Maximum temperature for a FO tank?

mskvarenina · 04/14/2014, 08:35 PM

What are the general guidelines for the temperature range of a FO tank? With summer coming my tank is already climbing above the heater temperature and I'm concerned it may get too warm in the middle of the summer when the room temperature alone can reach 82 degrees during the day. I don't know how much heat my pumps and lights add but if room temp will be 82, I'm sure the tank will be warmer.

That said, the rise and drop in temperature will always happen gradually which I hear is a good thing.

mcozad829 · 04/14/2014, 09:51 PM

I have heard it generally said that past 83 is the beginning of the danger zone. I would recommend a cooling fan and put it on a timer (assuming you don't have a controller) to run during the day it can drop tank temp quite a bit (1-4 degrees ish?) depending on the size of your tank.

83 degrees is just what I've heard I don't know what any sort of scientific evidence would say

ScubaSteveOz · 04/15/2014, 02:03 AM

There is no simple answer, as long as the change in temperatures are gradually, particularly once you get into the 80's. It also depends on the fish type and what its biology have evolved to in nature.

As an example, in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, its not unheard of for the water temperature to go up as above 30 °C (i.e. 86+ °F) at times during the summer, yet coral and fish both survive and thrive there. In Winter, it can be the operate (lower extremes).

julie180 · 04/15/2014, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScubaSteveOz

There is no simple answer, as long as the change in temperatures are gradually, particularly once you get into the 80's. It also depends on the fish type and what its biology have evolved to in nature.

As an example, in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, its not unheard of for the water temperature to go up as above 30 °C (i.e. 86+ °F) at times during the summer, yet coral and fish both survive and thrive there. In Winter, it can be the operate (lower extremes).

Remember, thats probably being measured at the surface. The fish have the option of going lower where the temp will be less.

Don't forget as temp rises, available oxygen in the water becomes less. Make sure you have a lot of surface aeration which will also help with cooling.

snorvich · 04/15/2014, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by julie180

Don't forget as temp rises, available oxygen in the water becomes less. Make sure you have a lot of surface aeration which will also help with cooling.

This. Fans also lower temperature at the cost of more evaporation.

username in use · 04/15/2014, 08:23 AM

You can also leave your lights off during the hottest times of the day.

mskvarenina · 04/15/2014, 11:10 AM

Yes I figured the ocean temperature will change from day to day depending upon the sunlight, rain and other environmental things so I didn't think the temp needs to stay exactly constant. I guess the question is what is the reasonable temp range for an aquarium.

Regarding my lighting, it's LED and I keep then only at about 30% power so there's not much heat coming from them. I suspect it's the 3 submersible pumps (1 main return pump, 1 for the UV and 1 for the skimmer) causing all the heat.

I'm thinking I'll experiment with the fan option first as the sump is in the basement which generally stays much cooler than the living room where the DT is. I've got an auto-topoff system and certainly could supply it with a large 50g barrel so if evaporation is the only issue, it wouldn't be that big of an issue. The sump is open on the top so perhaps I would try directing a fan to point downward above the sump?

username in use · 04/15/2014, 11:40 AM

Well you could eliminate the uv pump by just t'ing off the main return line. You could also switch that to an external.

cloak · 04/15/2014, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mskvarenina

What are the general guidelines for the temperature range of a FO tank? With summer coming my tank is already climbing above the heater temperature and I'm concerned it may get too warm in the middle of the summer when the room temperature alone can reach 82 degrees during the day. I don't know how much heat my pumps and lights add but if room temp will be 82, I'm sure the tank will be warmer.

That said, the rise and drop in temperature will always happen gradually which I hear is a good thing.

My reef tank generally varies between 76-85 throughout the year without any problems. The peaks & the valley's of this variation doesn't really happen that often, but the fish, corals, & invertebrates haven't seemed to mind.

For a FO tank, 82 shouldn't be a problem at all.

jerseygurl · 04/15/2014, 02:41 PM

Simple....84 is the high end.

Just run a cooling fan, they're cheap and you can put it on a timer.

Spork3245 · 04/15/2014, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by julie180

Remember, thats probably being measured at the surface. The fish have the option of going lower where the temp will be less.

Don't forget as temp rises, available oxygen in the water becomes less. Make sure you have a lot of surface aeration which will also help with cooling.

Could this be remedied by an air pump?

jerseygurl · 04/15/2014, 02:56 PM

If you're running a protein skimmer and have decent surface movement you'll be fine. You could also consider losing the glass top if you're using one and raising the lights up slightly.

mskvarenina · 04/15/2014, 08:57 PM

Ordered a 7" clip on fan. I'll try this first before investing in a chiller.

jerseygurl · 04/16/2014, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mskvarenina

Ordered a 7" clip on fan. I'll try this first before investing in a chiller.

Good job, keep it simple and you'll be happy. Just make sure it doesn't fall into the water.

mskvarenina · 05/04/2014, 06:30 AM

So I noticed the fan blowing on the surface water in the sump dropped the water by about 4 degrees.

What however are the effects of higher water temperatures to the fish? Let's say the temp climbs to 84 or 86 and I don't notice. Will it give them more stress?

Last week my niger trigger after a "hot" day had fuzziness across his body on many scales. I thought the ick or some other parasite got him but the next day he was clear and clean again. That's why I'm asking about a high temp as I have no way to turn the fan on or off yet based on water temperature.

