water temp to high

flatsout1171 · 01/17/2010, 05:27 AM

other than buying a chiller.how can i get my water temp down? i have a fan blower in the stand. my water temp is 83-84

goodtimes2 · 01/17/2010, 09:39 AM

Add another fan over your pump and redirect one of your pumps towards the water surface to create a fair amount of disturbunce at your surface level. Also take a look at your current water pumps as they may be giving off too much heat, some pumps run cooler. For your return pump consider an external versus and internal pump.Also the vortech pumps . although expensive, has the motor element outside the tank, hence less heat. You can also possibly raise your lights a little higher. Metal halide lights run hooter than T-5 lights. Good luck

flatsout1171 · 01/17/2010, 10:14 AM

i do have a external pump so i am okay there.i have 2 korilias #4.my lighting is 4 96 kw compacts?

Usul0 · 01/17/2010, 11:33 AM

I know its not the most elegant solution but a clip on fan blowing over the tank's surface does wonders. Also how old is your tank heater?

detroit_fan · 01/17/2010, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flatsout1171

other than buying a chiller.how can i get my water temp down? i have a fan blower in the stand. my water temp is 83-84

you can mix it with my cold michigan tank water. with your 83 and my 75 we should come out to a nice 79-80.

Seroiusly though, i would add another fan, that should help. also maybe run your lights later in the day so they aren't on during hte hottest part ofthe day.

flatsout1171 · 01/17/2010, 11:44 AM

i do not have a heater in the tank because of that reason.i have a fan in the hood but it is loud.any suggestions on a fan.

jmski333 · 01/17/2010, 12:15 PM

i've heard of people floating a bag of ice in their sump to lower the tank temperature. but i think that'd be just a temporary fix.

Compguy · 01/17/2010, 01:39 PM

Whenever my tank temps get to high I just turn on a fan that I have set above my sump to blow air over the sump, that usually helps me out alot.

flatsout1171 · 01/17/2010, 04:35 PM

okay so i tried putting a fan blowing directly over the sump.that still didnt bring down the temp..so i put a frozen 2 liter bottle in the sump and the temp is going down.just wondering is my lights to close to the water? i keep my house ac at 74-75 degrees. in need of help on this..

Rysam · 01/17/2010, 04:46 PM

I pull the air for my skimmer from outside. cold air cools the water fantastically. with 3x250's I can keep my water at 80* easily.

the best part is , cold air is free.

flatsout1171 · 01/17/2010, 05:27 PM

how did you pull air for the skimmer outside? i dont understand what you mean.

Compguy · 01/17/2010, 06:09 PM

He means you can extend the air intake hose to suck air into the skimmer from outside, there are several ways of doing it, just however you can get it outside. Not a bad idea, I never thought of that.

flatsout1171 · 01/17/2010, 06:13 PM

okay so i got a coralife skimmer..so put a peice of hose on the other side of the air intake that come from the pump in the sump that goes to the round thing that mounts on the skimmer body i guess hope u understand what i mean?

Rysam · 01/18/2010, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Compguy

He means you can extend the air intake hose to suck air into the skimmer from outside, there are several ways of doing it, just however you can get it outside. Not a bad idea, I never thought of that.

yup, I peeled back the carpet and drilled a hole in the floor to the crawlspace (shhh dont tell the landlord). then I stuck in a piece of vinyl tubing, hooked 'er up and there ya go.

Firefish76 · 01/18/2010, 10:50 AM

If you have a window close by the tank could have the tubing go out the window

flatsout1171 · 01/18/2010, 06:44 PM

does it matter on the length of the tubing?

Compguy · 01/19/2010, 05:45 AM

It shouldn't matter how long it is, just make sure you hook it up to the air intake, its the flexible tubing that goes directly to the skimmer pump. Is your sump located in your stand below your tank, and if so is it kind of closed off underneath your stand? If so, you should think of cutting a hole for a fan or use an open spot and have a fan pulling air into the stand and then have a fan blowing over the sump. Oh, I just looked you live in Florida, that is probably one thing that doesn't help. The only thing I have going for me here in Chicago when it gets really hot in the summer time and the ac is not on is all my sumps are located in the basement, which stays fairly cool, and with a fan blowing over the sump keeps it at a good enough temp. You may have to look into a chiller. I like that skimmer idea though, I am gonna give that a shot, when it finally warms up here again!

flatsout1171 · 01/19/2010, 02:53 PM

which chiller do you recommend if this doesnt work?

Toddrtrex · 01/19/2010, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flatsout1171

i do have a external pump so i am okay there.i have 2 korilias #4.my lighting is 4 96 kw compacts?

