mr. angelfish
Member
There is no heater in the ocean. I wonder whether you use heater in your system?
Do you use heater?
- Thread starter mr. angelfish
- Start date
saltaddict
Member
Ture but the ocean is much larger than my tank and that can change tempertures rapidly.
T
thomas712
Guest
As a northern boy I use two heaters and think they are a must.
reefnut
Active Member
Originally posted by Kipass4130
i am of the understanding people in cool climates dont heat all of their homes all day long
We heat all of the house but at different temps during the day...
Thermostate settings...
5:00am to 8:00am 72deg
8:00am to 4:00pm 68deg
4:00pm to 10:00pm 70deg
10:00pm to 5:00am 68deg
reefnut
Active Member
Originally posted by SquishyFish
72-80 ....this is a reason to have a heater, but this is addressing the tank temp vs the house temp...not tank temp vs outside temp.
right?
Yes, I see what you mean now. In my case (and others in cold climates) outside temp is directly reflected to room temp and therefore tank temp. As in a hot climate and AC, the AC can only do so much until the cost is ridicules.
buzz
Active Member
Think of it this way. The majority (if not all) of our fish come from much more tropical climates, where the weather is warm, and the sun shines most of the time, and is more intense. Think about it - Fiji, Hawaii, Australia, etc...the ocean temp in these areas is much warmer than most other places - and that is a constant.
In order to duplicate those conditions, a heater is necessary.
In order to duplicate those conditions, a heater is necessary.
elfdoctors
Active Member
Originally posted by SquishyFish
If your house is climate controlled at 72degrees, the lowest your tank can drop is to 72degrees no matter what the temp is outside.
Squishy
You forget about evaporation. When the outside temperature is very low, the air can hold very little moisture. Up here it often has to warm up for us to even get snow. When that dry air comes into the house it dries up further as warm air can hold much more moisture. Particularly if you do not have a canopy, northerners can have significant evaporative losses. Evaporation cools the tank often several degrees below atmospheric temperature.
I have a programmable thermostat to lower the air temperature between 11pm and 5am down to 55 degrees to save money. Sleep quality is also improved while sleeping in a cooler environment. An aquarium heater is essential up here.
kingbrd1
Member
Depending on how well the house is insulated is a factor in this also. Drafts can have a cooler effect in the house or parts of the house. Right now I rent a house and am trying to track down drafts left and right, but the windows are not being very cooperative. So the house changes temperature faster than I'd like and need a heater in my tank to compensate for stuff like this.
King
King
rick58
Member
Hmmm, actually most of us northerners do not heat our houses until it's necessary - for the people. In the fall and spring a 60 degree day can feel great and we might have all our doors and windows open. Some of us northerners can feel quite comfortable at temperatures far below what is required for a reef. We closed up our house and turned on the furnace in the beginning of this month. At the time the avg nightly low was in the 40's, which I consider to be great sleeping weather. The first nice day in March my wife will throw open the windows and air evrything - by then a nice day will be any day over 40 degrees. I guess it's all relative - but a heater, or two, or three is a must.
buzz
Active Member
Squishyfish, I don't think you are arguing. Don't worry.
But I don't think my point is coming across. Let me try again.
What temp do you keep your home at during the winter months? 68 deg? 70 deg? Let's say 72 degrees, as that was mentioned before...
As an example, I found a site that lists the average ocean temperatures in Fiji throughout the year. It ranges from 77-82 degrees throughout the year. So I would assume based on this that is the range these fish, corals, etc., typically thrive between.
So if your tank stays at 72 degrees because you keep your home at 72, that is still 5-10 degrees colder than these fish typically live in.
I don't think the topic of home temp versus outside temp versus tank temp has anything to do with this. The simple fact is that if you do not heat your tank, and your home stays at 72, your tank is colder than what the optimal temp should be for your fish.
If your home is heated, the only thing the outside temp should affect is how often your heater comes on, and how long it is on for. But I don't understand how that comes in to play in the question of "there is no heater in the ocean, do you need one in your system?"
But I don't think my point is coming across. Let me try again.
What temp do you keep your home at during the winter months? 68 deg? 70 deg? Let's say 72 degrees, as that was mentioned before...
As an example, I found a site that lists the average ocean temperatures in Fiji throughout the year. It ranges from 77-82 degrees throughout the year. So I would assume based on this that is the range these fish, corals, etc., typically thrive between.
So if your tank stays at 72 degrees because you keep your home at 72, that is still 5-10 degrees colder than these fish typically live in.
I don't think the topic of home temp versus outside temp versus tank temp has anything to do with this. The simple fact is that if you do not heat your tank, and your home stays at 72, your tank is colder than what the optimal temp should be for your fish.
If your home is heated, the only thing the outside temp should affect is how often your heater comes on, and how long it is on for. But I don't understand how that comes in to play in the question of "there is no heater in the ocean, do you need one in your system?"
i like fish
Member
I still don't think you get it. We don't keep our houses at 80 degrees in the winter, therefore, we need heaters.
