My Temp Jumped to 82.5 for No Reason?

spanglish · 11/20/2007, 09:41 PM

Doing some routine cleaning tonight when I noticed my
tank temp is 82.5

It stays a constant 79-80 and I've had no outside influences
that I know of.

I've unplugged my heater (set at 79 for cool nights).

What should I do to diagnose?

My overflow was not draining like it should (hair algae),
so surface water was semi stagnant. could
that retain heat from lights??

How worried should I be?

m2434 · 11/20/2007, 09:43 PM

strange, but 82.5 is a great temp, no wories...

czerbe · 11/20/2007, 09:45 PM

not that big of a jump but yes stagnat water could trap some of the heat but i would not make that big of a difference maybe one of your pumps is not working right and overheating in your tank i would check your power heads and waterpumps first

spanglish · 11/20/2007, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by czerbe
not that big of a jump but yes stagnat water could trap some of the heat but i would not make that big of a difference maybe one of your pumps is not working right and overheating in your tank i would check your power heads and waterpumps first

what is best way to check pumps?

m2434 · 11/21/2007, 07:10 AM

Not sure what the best way is...

Here is what I would do - take a 5g bucket and add exactly 3-4 gallons. mark the fill line. Empty the bucket and use the pump to pump water into the bucket. Time it and then calculate how many gph it is pumping. It should be fairly close to what the manufacture says, if not clean it with vinegar and try again.

Frick-n-Frags · 11/21/2007, 07:34 AM

do you have a digital thermometer? maybe it is going whacko.

wrott · 11/21/2007, 07:35 AM

Or just go ahead and clean all the pumps. Take out impeller, rinse and scrub it and screen and housing w/ a clean brush (no soap), and replace.
Soaking in acid is not always necessary. I find that rinsing/washing (5 minutes) is just as effective. Oh yeah, you need to scrub impeller housing as well, under faucet.
I've seen my temp rise due to dirty pumps in my 20g--much easier to detect.
There really isn't any other reason since your heater is off and lights out--could it be a bad thermometer or chiller broken?

spanglish · 11/22/2007, 04:32 PM

I think I've determined that the heater was frying.
Thankfully I caught it as it was happening.

Sk8r · 11/22/2007, 05:08 PM

Boy, spanglish, you dodged a bullet with that one! Good observation! Soooo glad you got it.

dendro982 · 11/23/2007, 08:39 AM

How did you determined, that the heater was frying? May be mine doing the same, post, please.

Temperature in my tank jumped too, but it is a first cold night, and a central heater's outlet is right above the tank. Covered tank to reduce evaporation, and lowered dial on the heaters. Unfortunately, none of mine keeps temperature, marked on scale.

wrott · 11/23/2007, 01:28 PM

It may seem like too much money, but an AquaController Jr will ease your worries. I just got one for my 20g (the temp kept fluctuating), it works really well and can do so much.
You plug in your heater and fan (or chiller) to the Direct Connect 8 box (or which ever plug device you get), set computer using "if, then" statements.
And there is no way your heater can fry the tanK.
Cost about $250, but really cool and worth every penny.
I turned the heater to ~85F and plugged it and the fan in to the ACjr.
The tank stays at 79.0F +/- 0.3F, and saves energy since the fan and heater are only on if needed.

11/20/2007, 09:41 PM	#1
spanglish Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: DFW Texas Posts: 788	My Temp Jumped to 82.5 for No Reason? Doing some routine cleaning tonight when I noticed my tank temp is 82.5 It stays a constant 79-80 and I've had no outside influences that I know of. I've unplugged my heater (set at 79 for cool nights). What should I do to diagnose? My overflow was not draining like it should (hair algae), so surface water was semi stagnant. could that retain heat from lights?? How worried should I be? __________________ " I quit drinking weeks ago! No one noticed, but I guess that's a pretty good indicator that I conducted myself quite well when I was drunk. " Current Tank Info: 90 G Bowfront, 30G refugium,T5's,Euroreef 100,1 true perc, 1false black, 1 ember blenny,Eight Line Flasher Wrasse, Mandarin,various LPS

