nano reefer
Active Member
Well, winter is coming around and for us Nano owners we know how fast temperatures can change in such a small tank. Now, if you are like me, you don’t run your heat when you are at work. Especially with fuel prices so high, it is hard to keep your fish tank warm when you aren’t at home. When your house heat is on, the tank is kept at desired temperature, but with the heat off the tank cools down and with that change from warm, to cold, to warm, etc it creates fluctuations which are the real killers of fish and corals involving temperatures. With Nanos having a small body of water, the temperature fluctuations happen more rapidly and there is a larger difference between fluctuation maximums and minimums.
1. For heating what you can do is upgrade your heater. 50 watt is good but if you live up north you should go to 100 watt. I saw a 100 watt heater at my LFS the other day that is only 3 inches longer than a 50 watt and it will easily fit in my 14g Bio Cube. I will probably pick it up in the next week or so.
2. Another way to keep your tank warm is to point power heads and return lines away from the surface. When your water is moving at the surface, it provides aeration, but it also cools down the tank a good 1-2 degrees.
3. Finally, just drop the temp on your heater a degree or two, this will reduce fluctuations a lot. Instead of your tank fluctuating from 80-73 it will shift from 78-73. Only a few degrees, but it can be a lifesaver for your tank inhabitants.
Here is a little graph of tank temps after you use the methods above, this is not scientifically tested, but it shows you what the methods are doing.
1. For heating what you can do is upgrade your heater. 50 watt is good but if you live up north you should go to 100 watt. I saw a 100 watt heater at my LFS the other day that is only 3 inches longer than a 50 watt and it will easily fit in my 14g Bio Cube. I will probably pick it up in the next week or so.
2. Another way to keep your tank warm is to point power heads and return lines away from the surface. When your water is moving at the surface, it provides aeration, but it also cools down the tank a good 1-2 degrees.
3. Finally, just drop the temp on your heater a degree or two, this will reduce fluctuations a lot. Instead of your tank fluctuating from 80-73 it will shift from 78-73. Only a few degrees, but it can be a lifesaver for your tank inhabitants.
Here is a little graph of tank temps after you use the methods above, this is not scientifically tested, but it shows you what the methods are doing.
