temperatures

[Leon1972]

So I keep reading contradicting info about temps. The biggest concern is that temps posted by the sites selling the fish are outdated. I read i should keep it high 70 and I see that I can keep it mid 80's. Which is correct? And how do I know what info I find online is outdated or not?
Also, how do I know what h/p chiller I need?

[ryeguyy84]

I keep my tank between 78 and 79. I would think live aquaria would have up to date info for everything. Do you need a chiller? What size is your tank? How hot is it getting?

Before I went to LEDs I just had a small fan controlled by my apex controller.

[Leon1972]

Yes i need a chiller. I will be in southern georgia and it hits the 90s there regularly, triple digits a few times a year.
Ive read temps as high as 85 is acceptable in reefs. Also I was told three of the nine fish I want are incompatible with my tank due to temp yet 90 percent of live aquaria has all one temp range listed. It doesnt read as up to date to me.

[Every1jockzjay]

82 is good, over 84 is where i feel corals start to get annoyed. Theres alot of diff info out there, even articles that say temp swings are very beneficial to the tolerance your coral will build to temps.. Imo under 84 is good, 84,85 i would start to watch carefully for negative response. Anything over that likely will be a problem. Alot of people dont let their tanks get to 83 but ive never seen any negative effects, esp if everything cools down at night, in the oceon temp swings are rApid and often

[Leon1972]

Originally Posted by Every1jockzjay

82 is good, over 84 is where i feel corals start to get annoyed. Theres alot of diff info out there, even articles that say temp swings are very beneficial to the tolerance your coral will build to temps.. Imo under 84 is good, 84,85 i would start to watch carefully for negative response. Anything over that likely will be a problem. Alot of people dont let their tanks get to 83 but ive never seen any negative effects, esp if everything cools down at night, in the oceon temp swings are rApid and often

Cool. Thanks.

[Leon1972]

Now how do I know what type or size chiller I need

[ryeguyy84]

try this calculator

http://chiller.jbjlighting.com/prod_chiller_size.asp

[BC29Reefer]

I keep my tank in winter between 76-78 and summer before I got my chiller 78-82. I did use a small fan connected to my Apex but then my ATO would run every few hours. Bought a chiller and my tank never went above 78 all year.

[Leon1972]

Originally Posted by BC29Reefer

I keep my tank in winter between 76-78 and summer before I got my chiller 78-82. I did use a small fan connected to my Apex but then my ATO would run every few hours. Bought a chiller and my tank never went above 78 all year.

it will be WAY too expensive for me to keep my tank at 78 all year probably. I will probably keep it to the low 80's. 82, maybe 83. I guess too if th AC is on in the hous ethat will help as well. Ill just have to see how it goes

[James77]

Originally Posted by Leon1972

it will be WAY too expensive for me to keep my tank at 78 all year probably. I will probably keep it to the low 80's. 82, maybe 83. I guess too if th AC is on in the hous ethat will help as well. Ill just have to see how it goes

By far, the biggest problem regarding temperature is sudden changes, especially if the animals are not used to it. It can be potentially very dangerous to keep a tank at a rock solid temperature. If anything fails....a heater sticks on or off, or a chiller does the same....the animals will not be used to it.

I keep my tanks at about 78-80 in the winter. The 78 is what the heater is set at, and it spikes to about 80 with the halides. But in the summer, I allow the tank to go higher and have a larger swing. Usually it never goes below 80, and it averages 82-83. There is nothing dangerous about 82-83, or even 84.....but if you jump to that from a rock solid 78 you will have issues. I have had my tank even hit the 86-86.5 area(again, it is used to temp swings) and everyone in the tank looked happy. I have a controller that kills the halides at 86.5, since that is really pushing it....but I was seeing no ill effects though.

I am not advocating pushing temps that high...just showing that the dreaded 84 may not always be an issue. You won't have a problem in the low 80s. Just go gradually to that temp before summer hits. You will not necessarily need a chiller either. Heat is pretty easily managed with fans or running lower wattage pumps or open tops (with mesh ideally). My window AC easily handles the heat. I only turn it on when I am home and in the room late at night

[Leon1972]

Originally Posted by James77

By far, the biggest problem regarding temperature is sudden changes, especially if the animals are not used to it. It can be potentially very dangerous to keep a tank at a rock solid temperature. If anything fails....a heater sticks on or off, or a chiller does the same....the animals will not be used to it.

I keep my tanks at about 78-80 in the winter. The 78 is what the heater is set at, and it spikes to about 80 with the halides. But in the summer, I allow the tank to go higher and have a larger swing. Usually it never goes below 80, and it averages 82-83. There is nothing dangerous about 82-83, or even 84.....but if you jump to that from a rock solid 78 you will have issues. I have had my tank even hit the 86-86.5 area(again, it is used to temp swings) and everyone in the tank looked happy. I have a controller that kills the halides at 86.5, since that is really pushing it....but I was seeing no ill effects though.

I am not advocating pushing temps that high...just showing that the dreaded 84 may not always be an issue. You won't have a problem in the low 80s. Just go gradually to that temp before summer hits. You will not necessarily need a chiller either. Heat is pretty easily managed with fans or running lower wattage pumps or open tops (with mesh ideally). My window AC easily handles the heat. I only turn it on when I am home and in the room late at night

I will need a chiller. days will swing to high 90's at some points. heat can be pretty brutal. rather have and not need than need and not have.

[James77]

Originally Posted by Leon1972

I will need a chiller. days will swing to high 90's at some points. heat can be pretty brutal. rather have and not need than need and not have.

But if you are running an AC, it may not really matter what the outside temps are. I hit 95-100 here in the summer, and it is towards 90* in my house before the AC goes on. I also use glass tops and no fans right now....I am just saying the heat of a tank can be very manageable. I put the AC on in the afternoon, roughly when my halides come on and the heat in the tank and room is fine.

But it is not a bad idea to be prepared just in case. Were I you, I would buy a chiller in about a month on the memorial day sales....10% off, maybe a smidge more depending on the etailer. Besides saving a few bucks...if it turns out you don't need it, there is that much less loss if you sell it

[Leon1972]

If I dont need it my wife will for sure for seahorses so well buy ome and see what hsppens. I wont be back in the united states till spetember so memorisl day sales arent available to me right now.a

[BC29Reefer]

I found it cheaper to run my chiller vs AC all the time. I could once in a while enjoy having my windows open on 90f day and still have my tank sit at 78

[trinidiver]

Interesting read here. I have had my corals go crazy and start to die at 84. My chiller temp controller malfunctioned. Thats when i also lost my 5 bartlet anthais and 12 shrimp. All my other fish (tangs and cardinals) were swimming around like if nothing happened.