Newbie with questions

[ahickman]

Hi. I am brand new in the reefing business. I just got my 90g set up with Berlin Sump/Refugium a couple of days ago. I can already see that I am going to have to put an ATO on the tank for one. My question comes in on the temp. My house is set at 77 although my A/C sucks currently and it will get up to 80ish during the heat of the day (95-100 outside); however, my tank is hovering consistently around 84 (Apex probe).

I have 2 Kessil 360s, a 1200gph pushing the return, and a 960gph pushing the skimmer. This equipment causing this much increase over room temp?

I just wondered if a chiller would be recommended to cool it, if I could get by with just a couple of fans, or if I would be ok just running it in the low-mid 80s?

 

[MondoBongo]

i would try the fans first, and if they work obviously you're fine, before buying a chiller.

i like to run my tank a little cooler, around 78 degrees. the pumps and lights are most likely only adding a degree or two, unless for some reason you have equipment running especially hot. i know my LEDs don't add much heat at all to the tank, and pumps generally aren't too bad.

you can accomplish a decent amount of cooling with just fans, however they will increase evaporation, making that ATO even more necessary.

for emergency cooling, like if your air were to go out, it's a good idea to keep a couple water bottles in the freezer, just in case.

 

[Cymonous]

It's hard to say if you really need a chiller or not. You could start with running a fan on both the top of your DT and one over your sump. I would think this should get you to low 80's/high 70's(which is not a bad temp).

 

[ahickman]

Thanks. I put a fan on the DT earlier today, and the temp is already down to 76.8! I guess I'll have to hook the fan up to one of my apex plugs to regulate it.

Another question:
I just got done calibrating my apex pH and conductivity probes. The pH seemed to go smoothly; however, not so much with the conductivity...or maybe it did? Here's my dilemma: I have a refractometer reading 35ppm for my tank and an instant ocean hydrometer reading about 32ppm. I used the "conductivity standard" of 53,000 uSiemens/cm to calibrate my probe, and after calibration it was reading 35.2, so close to what it should be. I stuck it in my tank and the readings shot up to 41.3. This has me a little worried because this solution should be reading about the same as my tank. I checked the calibration on the refractometer and it is spot on. I checked the "conductivity standard" on the refractometer and get readings around 29-30. So I'm at a loss as to what to do here. Could the refractometer and hydrometer be that far off, or is it possible that the calibration solution is of my that much? It has me terrified to add anything to the tank if the salinity is 41.3...any advice on how to get a "true" reading.

 

[MondoBongo]

Honestly I've found the conductivity probe to be a waste. Mine has never read what I would consider right, and is typically out of line with both of my refractometers. It's more useful for tracking relative trends over time than it is getting an accurate reading in my opinion.