How hot is to hot?

[afishmonkey]

thxs for my help with my other ? it helped alot now on to my second ?
how hot is to hot? ive been getting mixed opions about the water heat and now im getting to wonder is mine correct ? mine is at 76 the fish store i goto runs his water at 80 and there is this other fish store runs his at 70 and the other fishstore runs his he says at 82 so im getting to wornder how hot is to hot thxs for all your help

 

[maui]

The way I understand it there are pros and cons to warmer and cooler tanks. Warmer tanks supposedly allow things to grow faster and fish to reproduce at faster rates. Kind of like an incubator, but if an outbreak of something bad happens in your tank it will spread quicker. Haveing your tank at lower temperature may give you enough time to tackle a problem before it gets out of hand. I personally have my tank at 80 b/c to get it any lower I would have to buy a chiller. Something I just don't have the $$$ for right now.

 

[mr . salty]

76 is the prefered temp for a marine tank..The higher the temp,the more likly you are to run into problems like bacterial infection,parasites,stress,and algae blooms.Not to mention as the temp of the water increases,it's ability to absorb or hold oxegen decreases.That means as your temp rises,the air in the water lowers.This causes alot of problems..But usually not till the temp reaches the mid 80's.Even this high of temp can be tollerated as long as it is a constant temp.You see fast or drastic changes in temp will do more harm than steady higher temps...My tank usually stays in the mid 80's all summer with little to no problems...Just have to keep in mind ablout the AIR problem...

 

[kris walker]

Mr Salty, how high has it ever gotten for you? I have no AC in my apartment, and remember how last summer when I was waiting out the cycle, my tank went up to the mid to upper 80's, due to the buildup of heat during the late afternoon. Now that I have a stocked coral tank (no fish), I am worried about this again. I don't want to spend the money either on a chiller. I am thinking now, based on your earlier post, if I simply turn up the heater in the late spring, I will be able to keep the temp stable in the mid 80s, thus avoiding the chiller. What do you think about this?
kris

 

[mr . salty]

I wouldn't turn up the heat now.Or ever.Just wait it out and see how hot it gets.You should at least look for a window A/C for your place..Then you and your tank will be comfy this summer.Used ones can be gotten pretty cheap.Look in the want ads in your paper...

 

[kris]

i agree , even a decent room a/c is alot cheaper than any chiller--and you'll all be happier.

 

[kris walker]

Thanks guys. We actually bought one alreayd last summer, but our rooms are too darn big for them to have any real effect.
C ya,
kris