That doesn't mean that 79 to 81 won't work, it does, but it doesn't allow as much "insurance" for when things go wrong.
I don't believe there is a wrong or right here, find what works and stick to it.
I think most people run their tanks too hot. The safe zone for corals is roughly 68 - 84 degrees. Most people seem to run right up to the limit on the hot end.
The way I have my tank set up with a controller:
at 74 degrees my heater kicks on.
at 76 degrees the heater kicks off.
at 78 degrees the fan kicks on.
at 80 degrees the metal halides are shut off.
My tank typically runs 74-76 degrees at night and 76-78 during the day, all year round.
The way I have my tank set up with a controller:
at 74 degrees my heater kicks on.
at 76 degrees the heater kicks off.
at 78 degrees the fan kicks on.
at 80 degrees the metal halides are shut off.
My tank typically runs 74-76 degrees at night and 76-78 during the day, all year round.
CHSUB
"Certified Hobby Expert"
the whole temperature debat is very tired!!! stable is better, period; reefs suffer with temperature change.... the idea of conditioning your corals to changes in temperature in case of a power outage is ridiculous. why not condition corals to alk. swings in case your dosing pump fails or condition yourself by hitting your head with a brick in case something falls out of the sky, that way it won't hurt as much....i lost and entire tank to a power outage, the livestock died long before the water temperature changed very much!!!!
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Amphiprion
Premium Member
How is it so ridiculous, especially when there is so much potential for temperature issues to occur? I'm not suggesting that natural reefs and their fluctuations are always best (they're not), but many corals can and have adapted to have a tolerance (not an affinity) for at least some temperature change (unlike alkalinity, which is much more constant, so that wasn't the best comparison). I would much rather have one little thing be slightly non-ideal/optimal (especially when most of them are tolerant of it) than to completely lose everything when it could've been potentially avoided. I can understand why much of this mindset is so entrenched, but to be completely, respectfully honest, trying to keep an extremely narrow range of temperatures is ridiculous to me. This is true especially when there are so many things that can very well easily change that range in spite of efforts to keep it there.
