Lighting Heating Water

[pph_2ppr]

I turned my lights on and within three hours the temp. went from 74.4 to 76.5 how am i going to stop this rapid change in temp when i turn the lights on?

 

[Marc118]

clip on fan, but why is your temp 74 to begin with?

 

[pph_2ppr]

i dont know, i thought it was a good number to have .....no live things in my aquarium...*shrug* where do u get a fan small enough to clip onto an aquarium?

 

[Marc118]

Ah...I thought you had a tank running. I wouldnt worry about 76deg, but you should raise it to 77-78ish when you have livestock. If you want a fan you can get em at walmart.

 

[roka64]

I use a floor fan that blows across the surface (for my 125G). What kind of lid do you have?

 

[pph_2ppr]

right now its topless, i kinda want to keep it this way if possible, but if its a big deal i could make a cover pretty easily. then i could have a fan blowing air at one end and out the other!

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

If you've got a temp problem, you don't want a lid. I think that's why Roka was asking... probably assumed like me that you had a tight glass lid that wasn't letting any water evaporate off and cool things down. Sounds like if you just add a little clip on fan, you'll be OK.

I have to admit though... a 2 degree swing for 260W on a 55g seems like more than I'd expect. I've got 200W on a 46g, and only see a 1 degree bump or so. What size heaters do you have and how many? Sometimes if you don't have your heaters placed well, or have two of them that are set at different temps and can't tell if they're on or not - this will create temp swings in itself. Did the tank hold a pretty constant temperature before you set up the lights? Just wondering out loud if it could be something other than your lights causing the drift.

 

[melosu58]

right now its topless, i kinda want to keep it this way if possible, but if its a big deal i could make a cover pretty easily. then i could have a fan blowing air at one end and out the other!

Dont cover your tank with a glass top. It will lead to low PH readings due to poor gas exchange at the surface. And as Kurt said it will heat up your tank even more and cause wild temp swings. Also my tank stays at 74-75 all yr long. Temps can be anywhere from 72-84 but stability is the key. Keeping it at the same temp all the time. I definitely agree with the clip on fan.

 

[roka64]

I agree, covering the top can cause a low pH and extra heat.

 

[MT79]

I recommend bumping the temp up at night to about where the lights keep it during the day. There is much less flucutaion this way, and you will not increase evaporation which causes SG swings. 78-82 degrees is fine, stablility is most important. FWIW I use MH, and many people w/ them including myself run 82-84+ in the warmer months with no issues.

 

[Ziggy953]

That is true....now that it is warming up my house isn't cold like it was and my tank is sitting at 82 pretty much all the time...lights on or lights off and I have 3 fans in my canopy moving air in and out. Those MH put off some heat.

 

[MT79]

Ziggy, same thing here! I was running 79-80, now I'm also upto 82. I hit 85-86 in the summer months, and I have a feeling this year is going to be a hot one. Happy reefing

 

[Marc118]

Do either of you run chillers? Or I guess a better question, IF you had a chiller would you set the thermostat @ 82 as well or keep it around 77-78?

 

[MT79]

I like 79-81 best. My tanks runs warmer than I'd like in the summer, but a chiller is just not an option for me. Nuissance algae outbreaks happen more easily at higher temps(84+) IME, but that's really the only issue I've noticed. As long as the temps fairly stable, and not dropping too much at night, it's ok.

 

[Marc118]

Yea I was JW. I recently got a tank with a chiller and I set it to 79. The heat element keeps it at 79 at night no problem and the chiller does the same during the day. The tank is generally at 78.xx from what I have seen.

But yea I was just seeing if you had the option of a chiller if you would have a different optimal temp then what the tank is currently running with no chiller.

Thanks.

 

[Ziggy953]

I don't want a chiller because of the expense of running it. With my little 12v fans and cutting an hour off the MH lighting I keep my tank at 82 during the summer.