Brian Peterson · 05/04/2014, 08:36 AM

I recently visited my mom who has a 29 gl FW. She had a coralife digital thermometer that apparently manfunctioned showing a low temp. My 65 yr old mom began slowing increasing the temp. on the heater to bring it up. When I came over she thought her heater was stuck because she couldn'nt turn it anymore. She also said she has been having to add water alot lately. I went over and put my finger in the water.....HOT.
Felt like bath water and you could feel the heat radiating from the top. I checker her heater and it didn't turn any more because it MAXED out up to the 93 degree mark.
I found a old glass temp. probe and dropped it in and watched it increase to....92 degrees! She also said she noticed the heater light was on all the time. It had been like this a week or more. She VERY surprisingly didn't lose any fish. Thought she only has about 6. We had a nice discussion about noticing all the those signs and putting it all together. (face palm... Love you mom)

inetmug · 05/04/2014, 08:45 AM

There is lots of literature that suggests for things like Ick treatment you can bring the water to 86-88.... I know because I have been reading.

Not saying this is the right thing to do, but thats what I read.

04/14/2014, 08:35 PM	#1
mskvarenina Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 286	Maximum temperature for a FO tank? What are the general guidelines for the temperature range of a FO tank? With summer coming my tank is already climbing above the heater temperature and I'm concerned it may get too warm in the middle of the summer when the room temperature alone can reach 82 degrees during the day. I don't know how much heat my pumps and lights add but if room temp will be 82, I'm sure the tank will be warmer. That said, the rise and drop in temperature will always happen gradually which I hear is a good thing.

04/14/2014, 09:51 PM	#2
mcozad829 Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Natchitoches, LA Posts: 619 Blog Entries: 1	I have heard it generally said that past 83 is the beginning of the danger zone. I would recommend a cooling fan and put it on a timer (assuming you don't have a controller) to run during the day it can drop tank temp quite a bit (1-4 degrees ish?) depending on the size of your tank. 83 degrees is just what I've heard I don't know what any sort of scientific evidence would say __________________ "You'll have plenty of time for rolling doobies... when you're living in a van... down by the river!"

04/15/2014, 08:23 AM	#6
username in use Sciencing Daily Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 6,560	You can also leave your lights off during the hottest times of the day. __________________ Joshua "With fronds like these, who needs anemones?" - Albert Einstein Current Tank Info: multiple nano's sprinkled around the house

04/15/2014, 11:40 AM	#8
username in use Sciencing Daily Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 6,560	Well you could eliminate the uv pump by just t'ing off the main return line. You could also switch that to an external. __________________ Joshua "With fronds like these, who needs anemones?" - Albert Einstein Current Tank Info: multiple nano's sprinkled around the house

04/15/2014, 02:03 AM	#3
ScubaSteveOz Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 11	There is no simple answer, as long as the change in temperatures are gradually, particularly once you get into the 80's. It also depends on the fish type and what its biology have evolved to in nature. As an example, in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, its not unheard of for the water temperature to go up as above 30 °C (i.e. 86+ °F) at times during the summer, yet coral and fish both survive and thrive there. In Winter, it can be the operate (lower extremes).

04/15/2014, 11:10 AM	#7
mskvarenina Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 286	Yes I figured the ocean temperature will change from day to day depending upon the sunlight, rain and other environmental things so I didn't think the temp needs to stay exactly constant. I guess the question is what is the reasonable temp range for an aquarium. Regarding my lighting, it's LED and I keep then only at about 30% power so there's not much heat coming from them. I suspect it's the 3 submersible pumps (1 main return pump, 1 for the UV and 1 for the skimmer) causing all the heat. I'm thinking I'll experiment with the fan option first as the sump is in the basement which generally stays much cooler than the living room where the DT is. I've got an auto-topoff system and certainly could supply it with a large 50g barrel so if evaporation is the only issue, it wouldn't be that big of an issue. The sump is open on the top so perhaps I would try directing a fan to point downward above the sump?

04/15/2014, 02:41 PM	#10
jerseygurl Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 329	Simple....84 is the high end. Just run a cooling fan, they're cheap and you can put it on a timer.

04/15/2014, 02:56 PM	#12
jerseygurl Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 329	If you're running a protein skimmer and have decent surface movement you'll be fine. You could also consider losing the glass top if you're using one and raising the lights up slightly.

04/15/2014, 08:57 PM	#13
mskvarenina Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 286	Ordered a 7" clip on fan. I'll try this first before investing in a chiller.

05/04/2014, 06:30 AM	#15
mskvarenina Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 286	So I noticed the fan blowing on the surface water in the sump dropped the water by about 4 degrees. What however are the effects of higher water temperatures to the fish? Let's say the temp climbs to 84 or 86 and I don't notice. Will it give them more stress? Last week my niger trigger after a "hot" day had fuzziness across his body on many scales. I thought the ick or some other parasite got him but the next day he was clear and clean again. That's why I'm asking about a high temp as I have no way to turn the fan on or off yet based on water temperature.

05/04/2014, 08:36 AM	#16
Brian Peterson Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 85	I recently visited my mom who has a 29 gl FW. She had a coralife digital thermometer that apparently manfunctioned showing a low temp. My 65 yr old mom began slowing increasing the temp. on the heater to bring it up. When I came over she thought her heater was stuck because she couldn'nt turn it anymore. She also said she has been having to add water alot lately. I went over and put my finger in the water.....HOT. Felt like bath water and you could feel the heat radiating from the top. I checker her heater and it didn't turn any more because it MAXED out up to the 93 degree mark. I found a old glass temp. probe and dropped it in and watched it increase to....92 degrees! She also said she noticed the heater light was on all the time. It had been like this a week or more. She VERY surprisingly didn't lose any fish. Thought she only has about 6. We had a nice discussion about noticing all the those signs and putting it all together. (face palm... Love you mom)

05/04/2014, 08:45 AM	#17
inetmug Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 693	There is lots of literature that suggests for things like Ick treatment you can bring the water to 86-88.... I know because I have been reading. Not saying this is the right thing to do, but thats what I read.