When Should I Worry About Water Temps?

[cm11599ps]

Set my tank up about 2.5 months ago. I don't have a chiller, only a small computer fan to help cool the tank when it gets too hot. It's controlled by my APEX. The fan has come on a few times, but usually later in the day awhen the lights have been on for a few hours. T5 fixture.

It's only in the past week where the air temps have risen to 80 degrees so it's my first real test of how high my tank will get. The past week my tank gets to be close to 85 right before the lights go out and gets down to about 81 right before they come on. I also just installed a second cooling fan on the DT this afternoon.

I do have a bunch of equipment. I've got 4 small powerheads. 1 is always on, the other 3 cycle on and off. I've also got 3 pumps in the sump.

Mag 9 for return/fuge
Mag 9 for skimmer
Mag 7 for carbon and phosphate remover

The T5's are also set to shut off when things get too hot.


How warm is too warm? The temperature changes are gradual during the day. I'm really not thrilled about the thought of a chiller right now so I hope things are OK.

 

[kgross]

81 to 85 I will say is to much of a swing in temp. 85 is getting pretty warm as well, I don't like to see over 82/83 myself, things can change to fast at higher temps.

Why do you use a power hog like a mag 7 for a carbon/phosphate reactors, that is a big pump, most people run little power heads..... But if you can't change out the pumps easily for lower wattage pumps, just do another fan or two. You can put another one on the sump and it can make a big difference in temp as can another one on the DT. The only thing you will have to worry about is the evaporation, but an ATO is easy to setup.

Just about every tank can be cooled with evap cooling, just need enough fans and a way to keep the tank from running dry from the evap.

 

[tkeracer619]

There is no reason to have a mag7 on a reactor for your size tank. A maxijet is more then enough.

77-82 is considered safe. 85 is when you should start to get nervous. Temp swings are fine and its arguable that they actually help the tank survive if it does spike.

My tank has always gone from 76-80 on a daily basis and has gone as high as 87 with no ill effects.

Some people demand consistent temp but it really doesn't make much sense. Our corals and fish are subjected to much more drastic temp swings in nature. Given it is a closed system and other things such as oxygen levels are a factor keeping the tanks avg temp at 78 with some swing will keep you safe.

If you pull the mags out of the sump and run them external you will probably save a few degrees. They are still water cooled but 100% of the heat doesn't make it into the water like it does now. If you have a covered top remove it. You can also add a more powerful fan on your controller to kick on when temps start to rise.

 

[ColaAddict]

If you don't have a chiller, you can always keep a 2liter bottle with water in it frozen and place the sealed bottle in your sump if the temp get's too hot. Removing your canopy will also help keep tank cool, because you help the lights stay cool better, or turn your lights off it it's gonna be a hot day. Turning on your AC is also a good idea to keep ambient temp down.

 

[sjm817]

You have a lot of Mag pump wattage there especially for a system that size. Unless you want to get a new skimmer, you are kind of stuck with one of the Mag9s. You could use the mag7 as the return and get a MJ1200 for the reactor.

 

[Ralph ATL]

You have a lot of Mag pump wattage there especially for a system that size. Unless you want to get a new skimmer, you are kind of stuck with one of the Mag9s. You could use the mag7 as the return and get a MJ1200 for the reactor.

yes...

 

[cm11599ps]

Thanks guys. I just changed a few things in my APEX programming to help things.

I have 4 small powerheads in the tank with 3 of them cycling on/off and the 4th always running, pointing towards the surface. I programmed 2 of the powerheads to shut down if the temps get above 82.

I also adjusted my lighting down by an hour. Actincs from 2-11, whites from 3-10.

My fuge light was on from 10:30-830, reverse of my DT. I knocked that down from 10:30-6:30.

Tomorrow's weather is supposed to be identical to today so I'm really curious to see how things turn out compared to today!

We do have central air in the house but rally haven't turned it on as of yet. In the next month or so I'll look into getting it going.

 

[peppie]

Reducing your light cycle during the day may help a little. I am all for evap, and add an ATO. Plus what the others say about reducing pump power. All of these things together should help you sleep at nite.

 

[frankpayne32]

85 is a tad high but a regular swing of 4-5 degrees is not harmful as long as that swing happens regularly and gradually.

 

[Paco]

Bigger fans will solve your problem. Buy a clip-on fan or two at Walmart or Bed Bath and Beyond, aim it at the top of your water.