Temperature

[reefgeezer]

Just one more basic question... How important is temperature stability to SPS corals?

My tank is in a heated/air conditioned room. The temperature stays between 76 and 83 F but swings slowly in that range. Is this acceptable?

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Reef264]

7 degree swing can be pretty stressful.Get a Temp Controller and Keep your temp around 77F-80F.

I keep mine at 77.5-77.6, it literally sits there all day and night.Never moves.Stabililty is as important as what temperature to keep it at.

 

[rezaktp]

I keep mine within 1.5 degrees with good results.

 

[Casey8]

Mine is 80F/day and 79F/night.

 

[bmhair03]

The ocean doesn't stay at 1 set temp during a day.That seems unnatural.IMO
Also it requires too much equipment and money on electricity to maintain that set temp. Always heating or cooling.
What happens when something fails. Coral will get a temp. change they haven't experienced and stress out. With a slight swing, 7 degrees is a little much ,maybe 77-81
Then if something fails corals dont stress out as much. This has been miy experience
My swing is from 77.7 - 79.9 winter and 77.7-81 in summer. Rarely getting to 81 but also have a chiller that will kick in at 82 if needed.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[reefgeezer]

Thanks for all the advice. I think it is not possible to keep the temp +/- 1 degree but I think I can limit the swings to 2 or 3 degrees.

 

[karsseboom]

4 degree temp swings are fine, anything after that and corals may get a little stressed.

 

[DaddyJax]

4 degree temp swings are fine, anything after that and corals may get a little stressed.

This

 

[sirreal63]

7 degree swing can be pretty stressful.Get a Temp Controller and Keep your temp around 77F-80F.

I keep mine at 77.5-77.6, it literally sits there all day and night.Never moves.Stabililty is as important as what temperature to keep it at.

This is not good advice yet it seems to be the advice that comes out the most often, probably from people reading books written 10-20 years ago. We understand a lot better now how these processes work. Stability should be in chemistry, ca alk and mg, not temperature.

Some informative threads for everyone to consider. Not picking on you specifically, because this is a common response, but it is not the one people want to strive for.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1977164

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2066518

If you do a search on Greenbean36191 and temperature, you will gain a wealth of knowledge from someone who actually studies this stuff.

I don't advocate intentionally trying to create a fluctuation, but this may become important as more people move to LED's, but letting the tank go from a cooler lights off period and rise naturally, the same daily, is actually healthy for the tank, especially the corals as they will adapt to a fluctuation. Corals acclimated to one steady temp have no ability to handle the times when the temp does fluctuate, such as a power outage. Allowing a daily temp fluctuation of 5-7 degrees is not harmful and actually more in line with they experience in their natural habitat where it is not a constant temp. By allowing this to happen, your corals are better able to handle those times when the temp is out of their normal range.

It does make a difference.

 

[adamhill]

+1 on slight non sudden 3-4 degree swings... they are totally acceptable

 

[reefgeezer]

This is not good advice yet it seems to be the advice that comes out the most often, probably from people reading books written 10-20 years ago...

Thanks for the links Jack. I've read through them with some interest. I've seen some mention of this in other threads. Based on what I've read, I think I'll leave things the way they are.

I have an old Little Giant MD2 that heats the air under the stand and keeps the water above 76 all year round. The rise is caused when the sun shines through some big windows and heats the room. This only happens in the winter. In the summer the shades are closed to keep the sun out during the day to save on the AC bill. My lighting is LED. They don't effect the temp.