Tank too hot...will not cool...

[gefilte]

I have a 65 gal salt tank that I have serviced every two weeks by an aquarium service company. They have been working on my tank for about 6 months. My thermometer, before they started on my tank appears to have not been working correctly. We now have a digital thermometer so we can monitor it better. The tank runs from about 81 to about 83-83.5. We have taken out all of the powerheads so the only things running in the tank are the pumps in the sump. The UV sterilizer is off and so is the heater. The main pump is a Magdrive 700.

The service company says that they don't know why it won't cool and that my only real option is a chiller. They suggested a fan in the cabinet over the sump, but I don't think there is enough water surface area under there that would make a difference.

What do you guys think is the reason it won't cool and the best way to get it to cool?

 

[Ziggy953]

What kind of lighting do you have? do you have a top on the tank? I have a lot more equipment running in my tank and I have 570watts of light and my tank isn't that hot....

 

[roka64]

I use a floor fan that is on a timer, with my lights. My temp was 82 and now it stays around 78ish.

 

[AndyH5512]

A fan is a good place to start. If that doesnt do the trick, you can always look into a chiller. Personally, a fan is quieter, less expensive and uses a lot less energy. Try it out.

 

[gefilte]

It is an acrylic tank and it is closed on the top. There are two panels that can come off for ffeding etc., but I keep them on. The tow panesl cover abot 50% of the top of the tank. The light is a coralife with 2 Actinic 65w and 2 10,000k 65w and it sits on stands on top of the tank.

Do you really think a fan over the sump would do anything? The biggest fan I could fit would probably be about 4 inches and its not really hot down there.

 

[Hara]

IMO, if your tanks stays stable at 83 ish, then you are fine. I have kept mine in that temp range for years with no troubles. The problem comes in if you have severe cooling after lights out, in which case, setting the heater at 82 will prevent the nighttime cooling. My advice is to quit fighting the tanks normal equilibrium.

 

[gefilte]

IMO, if your tanks stays stable at 83 ish, then you are fine. I have kept mine in that temp range for years with no troubles. The problem comes in if you have severe cooling after lights out, in which case, setting the heater at 82 will prevent the nighttime cooling. My advice is to quit fighting the tanks normal equilibrium.

I would be fine with that but few things live longer than 2 weeks in my tank and I'm being told that it is because of the heat.

 

[Hara]

If that is the hottest your tank is getting, things are not dieing because of the temperature and you need to start looking for other causes.

 

[gefilte]

The only fish to have made it through is a clown (we've had him for about a year and a half) and he's not that big. He can't be killing everyone else, can he?

 

[AndyH5512]

What is the lowest temperature your tank is getting to after "lights out?" As mentioned, a temp swing will affect it. You dont want more than 2 degrees of variance in a 24 hour period.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

You note in your post that your tank varies between 81 and 83. Is 81 the lowest it gets in the middle of the night? If so, then the temperature isn't killing your fish. There are sooooo many things that could be doing it, but I would put money on the fact that it isn't your clown fish.

Just a few questions to start down the road of what's wrong...

What are your water parameters? (Ammonia/nitrites/nitrates/pH/salinity)
What kind of filtration do you have? Live rock.. how much?
How warm is the room your tank sits in?
What exactly is your tank maintenance folks doing for you? Water changes only? Adding any additives?
How are the things dieing? Do they have spots on them? Look like they've been sprinkled with salt? Are they at the top gasping?

If you're only getting a two degree swing and your highest temp is 83, the temp isn't killing them. If you're worried about the heat, I'd put a fan over the sump. You'll be surprised how much evaporation will cool things down.

 

[melosu58]

I have to agree with Lisa that those temps are not the problem. When it comes to temps then stability is the key. If you are having a 4 or more degree change then that will be a problem. My suggestion would be to not have a top on your tank. It traps heat and causes lower PH problems due to poor gas exchange. This could be your problem. What are your water test results.

 

[MT79]

We have taken out all of the powerheads so the only things running in the tank are the pumps in the sump... The main pump is a Magdrive 700.

That along w/ the tank having a cover leads me to believe PH is going to come back low.

 

[gefilte]

Here are the specs...
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10
Salinity 1.024
pH 8.3
Alkalinity 300
Phosphate 0.25
Calcium 340

They do a water change of 15-20 gallons every two weeks. Every week, we also add 4 caps of Tech A & B, three drops of Lugols, 2 caps of Strontium and Molybdenum and 1 cap of ChromaPlex. I also have about 100+ lbs of live rock. The invertebrates do great in the tank. Its the fish that don't last. If its not the temp, what else could it be?

 

[Hara]

That is alot of chemicals to be adding just for the heck of it. Do they test for iodine levels? Those things you mention, get replenished with the water changes. What is in the tank that can possibly be using it up before a water change occurs?

It is a good practice to not add anything that is not tested for.

 

[MT79]

^ I totally agree. Many times people new to the hobby will see better results when they stop adding all that extra garbage. The only thing regular PWC's will not take care of is Ca and Alk in tanks stocked w/ stoney coral. (Tanks w/ SPS coral may also have a demand for magnesium additions) Don't forget that beside the salt mix, the food fed to the fish contains trace elements/minerals as well as. Many times tanks have an abundance of them, and PWC's work to reduce the levels.

Nitrate 10
Salinity 1.024
pH 8.3
Alkalinity 300
Phosphate 0.25
Calcium 340

Alk 300? I assume you mean 3 meg/l.? Also your PO4 is very high. It should be .03 meg/l, ideally less. I suspect the chromaplex may have something to do w/ that.

Its the fish that don't last. If its not the temp, what else could it be?

A couple of those things your dosing, ie iodine, are lethal to animals in levels higher than NSW. That may very well be the cause or at least part of the problem. I suggest discontinuing dosing everything, and just do 10-15% weekly PWC's. If you continue dosing, you will need to test for levels before making any additions. You may need to do a few large PWC's a few days apart to get your parameters back in line.

 

[ellisz]

One other thing to note is that with warmer temps, the fish will have a harder time with the oxygen levels in the water. If you have no water movement, then the fish could be suffocating.

Definitely stop with all the additives. They are not needed with just keeping fish for the most part.

 

[gefilte]

Last weekend I added a fan in the cabinet over the sump. Then I took the cover off the sump and added a powerhead since I had taken them all out. My temperature has been steadily going down to where it is 78 degrees today.

My tank maintenance people came out today and I told them about the forum's thoughts on the additives. They said that they can tell by looking at the tank and the condition of the corals and rock that the levels are appropriate without testing for them. I believe that to be complete BS. They insist that the problem was temperature. I have told them that I do not want to pay for any more fish until we can resolve the problem. They said that they will bring 1 royal gramma and two firefish at no cost to me replacing 3 of the fish I have lost in the last month or so. We'll see how it goes.

Other thoughts or just wait and see?

 

[roka64]

I believe that to be complete BS.

I agree, they should not longer be messing with your tank. Sounds like they possibly poisoned your fish by adding too many chemicals without testing. That shows very poor animal husbandry.
Just curious, you added the fan your self, why are you paying them?

 

[seaham358]

Sounds like the temp is coming down good, I would take the tops off the tank to help control heat and with gas exchange. Do you have another thermometer? I would pick up a cheap glass one and use it to compare temps, digital thermos can be off + or- 2-3 degrees.
First rule is to NEVER dose any additives unless you test first. Tell the fish tank guy he's a ass and then fire him.
Do they acclimate the fish or just toss them in?