Lower tank temp?

[FishN00b83]

I am trying to get my tank temp down to 78-79 now that it is cycled, and I can't seem to get it lower then 83. My apartment isn't that hot at all, and I even tried disconnecting the heater about an hour ago. My question is do you think my 4 t5HO lights are heating up my tank? I do have a glass canopy on right now for a few reasons. What can I do besides taking the canopy off to lower the temp?

 

[librarygirl]

This is probably a dumb question but are the heaters adjustable? If so try setting it for a lower temp and then see if it stabilizes at the temp you want. Some heaters don't keep exact temps and lights can heat the tank too (I'm not familiar with T5's though). If they aren't adjustable then maybe someone else will have other ideas.

 

[jcolon]

Couple of questions

How large is the tank?
How are you checking the temp? Internal thermometer or one of the ones you stick to the glass? The readings on this type can be inaccurate.

By disconnecting the heater, i'm assuming you mean unplugging it ... if so then something is heating up your water. The water should cool to your room temp.
It may be the lights are just heating the water enough ... especially in smaller tanks. Try keeping them off for a couple of days and see if the thermometer drops.

 

[FishN00b83]

Couple of questions

How large is the tank?
How are you checking the temp? Internal thermometer or one of the ones you stick to the glass? The readings on this type can be inaccurate.

By disconnecting the heater, i'm assuming you mean unplugging it ... if so then something is heating up your water. The water should cool to your room temp.
It may be the lights are just heating the water enough ... especially in smaller tanks. Try keeping them off for a couple of days and see if the thermometer drops.

I have a 40 breeder with a inline hydor heater that I disconnected to see if it would make a difference. I'm checking the temp with a glass thermometer that's attached to the inside of the tank. Right now it's still around 83.

I can't really turn the lights off, maybe I can Cut the time down though.

 

[jcolon]

I have a 40 breeder with a inline hydor heater that I disconnected to see if it would make a difference. I'm checking the temp with a glass thermometer that's attached to the inside of the tank. Right now it's still around 83.

I can't really turn the lights off, maybe I can Cut the time down though.

There is the off chance that the thermometer's faulty ... do you have another to check the temp? I doubt it but ..... never know.

Unless the tank is standing next to a heat source (vents, appliance etc) I would think it's got to be the lights.

 

[FishN00b83]

There is the off chance that the thermometer's faulty ... do you have another to check the temp? I doubt it but ..... never know.

Unless the tank is standing next to a heat source (vents, appliance etc) I would think it's got to be the lights.

I don't have another thermometer, but the water doesn't feel like it's over 80. The hydor heaters are very accurate from what I've herd, and I have it down to 78. Idk what to believe right now haha. I did buy a cheap glass thermometer, I didnt think it made a difference. I mean, it's a thermometer... ...

Can the lights be making the tank that hot? They're off now, along with the heater, so I guess I'll see what happens in the morning.

 

[jcolon]

Generally lights ... even T5's don't do much to heat up most large aquariums ... and a 40B is a large enough size. It could be as simple as a bad thermometer ... not the first time I'd've heard of it. Let us know what the readings are tomorrow.

 

[FishN00b83]

Generally lights ... even T5's don't do much to heat up most large aquariums ... and a 40B is a large enough size. It could be as simple as a bad thermometer ... not the first time I'd've heard of it. Let us know what the readings are tomorrow.

The tank temp dropped a little bit. It's now around 80 according to the thermometer. I took the glass canopy off, turned the heater off, and the lights have been off. The water does not feel like 80 degrees, to me it feels much colder, but I could be wrong.

 

[The Editor]

Take out the termometer and give it a good shake, try and force the liquid down towards the bulb. If you can get it down past the 70s drop it back in and see how far up it comes.

Or stick it in your fridge and see what it does?

 

[FishN00b83]

Take out the termometer and give it a good shake, try and force the liquid down towards the bulb. If you can get it down past the 70s drop it back in and see how far up it comes.

Or stick it in your fridge and see what it does?

When I put ice on it, it drops quick for a while, but then slows down a lot and never really goes past 50

 

[The Editor]

Does it go back up to the 80s when you put it in the tank?

Could be as simple as a misprinted thermo throwing the calibration off... I dont suppose you have another thermo to check it against do you?

 

[FishN00b83]

Does it go back up to the 80s when you put it in the tank?

Could be as simple as a misprinted thermo throwing the calibration off... I dont suppose you have another thermo to check it against do you?

Yeah it did last night. I don't have an other thermometer to check with right now. It's now just under 80 degrees, but the water feels cold. I don't really know what to believe.

 

[PaulG5372]

Just buy a new thermometer, they're pretty cheap. It's better then playing a guessing game like you are now.

 

[Dale_I]

Although some say they are not extremely accurate, I use one of those sticker thermometers on the outside of the tank in combination with an inside thermometer. They are usually matched, the sticker is very easy to look at as you walk by, and having a backup is never a bad idea.

You can probably get both a sticker and a conventional thermometer at your LFS for under $10. I just purchased a digital on eBay for $7. But, it is because I'm color blind and my conventional thermometer has a green area to mark the "good zone", which combined with the red red fluid makes it almost impossible for me to read.

 

[FishN00b83]

Although some say they are not extremely accurate, I use one of those sticker thermometers on the outside of the tank in combination with an inside thermometer. They are usually matched, the sticker is very easy to look at as you walk by, and having a backup is never a bad idea.

You can probably get both a sticker and a conventional thermometer at your LFS for under $10. I just purchased a digital on eBay for $7. But, it is because I'm color blind and my conventional thermometer has a green area to mark the "good zone", which combined with the red red fluid makes it almost impossible for me to read.

Yeah I refuse to goto my LFS, they are way over priced and have no idea what the **** they're talking about. I guess I'll order a bunch of stuff off foster and smith and get a thermometer too. Is the hagen thermometer any good?

 

[jetajockey]

Quad t5ho over a shallow tank like 40b could be doing it. T5ho arent that hot in comparison to pc but still, it's easy enough to test, just leave the lights off a while.

 

[Dale_I]

Lots of options for online supplies. Both major box stores have online ordering and both are having Labor Day Sales Events right now. As well, site sponsors and general Google searches would yield info for you with comparative pricing.

I'm not sure what specific Hagen your referring to, but most of the stuff produced by Hagen tends to be decent quality (IMO).

 

[FishN00b83]

Quad t5ho over a shallow tank like 40b could be doing it. T5ho arent that hot in comparison to pc but still, it's easy enough to test, just leave the lights off a while.

I took the glass canopy off and turned the heater off. The temp dropped 4 degrees according to the thermometer, but the water feels really cold. It doesn't feel like 79 degrees to me. I might need to get an other thermometer.

 

[FishN00b83]

After some reading, I learned to test glass thermometers, you can wash it off and place it under your tongue. After doing this, the thermometer had a reading of about 96. So it's almost 3 degrees off. What dies this mean for my tank water. If it's reading 80 does this mean it's really around 83?

 

[pam916]

Turn off the heater and wait several hours and check the temperature. If it is still to hot, turn off the lights and recheck in a few hours.