What's your reef temperature

DiverD rufus · 01/21/2006, 12:07 PM

What temperature do you try to keep your reef at ?

Randy Holmes-Farley · 01/21/2006, 12:16 PM

I aim for 80 deg F.

This article may be useful:

Reef Aquarium Water Parameters (a summary general article)
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.htm

from it:

Temperature

Temperature impacts reef aquarium inhabitants in a variety of ways. First and foremost, the animals' metabolic rates rise as temperature rises. They may consequently use more oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, calcium and alkalinity at higher temperatures. This higher metabolic rate can also increase both their growth rate and waste production at higher temperatures.

Another important impact of temperature is on the chemical aspects of the aquarium. The solubility of dissolved gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, for example, changes with temperature. Oxygen, in particular, can be a concern because it is less soluble at higher temperature.

So what does this imply for aquarists?

In most instances, trying to match the natural environment in a reef aquarium is a worthy goal. Temperature may, however, be a parameter that requires accounting for the practical considerations of a small closed system. Looking to the ocean as a guide for setting temperatures in reef aquaria may present complications, because corals grow in such a wide range of temperatures. Nevertheless, Ron Shimek has shown in a previous article that the greatest variety of corals are found in water whose average temperature is about 83-86Ã‚Â° F.

Reef aquaria do, however, have limitations that may make their optimal temperature somewhat lower. During normal functioning of a reef aquarium, the oxygen level and the metabolic rate of the aquarium inhabitants are not often important issues. During a crisis such as a power failure, however, the dissolved oxygen can be rapidly used up. Lower temperatures not only allow a higher oxygen level before an emergency, but will also slow the consumption of that oxygen by slowing the metabolism of the aquarium's inhabitants. The production of ammonia as organisms begin to die may also be slower at lower temperatures. For reasons such as this, one may choose to strike a practical balance between temperatures that are too high (even if corals normally thrive in the ocean at those temperatures), and those that are too low. Although average reef temperatures in maximal diversity areas (i.e. coral triangle centered Indonesia,) these areas are also often subject to significant mixing. In fact, the cooler reefs, ( i..e. open Pacific reefs) are often more stable at lower temperatures due to oceanic exchange but are less tolerant to bleaching and other temperature related perturbations.

All things considered, those natural guidelines leave a fairly wide range of acceptable temperatures. I keep my aquarium at about 80-81Ã‚Â° F year-round. I am actually more inclined to keep the aquarium cooler in the summer, when a power failure would most likely warm the aquarium, and higher in winter, when a power failure would most likely cool it.

All things considered, I recommend temperatures in the range of 76-83Ã‚Â° F unless there is a very clear reason to keep it outside that range.

finneganswake · 01/21/2006, 12:40 PM

Julian Sprung mentions in Vol 1 of his books that protein skimming is at its best between 70-80 degrees. Plus there's the dissolved oxygen issue that Randy mentioned above. I use a chiller to keep my tank between 76-78 degrees year round.

BucNtears · 01/21/2006, 12:46 PM

Mine stays between 77 -80

glxtrix · 01/21/2006, 12:50 PM

79-81

Lpsfanatic338 · 01/21/2006, 12:53 PM

78 constantly

Wiskey · 01/21/2006, 12:54 PM

79-81 here too

Whiskey

glxtrix · 01/21/2006, 01:13 PM

I personally think thats a great temp, seen more coral growth in that rang. Then again, thats just for my tank.

Tammy3770 · 01/21/2006, 01:24 PM

my temp swings from ~75 at night to ~79 during the day. Is that ok??/
I have 2 big heaters in the sump should i get more?

Josh125 · 01/21/2006, 01:44 PM

79.5-80.5

gfk · 01/21/2006, 01:57 PM

my heater is set to 79 degrees... so during the time when my house is colder then 79, it stays at 79.

during the summer.... well i dont remember, and we'll find out soon enough i suppose

AllenFord_SC · 01/21/2006, 02:21 PM

78 - 82 on a seasonal timer with Aqua Controller II. Cooler in winter warmer in summer.

DMK · 01/21/2006, 02:49 PM

80-81 in winter, 82-83 in summer. i have no problems w/ this. i would like to keep it always 80 but i'm not going for a chiller. i'm cutting back on my MH photoperiod, so in summer especially, this will help.

Ti · 01/21/2006, 03:07 PM

78 or so

crpeck · 01/21/2006, 03:53 PM

I shoot for 80 as well.

Without expensive equipment it seems that there is always some variation. If I forget to leave the space heater on when my husband is on an energy savings - turn down the thermostat kick on a cold night, it will drop to 78. If I forget to pull the canopy out a bit, the fans aren't as effective and it might climb to close to 82. By shooting for 80, I feel like I'm giving myself some lee way and not getting dangerous either way.

Ideally, the less fluctiation the better.

jasper24 · 01/21/2006, 04:20 PM

78.5-80.5 Night to day.

deansreef · 01/21/2006, 04:43 PM

76 for me

carolinareefs · 01/21/2006, 04:55 PM

This is an interesting topic. Went to the Virginia state aquarium in Virginia Beach a few weeks ago and they have a "Techno-Reef" (a sample of a reef like we have at home). It is basically a demo for people visiting the aquarium to see how the halides, skimmer, sump and the cool Carlson Surge Machine work together.

