85F Temp

[fish007]

I've had my 150 saltwater tank for over 5 years.
I just started to change it to a reef tank. I've got my french angle for the past 5 years as well as my sail fin tang. I got two Anemones whci a clown in each. Blue star fish. Added the anemones about 1-2 months ago and the star fish aobut 1 month ago. I have a bunch of crabs.
My question is that the water temp is at 85F is this too high?
I think my cleaner shrimp I just bought died (5) of them because of the temp? 2 lasted about 7-10 days and then they were gone.
If 85F is too high why do my fish seem to be ok? If I lower it, what should I lower it and how do I lower it without causing problems to the fish?
Thanks

 

[slofish]

First of all, WELCOME to the board. 85 is a bit on the high side. I like to keep mine right about 80. As for lowering the temp, im not gonna say anthing. Dont worry though, there are a lot of guys/gals that'll let you know how to do it safely. just wait for some replies.

 

[dzones]

I keep mine at about 79-81 and have seen many other posts of people trying to stay below 82. 85 does seem a bit high and your new tankmates probably came from a much colder tank and the stress just overwhelmed i think.
I would suggest lowering the temperature very slowly. like over the period of a day or two. If you can manage to get it at 80-81 i know they will fare a lot better. many places i have read that the temps are like 77 - 81 but with today's MH lighting it is a bit harder to get those lower temps unless you have a chiller.
I would think that since your tank has been up for 5 years your fish have totally adjusted to that. I know a regular temp of 85 would have been a lot better than a fluctuating one.
I had a temp increase when i first moved to dual 400w mh but all i had to do was install a 4" fan blowing on each end of my canopy from the back. went from 83 to 79-80. I have one 4" fan that had been used in a bakery as a cooling fan for the muffins and man that thing can blow some serious wind! the other seems a standard computer style 120-150mm that does a pretty good job.
HTH some.
good luck
OH MY AND YES...WELCOME TO THE BOARD (didn't notice it was your first post)