MH heat problem

richie1742

richie1742

Member
is thare a way around keeping the tank temp low other then buying a chiller, or fans across the water and using ice bags in the tank? i have a huge problem from my MH lighting putting out a lot of heat. and i already got fans.
 
tangs123

tangs123

Member
do you have fans on just the light fixture;
if thats the only place you can have strong fans blowing across the surface of the water
 
reefstar22

reefstar22

Member
What kinds of corals do you have? ...odds are you dont even need MH's unless you have SPS ..and in that case you would have a chiller because they are so sensitive.
Turn your mh's on for one hour less every three days.... untill your down to just your PC's... this will help with heat.
Most reefs with LPS do NOT need MH light... just you will need to spot feed them more. A common misconception is the fact that corals require massive amounts of light...they can be come accustomed to lesser light.
 
zanski

zanski

Member
raise the lights. Ive seen some show tanks with MH lighting and the light is hung from the celing like 3-4 feet above the tank...
 
dragonboy

dragonboy

Active Member
Just invest in a chiller I have tried fans and ice packs none of them will help out as much especially since we've been having really high temperature lately. Its been a lot hotter this summer since last summer and with unexpected long duration of heat your better off using a chiller.
 
murph145

murph145

Active Member
anytime u get MH;'s ur guna need a chiller unless u hang them high and have a big fan....
in anycase its not even worth the chance of frying your corals....
and like reefstar22 said if ur guna have sps u need a chiller they require stable water parameters.....
just go get a chiller and u wont worry anymore
i have a 1/2hp chiller on my 180 i couldnt have the tank without it
 
fishy7

fishy7

Active Member
Hey Richie,
I run a 215 with 450 watts of MH for 8 hour/day and 496watts of PC for 11hours/day. I also have glass lids and the lights sit 4 inches off the water. I do not have chiller and my water stays between 80-81 all the time. It may climb to 82 when the temp outside gets over 105 but a 2 litter of frozen water works well.
How do you ask?
Here are few things to look at:
1) How many pumps/powerheads do you have. These guys add a lot of extra heat. I use 1 external pump with low heat eachange and no PH's.
2) Are you lights in a canopy? I use compter fans to vent the heat out of the canopy
3) Fan blow on top of water in sump
4) take off lids if you have them.
 
trigger78

trigger78

Member
How high is the temp getting and if it isnt getting over 83-84 you should be fine as long as it doesnt drop once the lights go off. The natural reefs have avg. temp of about 84 so as long as there isnt fluctuation then you should be fine. But I dont know how hot the water is getting either. In any case good luck and good reefing.
 
laddy

laddy

Active Member
Originally Posted by tangs123
do you have fans on just the light fixture;
if thats the only place you can have strong fans blowing across the surface of the water

I assume you don't have AC?
 
tank watch

tank watch

Member
fan placement is key. i have a 180 with canopy, 3 metal halides (two @250 one @175) and 6 VHo. I use 5 of the 4 inch computer style fans. 3 fans pull in fresh air from the back of the canopy, blowing across the halides. the other two fans are mounted on the top of the canopy pulling the warm air out, toward the ceiling. my temp stays at 81.5 to 82 degrees. whenever lights are on, the fans are on. the fans come on when the vho lights come on. since my timer has crapped out for the halides, I plug them in manually from 4 o'clock to 8 or 9 o'clock, prime viewing time
.
can anyone suggest a durable and reliable timer?
 
fishy7

fishy7

Active Member
I use these.
No cords, no mess and no problem if the electricity goes out. Good for 5 hours.
goooooogggggle 1122w. This is an in-wall timer.
 
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