Not all external pumps are the same. Some are water cooled, which could be adding heat to your tank. What pump do you have?

five O · 01/19/2010, 05:00 PM

I'm thinking you must have a bad return pump which is displacing heat into the water. There is no way your tank should be that warm with your room temp in the mid 70's. I'm running two 250 halides in a enclosed canopy and still have to run a heater during the winter (and I live in Las Vegas). I would replace my return pump before dropping huge cash on a chiller.

flatsout1171 · 01/19/2010, 06:26 PM

i have a little giant pump for my sump and a mag for my uv sterilizer

TrojanScott · 01/19/2010, 06:31 PM

how big is your tank? Agree that pump may be heating your water, sounds high for what you have going on along with room temp. Although, pc lights tend to run pretty hot, at least I thought they did. T5's are cooler, (from what I've heard) and more efficient. PC lighting is pretty outdated stuff. I used to run them, so believe me, i know.
With all of this said, I wouldn't jump into a new chiller and spend that kind of money. Your electricity cost goes up, they can be loud, and depending where you set it up, they can do just as good a job as heating the surrounding area and doing more harm than good.
AND... 83 or 84 IS NOT TOO HOT TO RUN YOUR TANK. There are countless threads here about this. 83-84 degrees is just fine. Are your corals and fish doing okay? If so, don't worry about it. The only downer to a higher temp tank might be your evaporation, that's about it.
I would think a few small changes and you could knock a couple degrees off. A fan flowing around in your stand may help a little, but not as much as a fan blowing directly at the sump water. Again, more evaporation here, but cooler temps. Need more info here to find out why it's running on the warm side.
FWIW, I run my tank at 80 in the winter, 83 summer. Nothing wrong with it.

TrojanScott · 01/19/2010, 06:33 PM

If memory serves, I think Mags run hot. I could be wrong here, but I think so. You may want to switch to an Eheim. Also, what type of tank are you running here? UV necessary? Some people swear by them, others (including myself) don't think so. Try running the tank without it, no mag running, see if it changes the temp over the next couple days.

flatsout1171 · 01/20/2010, 03:52 AM

right now i have a fowlr.but hopefully i would like to switch to a reef.i will try turning if off and see what happens

flatsout1171 · 01/23/2010, 05:56 AM

okay so the mag pump on the uv sterilizer was the culprit on my high tank temp.do i need the uv sterilizer if so which pump should i get so it doesnt create heat like the mag pump and also i want to replace the fan in my hood which fans do u suggest.

01/17/2010, 05:27 AM	#1
flatsout1171 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: cape coral,florida Posts: 38	water temp to high other than buying a chiller.how can i get my water temp down? i have a fan blower in the stand. my water temp is 83-84

01/17/2010, 12:15 PM	#7
jmski333 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 494	i've heard of people floating a bag of ice in their sump to lower the tank temperature. but i think that'd be just a temporary fix. __________________ -Jordan- Current Tank Info: 90RR mixed reef

01/17/2010, 04:46 PM	#10
Rysam Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: paradise california Posts: 1,000	I pull the air for my skimmer from outside. cold air cools the water fantastically. with 3x250's I can keep my water at 80* easily. the best part is , cold air is free. __________________ Josh “Seek advice but use your own common sense” Yiddish Proverb quote “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: 135 reef

01/17/2010, 09:39 AM	#2
goodtimes2 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: San Juan Capistrano Posts: 998	Add another fan over your pump and redirect one of your pumps towards the water surface to create a fair amount of disturbunce at your surface level. Also take a look at your current water pumps as they may be giving off too much heat, some pumps run cooler. For your return pump consider an external versus and internal pump.Also the vortech pumps . although expensive, has the motor element outside the tank, hence less heat. You can also possibly raise your lights a little higher. Metal halide lights run hooter than T-5 lights. Good luck

01/17/2010, 10:14 AM	#3
flatsout1171 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: cape coral,florida Posts: 38	i do have a external pump so i am okay there.i have 2 korilias #4.my lighting is 4 96 kw compacts?

01/17/2010, 11:33 AM	#4
Usul0 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Wooden Shack in PA Posts: 46	I know its not the most elegant solution but a clip on fan blowing over the tank's surface does wonders. Also how old is your tank heater? __________________ I often drift while I drive Current Tank Info: 29 gal + 20 sump, 55 gal + 40 sump

01/17/2010, 11:44 AM	#6
flatsout1171 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: cape coral,florida Posts: 38	i do not have a heater in the tank because of that reason.i have a fan in the hood but it is loud.any suggestions on a fan.

01/17/2010, 01:39 PM	#8
Compguy Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Elgin, IL Posts: 1,313	Whenever my tank temps get to high I just turn on a fan that I have set above my sump to blow air over the sump, that usually helps me out alot.

