is 85 degrees a bad thing?

[MAreefer1]

I just checked my temp, and its 85...but for some reason everything in my tank seems to be doing fine...maybe looking better than it does at 80-82...could I keep my water at 85? or should it be at 78-82?

thanks
...MAreefer1...

[masterswimmer]

If it's 85 at this time of year, you'll have big problems (potentially) in the summer months.

78 - 82 is a more optimum temp anyway because you'll have better oxygen saturation at the lower temp range.

Russ

[MAreefer1]

but my question was...should I bring it down?

[masterswimmer]

yes

[Paintbug]

yes! 85º will make your corals start to bleach. keep the temp below 82º

[masterswimmer]

During the heat of the summer, my tank will get to 84 degrees with no bleaching. Corals can get even warmer than that (not that it's good for them constantly) but for fish it isn't as healthy.

[MAreefer1]

I just used a different thermometer and it read 78 degrees, my digital one is fried(it fell in the water a few days back), its off by about 7 degrees...so is 78 a good temp to have to water at? or should it be higher?

[Drewpy]

check to see if a pump is not working but running, and although 85 isn't deadly IME, you're probably don't have too many degrees before stuff starts to suffer....

[Anemonebuff]

I keep mine between 78-82 depending on the time of year. The tank hits 85-86 in the summer on occasion.

[masterswimmer]

I use both a floating and a digital thermometer. They NEVER read the same. I tend to lean towards the reading on the floating therm. The digitals always seem to have problems......unless of course you spend money for a lab grade therm which is ridiculous, IMO. Oh, and 78 is fine.

Russ

[ERTLEY]

Keep it as close to 78 as possible,Nothing over 82/nothing below 76!

[Drewpy]

check to see if a pump is not working but running, and although 85 isn't deadly IME, you're probably don't have too many degrees before stuff starts to suffer....

[MAreefer1]

ya actually I do have a scientific thermometer, I just had to calibrate it somehow...which I have no clue how to do, I got it from my science teacher...ill have to ask her when I get back from school vacation.

[dwd5813]

mareefer, you in the western end of ma? if so, i was wondering which lfs you use, since i am from western ma myself.

[Paintbug]

Originally posted by Drewpy
check to see if a pump is not working but running, and although 85 isn't deadly IME, you're probably don't have too many degrees before stuff starts to suffer....

stress caused from high temps, and temp swings (2-3ºF), among other things will cause corals to lose their zooxantheallae. which is what most actual feed on. it is where the color comes from. when they lose the zooxantheallae corals begin to bleach. which if the stress doesnt subside it will kill the coral. global warming is causing the natural coral reefs to bleach as we speak.

but MAreefer1 found out it was a faulty thermometer.

[Sk8r]

Good idea to maintain two thermometers, one in sump, one above---in case of malfunction of one, you'll at least know they're off.

[Reefrookie2006]

Is it ok around 74 to 78?

[steve the plumb]

I have had a coral die on me at 86.The 82 is fine corals live and thrive on the threshold of high temp.Problem is after 84 you are getting risky.Some corals have a higher tolerance level but I would lower your temp.I have had 2 corals bleach on me when heater broke 76.80 -82 is a good temp for a reef tank.

[Johnsteph10]

It isn't so much the temp as it is the temperature swing. Even swinging from 75 to 79 can be bad. If you're tank runs at 83 normally then a swing up to 85-86 isn't bad....but that really is too high long term.

Most reefs run in the mid to high 70s - and we should attempt to recreate that. They are adapted to best survive/thrive at that temperature.

[DrBegalke]

my reef runs at 83-85, no problems at all... in fact, everything grows a lot faster...

[roons]

i used to keep my tank 84-85 with low of 78.......................now i keep it 82-83 with a low of 76................ i think its overall better for everyone........................this time of year it goes 76-77 in morning to 82 day, with no ill effects to anyone in tank..............im not so sure minor temp fluctuations is a bad thing as long as other parameters are where they should be.................


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 83-86° 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 80-81° 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 76-83° F unless there is a very clear reason to keep it outside that range




from.......................

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php




and do yourself a favor and use an nist standard calibrated thermometer like this

http://www.daigger.com/catalog/produ...CTL4047&q=4047

[kappaknight]

I thought 85 was what the reef's temperture is in the wild? (Or something close to it.) We keep the aquarium a bit cooler than natural reef to keep the growth somewhat dorment.

[bhdmc]

I keep my temperature beteen 79-81 running a chiller/heater

[mcegelsk]

Definitely lower it somewhere much closer to 80 degrees!