snapcrackler said everything I was going to. 9 degrees daily is *way* too much of a swing - you want to keep that to a 2-3 degree swing, max.
I'd get on the phone
asap, and see if you can cancel that chiller purchase. 81F is not a bad temp, heck, I pay electricity bills through the roof all winter so I can
keep my tank at 78F - 80F. 72F is MUCH too low for a reef tank.
Also do you think its the heat fluxuation thats making my coral look bad?
Could be - what are your calcium &
alk levels? pH? Nitrate, phosphate, salinity? ... what kind of lighting do you have, where is the coral placed, how much water flow?
My
LFS said my water is fine
Make sure you own your own reliable and accurate test kits, so you can monitor your levels and know when something is off. While there are *some* good, ethical, knowledgeable
LFS's out there, they are certainly not the "norm".
HTH,