01/17/2010, 04:35 PM	#9
flatsout1171 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: cape coral,florida Posts: 38	okay so i tried putting a fan blowing directly over the sump.that still didnt bring down the temp..so i put a frozen 2 liter bottle in the sump and the temp is going down.just wondering is my lights to close to the water? i keep my house ac at 74-75 degrees. in need of help on this..

01/17/2010, 05:27 PM	#11
flatsout1171 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: cape coral,florida Posts: 38	how did you pull air for the skimmer outside? i dont understand what you mean.

01/17/2010, 06:09 PM	#12
Compguy Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Elgin, IL Posts: 1,313	He means you can extend the air intake hose to suck air into the skimmer from outside, there are several ways of doing it, just however you can get it outside. Not a bad idea, I never thought of that.

01/17/2010, 06:13 PM	#13
flatsout1171 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: cape coral,florida Posts: 38	okay so i got a coralife skimmer..so put a peice of hose on the other side of the air intake that come from the pump in the sump that goes to the round thing that mounts on the skimmer body i guess hope u understand what i mean?

01/18/2010, 10:50 AM	#15
Firefish76 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Iowa Posts: 51	If you have a window close by the tank could have the tubing go out the window

01/18/2010, 06:44 PM	#16
flatsout1171 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: cape coral,florida Posts: 38	does it matter on the length of the tubing?

01/19/2010, 05:45 AM	#17
Compguy Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Elgin, IL Posts: 1,313	It shouldn't matter how long it is, just make sure you hook it up to the air intake, its the flexible tubing that goes directly to the skimmer pump. Is your sump located in your stand below your tank, and if so is it kind of closed off underneath your stand? If so, you should think of cutting a hole for a fan or use an open spot and have a fan pulling air into the stand and then have a fan blowing over the sump. Oh, I just looked you live in Florida, that is probably one thing that doesn't help. The only thing I have going for me here in Chicago when it gets really hot in the summer time and the ac is not on is all my sumps are located in the basement, which stays fairly cool, and with a fan blowing over the sump keeps it at a good enough temp. You may have to look into a chiller. I like that skimmer idea though, I am gonna give that a shot, when it finally warms up here again!

01/19/2010, 02:53 PM	#18
flatsout1171 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: cape coral,florida Posts: 38	which chiller do you recommend if this doesnt work?

01/19/2010, 05:00 PM	#20
five O Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 152	I'm thinking you must have a bad return pump which is displacing heat into the water. There is no way your tank should be that warm with your room temp in the mid 70's. I'm running two 250 halides in a enclosed canopy and still have to run a heater during the winter (and I live in Las Vegas). I would replace my return pump before dropping huge cash on a chiller.

01/19/2010, 06:26 PM	#21
flatsout1171 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: cape coral,florida Posts: 38	i have a little giant pump for my sump and a mag for my uv sterilizer

01/19/2010, 06:31 PM	#22
TrojanScott Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Lake Forest, CA Posts: 2,229	how big is your tank? Agree that pump may be heating your water, sounds high for what you have going on along with room temp. Although, pc lights tend to run pretty hot, at least I thought they did. T5's are cooler, (from what I've heard) and more efficient. PC lighting is pretty outdated stuff. I used to run them, so believe me, i know. With all of this said, I wouldn't jump into a new chiller and spend that kind of money. Your electricity cost goes up, they can be loud, and depending where you set it up, they can do just as good a job as heating the surrounding area and doing more harm than good. AND... 83 or 84 IS NOT TOO HOT TO RUN YOUR TANK. There are countless threads here about this. 83-84 degrees is just fine. Are your corals and fish doing okay? If so, don't worry about it. The only downer to a higher temp tank might be your evaporation, that's about it. I would think a few small changes and you could knock a couple degrees off. A fan flowing around in your stand may help a little, but not as much as a fan blowing directly at the sump water. Again, more evaporation here, but cooler temps. Need more info here to find out why it's running on the warm side. FWIW, I run my tank at 80 in the winter, 83 summer. Nothing wrong with it.

01/19/2010, 06:33 PM	#23
TrojanScott Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Lake Forest, CA Posts: 2,229	If memory serves, I think Mags run hot. I could be wrong here, but I think so. You may want to switch to an Eheim. Also, what type of tank are you running here? UV necessary? Some people swear by them, others (including myself) don't think so. Try running the tank without it, no mag running, see if it changes the temp over the next couple days.

01/20/2010, 03:52 AM	#24
flatsout1171 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: cape coral,florida Posts: 38	right now i have a fowlr.but hopefully i would like to switch to a reef.i will try turning if off and see what happens

01/23/2010, 05:56 AM	#25
flatsout1171 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: cape coral,florida Posts: 38	okay so the mag pump on the uv sterilizer was the culprit on my high tank temp.do i need the uv sterilizer if so which pump should i get so it doesnt create heat like the mag pump and also i want to replace the fan in my hood which fans do u suggest.