Lowering temperature to simulate winter
- Thread starter starkii
- Start date
r-balljunkie
Registered Reefer
annual reef temperatures do not vary in some regions.
I'm 6 degrees off the equator. there is no such thing as winter.....water temps are constant all year around within a 2 degree range which is almost indistinguishable.
if your tank is region specific,you might be onto something. if it isn't, might not be worth the effort.
http://www.weather-and-climate.com/...erature-fahrenheit,Kwajalein,Marshall-Islands
I'm 6 degrees off the equator. there is no such thing as winter.....water temps are constant all year around within a 2 degree range which is almost indistinguishable.
if your tank is region specific,you might be onto something. if it isn't, might not be worth the effort.
http://www.weather-and-climate.com/...erature-fahrenheit,Kwajalein,Marshall-Islands
Moort82
New member
As above plus I think most tanks will probably see a larger seasonal change in water temperatures as you fight to keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Its reasonably mild around here but there is still a 30-35c degree swing in air temperature, some of which effects the tank.
Saying that I have reduced the temperature of my brood stock before when I wasn't trying to raise anything and give them a rest, it slows the metabolism a little and means they can rest up for a while.
Saying that I have reduced the temperature of my brood stock before when I wasn't trying to raise anything and give them a rest, it slows the metabolism a little and means they can rest up for a while.
Thanks for that. I have looked at Indonesia and some of the Caribbean Islands and it seems a 2c change is as big at it gets. I still see that as a bit of a swing so wonder if corals may do better with a slight rest over a couple of months with a lower temperature.
So it might be better to simulate a photoperiod change. I've seen some LED controllers can do that.
Interesting you have dropped the temp to recover your fish. Was that by much or only a degree or two and from what to what please?
So what would happen if the temperature was dropped in the system in terms of metabolism of fish and corals? would it mean you needed to feed slightly less and what effect may a small winter have in terms of resting the system? I'm not looking to increase the growth rate of the corals but wonder if it would prolong their life if I matched as close to nature as possible. I know its only a degree or two but would there be any significant difference or even a minor one to doing so?
madadi
ReefOG
I do an 8 degree change (74-82)from summer to winter just because it saves electricity. I don't have to run the heater and chiller as often because I let it naturally cool and heat up with yearly temp change. I use my apex seasonal temp program for this. I find that it makes my tank mates more resistant to shifts. Once I had a mechanical failure and tank was 90+ degrees for a day or so and nothing happened. Normally that's enough to wipe an sps dominated tank.
carriej
New member
I unintentionally lower my tanks temp in the winter. I live in Atlantic Canada, and it's impossible to fight with -35C temps without putting my power bill through the roof (150 gallon system in my basement). It only runs about 4-5F cooler than normal though, so not a huge change. It's very gradual also, as we have a pretty long fall.
I have not noticed any difference in coral growth, or fish liveliness or overall system health.
I have not noticed any difference in coral growth, or fish liveliness or overall system health.
LobsterOfJustice
Recovering Detritophobe
My sump is in the garage and I use the apex season table to allow a seasonal change in temp. I vary from a low of 77 in the winter to a high of 81 in the summer. I also have coded in day/night temp swings of up to 1 degree. I based my setpoints and the amount of variation on research of several sea surface monitoring stations in the pacific. I have noticed no change in coral growth or fish behavior over the winter.
Moort82
New member
Only a slight drop in temp from 26c down to 24c. I'm not convinced it has much of an effect but they do seem to come back stronger with larger broods once the temperature is raised again. That's anecdotal though I don't count the eggs, they just seem larger batches. The higher temp also means they hatch faster.
Zoodiver
As seen on TV
Just to add a little more to think about, look at the reefs in South FL/Keys. They see a rather large temp swing compared to the Pacific reefs. It's not uncommon to see water temps go from upper 80F in the Summer to the mid 60F in the Winter. A few years ago, we saw low 50F in some spots down here (granted that was record setting low). I've kept systems using open/flow through water at whatever the ocean temp may be. Everything slows down, but the fish make it through the drop every year when it stays within the 'normal' temp drop.
LobsterOfJustice
Recovering Detritophobe
Air temp drop is definitely different than water temp drop - I assume he was talking about water temp drop. And the caribbean is much different than tropical pacific. I wouldn't model my tank's temp after the caribbean as none of my livestock comes from there.
kmu
New member
I also run 82 on summer and 74 on winter time, 2 weeks ago the winter started hitting us hard here in the desert so I slowly lowered the tank temp to 74 over the course of 4 days
oceanarium
New member
I switched from coral collector to culture'er the area where I previously collected in North West Australia temps can be 19C - 34C winter to summer.
Our coral room is heavily insulated mostly heating is seasonal from the outside variations and aided by the lighting etc. Temps swing from 24C winter to 28C summer. We see seasonal variations in fish coral and invert breeding and certain corals grow better at different times of year for us.
Our coral room is heavily insulated mostly heating is seasonal from the outside variations and aided by the lighting etc. Temps swing from 24C winter to 28C summer. We see seasonal variations in fish coral and invert breeding and certain corals grow better at different times of year for us.
For the 4 1/2 years this system ran it saw a seasonal fluctuation of around 12 °F:
http://youtu.be/UjMFWHC4uBM
http://youtu.be/_Uf5IyXvajg
Only problem I had was Pink Birdsnest would partially bleach when the temperature dropped below 72 °F, ≈22 °C, which was the typical low in winter Summer would see temps around 83.
Kleypas, et al, 1999 surveyed almost a thousand reefs and the average low was ≈70 °F, 21 °C, average high was ≈85 °F, 29.5 °C.
http://www.ronshimek.com/references...onmental_Limits_To_Coral_Reef_Development.pdf
http://youtu.be/UjMFWHC4uBM
http://youtu.be/_Uf5IyXvajg
Only problem I had was Pink Birdsnest would partially bleach when the temperature dropped below 72 °F, ≈22 °C, which was the typical low in winter Summer would see temps around 83.
Kleypas, et al, 1999 surveyed almost a thousand reefs and the average low was ≈70 °F, 21 °C, average high was ≈85 °F, 29.5 °C.
http://www.ronshimek.com/references...onmental_Limits_To_Coral_Reef_Development.pdf