Anyway, it was interesting to me that they keep the temp at a constant 74, and have a chiller to maintain this temp. To be honest, this tank was AWESOME, much nicer than any home reef tanks I have seeniin person and online, and I have seen some nice ones.

I have dropped my temp a little from the 80-82 I had it at to about 76-78.

jrw · 01/21/2006, 04:59 PM

76 F

grim · 01/21/2006, 06:36 PM

I used to keep my tanks up near 80-81. Not any more. I keep my tanks at 77 now. I'm tempted to lower another degree to 76.

grim

tdbrown75 · 01/21/2006, 06:43 PM

I keep mine between 79.2 and 79.8 degrees. I use heaters and fans with my Aquacontroller Jr.

integlikewhoa · 01/21/2006, 06:47 PM

79-82 here.

crpeck · 01/21/2006, 07:38 PM

grim,

What difference, if any, have you seen with the decrease?

I'm glad this came up. I have been stressing when the tank drops and can see I've been worrying too much.

moonpod · 01/21/2006, 08:09 PM

77 or so.

FWIW, the water of of say Tonga and Fiji at the depths where a lot of the corals are collected are usually around 77 or so give or take.

DiverD rufus · 01/21/2006, 08:52 PM

My temp. is at 80.2 I was just wondering what everyone is running there's at you always read so much about all the diff. temps. 76 to 84. So I was just doing a little survey.

01/21/2006, 12:07 PM	#1
DiverD rufus Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 140	What's your reef temperature What temperature do you try to keep your reef at ?

01/21/2006, 12:16 PM	#2
Randy Holmes-Farley Reef Chemist Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Arlington, Massachusetts Posts: 86,233	I aim for 80 deg F. This article may be useful: Reef Aquarium Water Parameters (a summary general article) http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.htm from it: Temperature Temperature impacts reef aquarium inhabitants in a variety of ways. First and foremost, the animals' metabolic rates rise as temperature rises. They may consequently use more oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, calcium and alkalinity at higher temperatures. This higher metabolic rate can also increase both their growth rate and waste production at higher temperatures. Another important impact of temperature is on the chemical aspects of the aquarium. The solubility of dissolved gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, for example, changes with temperature. Oxygen, in particular, can be a concern because it is less soluble at higher temperature. So what does this imply for aquarists? In most instances, trying to match the natural environment in a reef aquarium is a worthy goal. Temperature may, however, be a parameter that requires accounting for the practical considerations of a small closed system. Looking to the ocean as a guide for setting temperatures in reef aquaria may present complications, because corals grow in such a wide range of temperatures. Nevertheless, Ron Shimek has shown in a previous article that the greatest variety of corals are found in water whose average temperature is about 83-86Ã‚Â° F. Reef aquaria do, however, have limitations that may make their optimal temperature somewhat lower. During normal functioning of a reef aquarium, the oxygen level and the metabolic rate of the aquarium inhabitants are not often important issues. During a crisis such as a power failure, however, the dissolved oxygen can be rapidly used up. Lower temperatures not only allow a higher oxygen level before an emergency, but will also slow the consumption of that oxygen by slowing the metabolism of the aquarium's inhabitants. The production of ammonia as organisms begin to die may also be slower at lower temperatures. For reasons such as this, one may choose to strike a practical balance between temperatures that are too high (even if corals normally thrive in the ocean at those temperatures), and those that are too low. Although average reef temperatures in maximal diversity areas (i.e. coral triangle centered Indonesia,) these areas are also often subject to significant mixing. In fact, the cooler reefs, ( i..e. open Pacific reefs) are often more stable at lower temperatures due to oceanic exchange but are less tolerant to bleaching and other temperature related perturbations. All things considered, those natural guidelines leave a fairly wide range of acceptable temperatures. I keep my aquarium at about 80-81Ã‚Â° F year-round. I am actually more inclined to keep the aquarium cooler in the summer, when a power failure would most likely warm the aquarium, and higher in winter, when a power failure would most likely cool it. All things considered, I recommend temperatures in the range of 76-83Ã‚Â° F unless there is a very clear reason to keep it outside that range. __________________ Randy Holmes-Farley Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef

01/21/2006, 12:46 PM	#4
BucNtears Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Crestview,FL. Posts: 1,019	Mine stays between 77 -80 __________________ If I only had a bigger tank Current Tank Info: 120 with 75 sump/fuge

01/21/2006, 12:54 PM	#7
Wiskey Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Fallbrook, CA Posts: 3,049	79-81 here too Whiskey __________________ This video shows 15 months of coral growth in my tank in a 30 second timelapse: https://youtu.be/bF6C57aTDEo

01/21/2006, 01:24 PM	#9
Tammy3770 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: San Diego Posts: 315	my temp swings from ~75 at night to ~79 during the day. Is that ok??/ I have 2 big heaters in the sump should i get more? __________________ I can only do so much before I decide I've done enough Current Tank Info: 100 us gallon (60"x18"x24") yeay!!

