How hot is too hot?

akopley · 08/10/2006, 12:10 AM

my tank is ranging from 80-85 degrees...is this too much?

sir_dudeguy · 08/10/2006, 12:15 AM

80 = fine

85 = too hot

put a small fan blowing across the surface of the water and it will drop your temp a good 3 degrees or so.

akopley · 08/10/2006, 12:18 AM

You amaze me with your vast cave of knowledge.

theatrus · 08/10/2006, 12:21 AM

82 is what I would consider a normal maximum.

akopley · 08/10/2006, 12:25 AM

what are some good methods to lowering the temp other than a chiller?

sir_dudeguy · 08/10/2006, 12:25 AM

lol ya lots of free time = lots of researching for stuff for my tank...unfortunately half the stuff i research wont work in my tank for various reasons lol.

but ya 82 is the highest i would go w/out worrying. my tank sits right on the border of 79 and 80. during the winter i'll be able to get it down a bit lower (dang arizona heat) but all i use for cooling is a small box fan which lowers it about 4 degrees, and i have the room temp set to 80 w/a wall unit, which also brings it down 4 or 5. if i dont have the wall unit running tho, the room temp can easily get above 100 lol. and fast because my room isnt connected to the rest of the house.

sir_dudeguy · 08/10/2006, 12:27 AM

dont use a chiller...imo not nessesary...if a fan works that is just get it to blow across the surface of the water...it helps evap faster which is what cools...its like when you sweat. When a breeze comes by you feel a nice cooling sensation..thats just the sweat evaporating...same w/water in an aquarium

mg426 · 08/10/2006, 12:49 AM

Fans are an effective solution to excess tank heat, Mine come on at 81 degrees and go off at 80. Works well but evaporation goes way up.

sir_dudeguy · 08/10/2006, 12:53 AM

evap shouldnt be a problem tho. as long as you dont let it evap 4 inches it'll be fine lol. and if you're getting that much, then i'd say you need a topoff unit. But my fan only evaps about 1 gallon every 2 days or so, and my fan runs nonstop

bertoni · 08/10/2006, 01:01 AM

I target 82 F as the base temperature in my tanks. They can hit 85 F without any problems. There probably is some acclimation involved, thouh, so a shift from 78 to 85 is probably worse than a shift from 82 to 85.

A fan pointed at the water surface can do a lot, but the evaporation rate can go up very dramatically.

If you want to do some reading, I can point you at a number of threads, etc.

sir_dudeguy · 08/10/2006, 01:10 AM

lol yes there has been quite a lot of threads about this...specially this summer

akopley · 08/10/2006, 01:46 AM

i would appreciate the link...thanks.

bertoni · 08/10/2006, 01:54 AM

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php
http://ronshimek.com/Temperature%20Salinity.htm

Those should be good starters.

estrange · 08/10/2006, 05:06 AM

What's the lowest it can go?

Kiel'thalin · 08/10/2006, 08:06 AM

You can go all the way down to around 73, but it is not logical/practical without a chiller or keeping your house super cold. It also depends on what livestock you have, some fish/corals will not respond well to the cooler water. Ideally you should be 76-78. The important thing is the temperature swings: 1-2 degrees fine, 3 or more degrees you are going to have problems. Find what temperature you want to be at and stay there making sure the temp does not change more then 2 degrees. Good Luck.

08/10/2006, 12:10 AM	#1
akopley Premium Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 701	How hot is too hot? my tank is ranging from 80-85 degrees...is this too much?

08/10/2006, 12:15 AM	#2
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	80 = fine 85 = too hot put a small fan blowing across the surface of the water and it will drop your temp a good 3 degrees or so. __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

08/10/2006, 12:21 AM	#4
theatrus 100-mile-commuter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: almost nevada Posts: 4,721	82 is what I would consider a normal maximum. __________________ Custom electronics purveyor. blueAcro.com Current Tank Info: 90g SPS+mixed reef (10 yrs): LEDBrick LEDs, 40g custom sump, Ca reactor, chiller, Vortech, lots of custom electronics

08/10/2006, 12:25 AM	#6
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	lol ya lots of free time = lots of researching for stuff for my tank...unfortunately half the stuff i research wont work in my tank for various reasons lol. but ya 82 is the highest i would go w/out worrying. my tank sits right on the border of 79 and 80. during the winter i'll be able to get it down a bit lower (dang arizona heat) but all i use for cooling is a small box fan which lowers it about 4 degrees, and i have the room temp set to 80 w/a wall unit, which also brings it down 4 or 5. if i dont have the wall unit running tho, the room temp can easily get above 100 lol. and fast because my room isnt connected to the rest of the house. __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

08/10/2006, 12:27 AM	#7
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	dont use a chiller...imo not nessesary...if a fan works that is just get it to blow across the surface of the water...it helps evap faster which is what cools...its like when you sweat. When a breeze comes by you feel a nice cooling sensation..thats just the sweat evaporating...same w/water in an aquarium __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

08/10/2006, 12:18 AM	#3
akopley Premium Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 701	You amaze me with your vast cave of knowledge.

08/10/2006, 12:49 AM	#8
mg426 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: maryland Posts: 6,923	Fans are an effective solution to excess tank heat, Mine come on at 81 degrees and go off at 80. Works well but evaporation goes way up. __________________ I found a way to make a small fortune running a reef tank. Start with a large fortune. Unofficial President of the SEACLONE haters club Current Tank Info: 125 mixed reef 110 lbs LR, 1x250watt XM 20K MH 2x175watt XM 20K MH on Magetics 2X96 watt actinic PC, 220 watt VHO actinic, 30 gallon refugium, closed loop system powered by Sequence Dart MSX 200 skimmer 38 gallon sump, Oceansmotions squirt

08/10/2006, 12:53 AM	#9
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	evap shouldnt be a problem tho. as long as you dont let it evap 4 inches it'll be fine lol. and if you're getting that much, then i'd say you need a topoff unit. But my fan only evaps about 1 gallon every 2 days or so, and my fan runs nonstop __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

08/10/2006, 01:01 AM	#10
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I target 82 F as the base temperature in my tanks. They can hit 85 F without any problems. There probably is some acclimation involved, thouh, so a shift from 78 to 85 is probably worse than a shift from 82 to 85. A fan pointed at the water surface can do a lot, but the evaporation rate can go up very dramatically. If you want to do some reading, I can point you at a number of threads, etc. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

08/10/2006, 01:10 AM	#11
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	lol yes there has been quite a lot of threads about this...specially this summer __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

08/10/2006, 01:46 AM	#12
akopley Premium Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 701	i would appreciate the link...thanks.

08/10/2006, 01:54 AM	#13
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php http://ronshimek.com/Temperature%20Salinity.htm Those should be good starters. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

08/10/2006, 05:06 AM	#14
estrange Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 65	What's the lowest it can go?

08/10/2006, 08:06 AM	#15
Kiel'thalin Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Albany, Georgia Posts: 575	You can go all the way down to around 73, but it is not logical/practical without a chiller or keeping your house super cold. It also depends on what livestock you have, some fish/corals will not respond well to the cooler water. Ideally you should be 76-78. The important thing is the temperature swings: 1-2 degrees fine, 3 or more degrees you are going to have problems. Find what temperature you want to be at and stay there making sure the temp does not change more then 2 degrees. Good Luck.