Is my water temp ok?

[charliewww]

I have had my 12 gallon tank running for 4 months now. I had a glass thermometer stuck on the inside of the tank but it has been difficult to tell the exact temp. Yesterday I installed a digital thermometer and noticed my temp goes from 75.8 to 80.4. All my residents dont seem to mind. Are there any issues with this range?

 

[salt_hobbi]

as long as it doesnt go over 80, its no danger. I would try to balance it out between the 75 -78 range, thats if you have a chiller.

 

[bang guy]

If it were me I'd set the heaters to 82 or 83F and keep a stable temperature instead of allowing it to fluctuate.

 

[salt_hobbi]

Originally Posted by Bang Guy
If it were me I'd set the heaters to 82 or 83F and keep a stable temperature instead of allowing it to fluctuate.
When I said balance it out between 75 - 78, i meant balance it to the middle of those.

 

[charliewww]

Originally Posted by Bang Guy
If it were me I'd set the heaters to 82 or 83F and keep a stable temperature instead of allowing it to fluctuate.
My guess is if I set the heater to 82 or 83 when the lights come on it will make the temp go up 3 to 4 degrees. Im ok with the fluctuation, I was more concerned that 75.8 was too cold.

 

[jumpfrog]

How much and what kind of lights?
Do you have a fan in your lighting system to offset the heat from the lamps?
Steady is better than fluctuations. As for the right temp, that's a debate. The ocean doesn't have just one temperature, but, the changes usually take place very slowly so the animals aren't shocked.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by Charliewww
My guess is if I set the heater to 82 or 83 when the lights come on it will make the temp go up 3 to 4 degrees.
It doesn't work that way. If your lights can heat the water to 80.4 and you set your heaters to 80.5 then 80.5 will be as hot as the tank gets.
Many animals can handle rapid temp fluctuations but not all of them. It's just less stress on most of your reef animals if you keep the water as stable as possible.Mid 70's is fine for Fiji or other animals from cooler reefs. The majority of animals in the hobby are from warmer reefs and won't do well below 80F. If you research all of your animals and find where they are most abundant it will give you insight as to what temps will work best for them.

 

[mrdc]

Nice explanation. I need to check my temp. I think it stays between 80 and 83 but I need to check it before and during the lights being on. I have not done that in awhile.

 

[jdboy]

My temp stays between 80.0 and 80.4. The only differance is that it is usually warmer at night for my tank becuase I've got my fans set to go off when the lights do. So therefore the water actually warms up a little at night. I've tried blocking the vent closest to the tanks and the temp still get higher at night.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by jdboy
My temp stays between 80.0 and 80.4. The only differance is that it is usually warmer at night for my tank becuase I've got my fans set to go off when the lights do. So therefore the water actually warms up a little at night. I've tried blocking the vent closest to the tanks and the temp still get higher at night.

Fans cool the water a LOT.
Keep in mind that waterflow heats up to water quite a bit so if the water is still flowing at night (as it should be) then I can see why the water could actually warm up when the fans are off.

 

[charliewww]

I have an Eclipse with a modded light system to 48 watts. It has no cooling fans. I am replacing the tank as soon as I can get my hands on a Aquapod that doesnt shock you. I will try to set my heater to 80 but it just seems like the lights will continue to heat it up. I will watch it closely.

 

[jdboy]

Originally Posted by Bang Guy
Fans cool the water a LOT.
Keep in mind that waterflow heats up to water quite a bit so if the water is still flowing at night (as it should be) then I can see why the water could actually warm up when the fans are off.
I figured it was caused by water pumps as I knew we didn't keep the house no where near that warm.