11/20/2007, 09:43 PM	#2
m2434 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 2,171	strange, but 82.5 is a great temp, no wories... __________________ Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which are there. ~Richard Feynman

11/20/2007, 09:45 PM	#3
czerbe Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: reading pa Posts: 112	not that big of a jump but yes stagnat water could trap some of the heat but i would not make that big of a difference maybe one of your pumps is not working right and overheating in your tank i would check your power heads and waterpumps first __________________ "Eat Drink and Be Merry" --Dave Matthews Current Tank Info: 75gallon reef tank small livestock

11/21/2007, 07:10 AM	#5
m2434 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 2,171	Not sure what the best way is... Here is what I would do - take a 5g bucket and add exactly 3-4 gallons. mark the fill line. Empty the bucket and use the pump to pump water into the bucket. Time it and then calculate how many gph it is pumping. It should be fairly close to what the manufacture says, if not clean it with vinegar and try again. __________________ Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which are there. ~Richard Feynman

11/21/2007, 07:34 AM	#6
Frick-n-Frags Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: north central OH Posts: 10,740	do you have a digital thermometer? maybe it is going whacko. __________________ Only Dead fish swim with the current. Current Tank Info: 2 50 gal tanks, sump, still BB

11/21/2007, 07:35 AM	#7
wrott Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,912	Or just go ahead and clean all the pumps. Take out impeller, rinse and scrub it and screen and housing w/ a clean brush (no soap), and replace. Soaking in acid is not always necessary. I find that rinsing/washing (5 minutes) is just as effective. Oh yeah, you need to scrub impeller housing as well, under faucet. I've seen my temp rise due to dirty pumps in my 20g--much easier to detect. There really isn't any other reason since your heater is off and lights out--could it be a bad thermometer or chiller broken? __________________ OK, but where does the meat go! ------------------------------------------------ 120g SPS, 125g mix, 56g FOWLR, 20g qt

11/22/2007, 04:32 PM	#8
spanglish Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: DFW Texas Posts: 788	I think I've determined that the heater was frying. Thankfully I caught it as it was happening. __________________ " I quit drinking weeks ago! No one noticed, but I guess that's a pretty good indicator that I conducted myself quite well when I was drunk. " Current Tank Info: 90 G Bowfront, 30G refugium,T5's,Euroreef 100,1 true perc, 1false black, 1 ember blenny,Eight Line Flasher Wrasse, Mandarin,various LPS

11/22/2007, 05:08 PM	#9
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Boy, spanglish, you dodged a bullet with that one! Good observation! Soooo glad you got it. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

11/23/2007, 08:39 AM	#10
dendro982 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 2,963	How did you determined, that the heater was frying? May be mine doing the same, post, please. Temperature in my tank jumped too, but it is a first cold night, and a central heater's outlet is right above the tank. Covered tank to reduce evaporation, and lowered dial on the heaters. Unfortunately, none of mine keeps temperature, marked on scale. __________________ Multiple Tank Syndrome: 15g shallow hi light - Xmas tree rocks, nps, sps, clams 6g shallow dark - sun corals collection 5g - sea apples NC12 - tube anemone 20g L - frogfish 125g - filefishes and lion Current Tank Info: 6 BB tanks: NPS, filter feeders and odd fish. LPS, sps and clams too

11/23/2007, 01:28 PM	#11
wrott Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,912	It may seem like too much money, but an AquaController Jr will ease your worries. I just got one for my 20g (the temp kept fluctuating), it works really well and can do so much. You plug in your heater and fan (or chiller) to the Direct Connect 8 box (or which ever plug device you get), set computer using "if, then" statements. And there is no way your heater can fry the tanK. Cost about $250, but really cool and worth every penny. I turned the heater to ~85F and plugged it and the fan in to the ACjr. The tank stays at 79.0F +/- 0.3F, and saves energy since the fan and heater are only on if needed. __________________ OK, but where does the meat go! ------------------------------------------------ 120g SPS, 125g mix, 56g FOWLR, 20g qt