Temp and coral growth

[OneReef]

Theoretically, would a coral in 80* water grow faster than a coral in 77* water, given stable temp at each one, and equal water parameters? I guess the question would be if a corals metabolism would be faster in warmer water?

 

[Reef264]

Well, I know that Algae Reproduces quicker in higher temperatures, So zooxanthellae May reproduce faster as well, SPS in shallow Waters do grow faster than some deeper water corals that do not rely on Zooxanthellae to grow, There may be a link between the shallow reef SPS growing quicker due to Higher Temp, more light, and very turbulent flow.I've encountered in warmer water tanks that Tissue necrosis is more common (80+ degrees).

Other than that, bump!

 

[dzhuo]

Theoretically, would a coral in 80* water grow faster than a coral in 77* water, given stable temp at each one, and equal water parameters?

There is absolutely no question about that. In fact, a constant temperature is normally not required at all and is generally considered harmful in a captive environment. In short (and in general), 80F is about the ideal temperature for most Indo-Pacific corals (which make up about 95% of what we see daily in this hobby).

It's widely observed that in the wild, temperature changes can happen quickly; sometimes as much as 10 degrees every couple of hours (or more). This sort of short term fluctuations (within the normal temperature ranges corals acclimated to) do not induct stress response and help to condition and strength the corals immune and thermal stress system. Temperature fluctuations are important for the corals' own survival and it's something they have evolved to deal with their entire evolution history.

Couple discussions:

Temperature question
Acceptable Daily Temperature fluctuations

There are tremendous amount of information regarding this topic if you look a little deeper. It's better to keep a constant temperature is the absolute #1 myth in this hobby by far, in my opinion.

In the summer, my tank runs from 78F to 86F daily and 77F to 79F during the winter.

 

[sirreal63]

There is absolutely no question about that. In fact, a constant temperature is normally not required at all and is generally considered harmful in a captive environment. In short (and in general), 80F is about the ideal temperature for most Indo-Pacific corals (which make up about 95% of what we see daily in this hobby).

It's widely observed that in the wild, temperature changes can happen quickly; sometimes as much as 10 degrees every couple of hours (or more). This sort of short term fluctuations (within the normal temperature ranges corals acclimated to) do not induct stress response and help to condition and strength the corals immune and thermal stress system. Temperature fluctuations are important for the corals' own survival and it's something they have evolved to deal with their entire evolution history.

Couple discussions:

Temperature question
Acceptable Daily Temperature fluctuations

There are tremendous amount of information regarding this topic if you look a little deeper. It's better to keep a constant temperature is the absolute #1 myth in this hobby by far, in my opinion.

In the summer, my tank runs from 78F to 86F daily and 77F to 79F during the winter.

+1 Metabolic rates are higher with higher temp but you need that fluctuation to give them some slower metabolic rest as well as help them deal with tank temp disasters.

Things tend to morph beyond reality in this hobby and constant temp is one of those. Natural reefs are not a paradise for the corals, they are subjected to a variety of things such as temp changes, salinity changes, water flow changes, storms, etc. When you think of stability in a reef tank, think chemistry not temperature, ca alk and mag are the things you wan to be as stable as possible.

 

[OneReef]

With my LEDs I am able to keep my temp steady at 77.8 all the time. Just wondering if I ought to turn up the heater a tad for growth reasons....