tank temp

[douggiestyle]

My tank temp is stable at 79f. My household temp is apx. 72-75f. The tank does not have direct sunlight nor does it have any high intensity lighting. The pump i use is a mag 9.5b.

My problem is I cannot lower the temp.

Leaving the light off does not change anything. Will adding high intensity lighting increase temp drastically? and will that be bad for fish/etc.?

What is a good temp for a reef tank? I've received suggestions ranging from 70-75f. as well as suggestions as high as 86f

thanks
Doug

 

[snapcrackler]

I keep mine at 80.5, and the heater never turns on. This heat comes from powerheads and decent lighting. I have heard a lot about "never go over 80F" but I think that is incorrect and can actually stress the inhabitants in some cases if it is too cold.

I would be comfortable at any temp up to 84, personally.

MH and VHO's will of course make more heat but you can keep them several inches above the top of water, run fans, and run an open top.

 

[douggiestyle]

Open top.

I thought of that but currently it appears that I have an evaporation problem. I am adding apx 1 gal to tank each day, is that normal?

Note I have an 80 gal tank

sorry for asking so many questions

Doug


ps are blood worms ok for saltwater?

 

[Biggen]

Who told you 70-75F?!? That is getting near FW goldfish temperatures. Waaaaay to cold for a reef tank.

Like many of the others around here, I run my tank in the 80-82F range. When I see it fall below 80 (when I am doing a water change or feeding) I actually start to get worried...

ps are blood worms ok for saltwater?

I am sure you could feed them that, but there is nearly zero nutritional value in blood worms. You would be better feeding brine.

 

[snapcrackler]

THe more evap the better IMHO, that's just more fresh water going in. I just use a fresh water bucket and siphon in my topoff water with a piece of airline tubing. (cheap and easy)

One of these days I'm going to hook up an automatic RO topoff system with a kalkwasser doser (pickling salt water) and then I won't have to worry about it

I use blood worms all the time in this tank along with mysis, flake, frozen copepods. I do not think they are a problem.

I am not sure why, but sometimes you hear of evaporation as a "problem" and suggestions to close off the tank with a glass top and stuff ensue. I think it's a real blessing and I keep the tops of my tanks as open as I can. You get better gas exchange and the whole evaporation thing is just not a negative issue to me.

In my 70FW I add 5 gallons a week or more.

Also depending on what stuff you're raising in your tank (reef) you can add a little pickling lime to your makeup water to up your calcium levels and stuff, this is what kalkwasser is, I am still learning about it. It inhibits growth of micro/macroalgae a little I hear, and is good for corals and such.

I will see how my razor caulerpa responds to kalk here pretty soon to see if it grows slower (it grows slower than most caulerpas anyway) .

Hope that helps a little I am still learning too.

And by all means ask/post away, I post on this site constantly, I think it is because I feel like I'm in a family here.

 

[douggiestyle]

I gleemed the water temp suggestion of 70-75f from an article by Richard Harker in Marine Fish and Reef.

Doug

 

[douggiestyle]

I was always under the impression that evaporation is bad. That it helps to concentrate heavy metals and other impurities.

Doug

 

[Biggen]

I gleemed the water temp suggestion of 70-75f from an article by Richard Harker in Marine Fish and Reef

Sounds crazy to me. Isn't the average ocean reef temperature around 82F or so??

 

[douggiestyle]

I would think that reef temp avgs would depend on depth.

When looking at most recommendations for reef inhabitants they are listed at between 72-78f. pick some were midway?

I am still surprised that my mag pump would give a 6-7 degree increase over ambient temp in an 80 gal tank

 

[Biggen]

I would think that reef temp avgs would depend on depth

That is fine. But most reefs are in shallow (or extremely shallow) water right near the surface. This is why we have to have hi-power lighting. So that we can mimic the sun intensity of the sun in those shallow waters.

I am trying to dig up a link that shows the average temp, salinities, and depths of the worlds reefs but can't seem to find it. I will continue looking for you.

Ok. I found it. Check this article out: http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1997/nov/features/1/default.asp

It is a long read but it has some great information in it...

 

[snapcrackler]

I was always under the impression that evaporation is bad. That it helps to concentrate heavy metals and other impurities.

Doug

Very good point. However if your makeup water has minimal impurities then the heavy metals are not being re-added. Your macro and micro algaes will also remove the heavy metals.

 

[douggiestyle]

Ok. I found it. Check this article out: http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1997/nov/features/1/default.asp

beautiful Article. Much more research than the Marine Fish and reef article

 

[ReefLady]

I gleemed the water temp suggestion of 70-75f from an article by Richard Harker in Marine Fish and Reef.

Are you referring to the article titled "The Fish Friendly Reef Tank" by Richard Harker in the 2003 Marine and Reef Annual? I'm not quite sure where you get the 70F-75F range, but he does suggest temps that are somewhat lower than what has been commonly recommended in the last decade or thereabouts. Quote from the article:

"In other words, the earlier recommendations regarding reef tank temperatures in the mid to upper 70s came closer to the preferred temperature of more reef fish than the newer recommendation of higher temperatures."

The article basically discusses how, in recent years, the trend of the reef hobby has put the the needs of fish second to that of corals and other invertebrates.

My tank temp is stable at 79f.

IMO, this is perfect. I run mine between 78F - 80F.

 

[douggiestyle]

I'm not quite sure where you get the 70F-75F range,

I avg out the temps he (richard) gives and came up with that range.

But I am going with your suggestions.

 

[astride13]

A very interesting article. It basically says the obvious that people miss. There is not an optimum reef temperature, it depends on what you have in your tank. No I guess I need to see where all my inhabitants are from.