01/21/2006, 12:40 PM	#3
finneganswake Moved On Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 1,197	Julian Sprung mentions in Vol 1 of his books that protein skimming is at its best between 70-80 degrees. Plus there's the dissolved oxygen issue that Randy mentioned above. I use a chiller to keep my tank between 76-78 degrees year round.

01/21/2006, 12:50 PM	#5
glxtrix Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: ATL, GA Posts: 882	79-81

01/21/2006, 12:53 PM	#6
Lpsfanatic338 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Oceanside, New York Posts: 364	78 constantly

01/21/2006, 01:13 PM	#8
glxtrix Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: ATL, GA Posts: 882	I personally think thats a great temp, seen more coral growth in that rang. Then again, thats just for my tank.

01/21/2006, 01:44 PM	#10
Josh125 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Fulshear, TX Posts: 979	79.5-80.5

01/21/2006, 01:57 PM	#11
gfk Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Benicia, CA Posts: 1,601	my heater is set to 79 degrees... so during the time when my house is colder then 79, it stays at 79. during the summer.... well i dont remember, and we'll find out soon enough i suppose

01/21/2006, 02:21 PM	#12
AllenFord_SC Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ridgeland, SC Posts: 703	78 - 82 on a seasonal timer with Aqua Controller II. Cooler in winter warmer in summer. __________________ We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl..... Roger Waters, Pink Floyd Current Tank Info: 150 Gallon Mixed, 55 Gallon sump, 35 gallon fuge

01/21/2006, 02:49 PM	#13
DMK Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: central NJ Posts: 2,494	80-81 in winter, 82-83 in summer. i have no problems w/ this. i would like to keep it always 80 but i'm not going for a chiller. i'm cutting back on my MH photoperiod, so in summer especially, this will help.

01/21/2006, 03:07 PM	#14
Ti Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 7,927	78 or so __________________ Hair algae is my Macro algae.

01/21/2006, 03:53 PM	#15
crpeck Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Clovis, CA Posts: 1,729	I shoot for 80 as well. Without expensive equipment it seems that there is always some variation. If I forget to leave the space heater on when my husband is on an energy savings - turn down the thermostat kick on a cold night, it will drop to 78. If I forget to pull the canopy out a bit, the fans aren't as effective and it might climb to close to 82. By shooting for 80, I feel like I'm giving myself some lee way and not getting dangerous either way. Ideally, the less fluctiation the better.

01/21/2006, 04:20 PM	#16
jasper24 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 2,120	78.5-80.5 Night to day.

01/21/2006, 04:43 PM	#17
deansreef Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: north carolina Posts: 3,234	76 for me __________________ the only dumb question, is the one not asked... Current Tank Info: 225 gallon peninsula

01/21/2006, 04:55 PM	#18
carolinareefs Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Durham, NC Posts: 113	This is an interesting topic. Went to the Virginia state aquarium in Virginia Beach a few weeks ago and they have a "Techno-Reef" (a sample of a reef like we have at home). It is basically a demo for people visiting the aquarium to see how the halides, skimmer, sump and the cool Carlson Surge Machine work together. Anyway, it was interesting to me that they keep the temp at a constant 74, and have a chiller to maintain this temp. To be honest, this tank was AWESOME, much nicer than any home reef tanks I have seeniin person and online, and I have seen some nice ones. I have dropped my temp a little from the 80-82 I had it at to about 76-78.

01/21/2006, 04:59 PM	#19
jrw Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Olney, Maryland Posts: 227	76 F

01/21/2006, 06:36 PM	#20
grim Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Clifton, NJ Posts: 2,286	I used to keep my tanks up near 80-81. Not any more. I keep my tanks at 77 now. I'm tempted to lower another degree to 76. grim

01/21/2006, 06:43 PM	#21
tdbrown75 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 45	I keep mine between 79.2 and 79.8 degrees. I use heaters and fans with my Aquacontroller Jr.

01/21/2006, 06:47 PM	#22
integlikewhoa Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Arcadia, CA Posts: 1,381	79-82 here. __________________ I think of one later. Current Tank Info: 28G JBJ Nano for sale

01/21/2006, 07:38 PM	#23
crpeck Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Clovis, CA Posts: 1,729	grim, What difference, if any, have you seen with the decrease? I'm glad this came up. I have been stressing when the tank drops and can see I've been worrying too much.

01/21/2006, 08:09 PM	#24
moonpod Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: B.H., Los Angeles Posts: 13,053	77 or so. FWIW, the water of of say Tonga and Fiji at the depths where a lot of the corals are collected are usually around 77 or so give or take. __________________ Excuses are just the nails for the house of failure. Current Tank Info: 32" Leemar starfire cube now empty and not quite so stinky

01/21/2006, 08:52 PM	#25
DiverD rufus Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 140	My temp. is at 80.2 I was just wondering what everyone is running there's at you always read so much about all the diff. temps. 76 to 84. So I was just doing a little survey.