Tank heating up - Aquarium Advice

JoshsReef · 04-22-2008, 11:24 PM

Currently my tank is sitting at 83.7 degrees. WOW . I havent had this happen before and the room temp is only about 70 degrees. When do i starting seeing a danger level for my fish or snails ? How can i tell is my heater is stuck ? Should I unplug the heater now or see if it goes back down, I just now opened both windows in the room.

JoshsReef · 04-22-2008, 11:33 PM

I floated two bags of ice on each side of the tank and I didnt turn the heaters off. The temp has already dropped an entire degree, I strive to keep this tank bw 79 - 81 degrees. I dont know what happened, I hope this isnt a bad sign for the summer months ahead.

Karegg · 04-23-2008, 01:18 AM

Air movement over the surface of the water will speed evaporation and thus cool the water more quickly, so a fan blowing over the tank wouldn't hurt. But it's probably worth giving your heater a good inspection and making sure it's not working too hard.

tawolcott · 04-23-2008, 06:18 AM

If the ambient air temp of the room is 70, the only way the water can get that much above 70 is for the heater to be doing it. My guess is that the heater is bad. Happened to me. Do a water change lately and forget to turn the heater off? DId any part of the heater get exposed to air? That was my story, the heater didn't break as in not working anymore, it broke as in it won't shut off. Lost a couple fish, had the rest of the pretty po'd at me. Anyhoo.. take the heater and test it in a pot of water.

Floating the ice packs is probably lowering the temp faster than the heater can reheat the water, so don't just go by that anedoctal evidence.

austinsdad · 04-23-2008, 06:52 AM

Could be a pump maybe...

**melosu58** · 04-23-2008, 10:57 AM

As mentioned above the heater could be it or the lighting could be causing it if it`s too close to the water. Blowing a fan across the top of the water will bring it down also.

cmor1701d · 04-23-2008, 01:33 PM

Yep, broken heater, lights or pump. Do you have any internal pumps that have not been cleaned in a while?

If you have MH lights going you probably want to have a fan blowing across the top or the sump to help with evaporative cooling.

I had that problem when I was out of the country and friend was stopping by to feed the fish. The house heated up into the 90's from the lights (it was a warm November) and I had shut all the windows. I lost all my sps and some lps corals. I had to frag my leathers to save what was still good.

**lando** · 04-23-2008, 08:37 PM

Whatever you do, change the temp SLOWLY. Marine animals can withstand a surprisingly wide range of temps as long as the swings do not take place rapidly. As mentioned, check your equipment for any mal-functions, utilize a "topless" tank if possible and postion a small desk fan to blow across the surface of the water. You will be amazed how well this works for temp control. Just keep in mind that FW water top-offs will likely need to be done on a more regular basis due to the convection evaporation.

**melosu58** · 04-23-2008, 08:49 PM

Do you have a canopy on top?

04-22-2008, 11:24 PM	#1 (permalink)
JoshsReef Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Northern Kentucky Posts: 221	Tank heating up Currently my tank is sitting at 83.7 degrees. WOW . I havent had this happen before and the room temp is only about 70 degrees. When do i starting seeing a danger level for my fish or snails ? How can i tell is my heater is stuck ? Should I unplug the heater now or see if it goes back down, I just now opened both windows in the room.

04-23-2008, 06:52 AM	#5 (permalink)
austinsdad Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Clinton, Maryland Posts: 3,896 Images: 12	Could be a pump maybe... __________________ -Ray- "Life may not be the party we hoped for but while we are here we might as well dance!"

04-23-2008, 10:57 AM	#6 (permalink)
melosu58 SW 10 yrs and over Community Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Richmond Va Posts: 11,273 Images: 73	As mentioned above the heater could be it or the lighting could be causing it if it`s too close to the water. Blowing a fan across the top of the water will bring it down also. __________________ View My Tanks Click here to Visit FantasyReef

04-23-2008, 01:33 PM	#7 (permalink)
cmor1701d Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Belle Mead, NJ Posts: 3,378 Images: 43	Yep, broken heater, lights or pump. Do you have any internal pumps that have not been cleaned in a while? If you have MH lights going you probably want to have a fan blowing across the top or the sump to help with evaporative cooling. I had that problem when I was out of the country and friend was stopping by to feed the fish. The house heated up into the 90's from the lights (it was a warm November) and I had shut all the windows. I lost all my sps and some lps corals. I had to frag my leathers to save what was still good. __________________ Click here to Vote for Aquarium Advice on AquaRank . Vote EVERY day! Click Here for a list of commonly used acronyms and abbreviations. ____ Cmor

04-23-2008, 08:37 PM	#8 (permalink)
lando Aquarium Advice Addict Community Moderator Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Savage, MN Posts: 7,613 Images: 46	Whatever you do, change the temp SLOWLY. Marine animals can withstand a surprisingly wide range of temps as long as the swings do not take place rapidly. As mentioned, check your equipment for any mal-functions, utilize a "topless" tank if possible and postion a small desk fan to blow across the surface of the water. You will be amazed how well this works for temp control. Just keep in mind that FW water top-offs will likely need to be done on a more regular basis due to the convection evaporation. __________________ Some people are like slinkies...they serve no real purpose yet can still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs! Have a great day! Brian

04-22-2008, 11:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
JoshsReef Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Northern Kentucky Posts: 221	I floated two bags of ice on each side of the tank and I didnt turn the heaters off. The temp has already dropped an entire degree, I strive to keep this tank bw 79 - 81 degrees. I dont know what happened, I hope this isnt a bad sign for the summer months ahead.

04-23-2008, 01:18 AM	#3 (permalink)
Karegg Aquarium Advice Activist Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St. Louis Posts: 160	Air movement over the surface of the water will speed evaporation and thus cool the water more quickly, so a fan blowing over the tank wouldn't hurt. But it's probably worth giving your heater a good inspection and making sure it's not working too hard.

04-23-2008, 06:18 AM	#4 (permalink)
tawolcott Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Tired of the mod power plays; gone to another forum Posts: 261	If the ambient air temp of the room is 70, the only way the water can get that much above 70 is for the heater to be doing it. My guess is that the heater is bad. Happened to me. Do a water change lately and forget to turn the heater off? DId any part of the heater get exposed to air? That was my story, the heater didn't break as in not working anymore, it broke as in it won't shut off. Lost a couple fish, had the rest of the pretty po'd at me. Anyhoo.. take the heater and test it in a pot of water. Floating the ice packs is probably lowering the temp faster than the heater can reheat the water, so don't just go by that anedoctal evidence.

04-23-2008, 08:49 PM	#9 (permalink)
melosu58 SW 10 yrs and over Community Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Richmond Va Posts: 11,273 Images: 73	Do you have a canopy on top? __________________ View My Tanks Click here to Visit FantasyReef

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