my temp is constantly 86+ help!

vince

vince

Member
this is too weird! My temp is always 86 +
so far, my anemone or fish haven't showed any stress
i tried floating some icebags above my water but i want the temp to go down perm.
its a 75 gallon reef, and i currently have two 402 hagen powerheads running.
lights are powercompacts and florscent
what could be causing this high temp? and is there a way to cool the temp down with out a chiller?
 
ocellaris_keeper

ocellaris_keeper

Active Member
Vince,
First - what's the tmep of your house? you need to keep it at 78 or less degrees.
Second - How far from the tank are your lights - the lights you describe need to be 4-6" from the top of the water.
Third - Do you have a couple of fans in your light cover - they are extremely important in helping to keep the temp reasonable.
Hope these help
Brewski
 
vince

vince

Member
I don't have any fans. can they be installed if the lights didn't come with it? How much would they cost for around 48 inches?
it's only power compact and flourscent light; would fan be really necessary?
My room temperature is the hottest one in my house I think.. lol
how do i make my lights to be 4-6 inches off the top when my glass hood is low and it is right above the water?
[ August 18, 2001: Message edited by: vince ]
[ August 18, 2001: Message edited by: vince ]
 
frenchman

frenchman

Member
RELAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAX
First avoid any sudden change of temperature. Better to have a tank at 80 constant than quick temp shift. Having said that, 86 is too much.
Try to open the hood and blow a fan on the water. You'll have faster evaporation but the temp should cool down gradually. Then, look for other more lasting alternatives:
- have AC run in the room where the tank is located.
- have the AC blow on the tank
- have mini fan for the lights
- take the lights further away from the top of the water.
All of this should help you quite a bit.
 
vince

vince

Member
thank you for those suggestions but i still have few questions
how do i take my light further away from the water? i have a glass top and the lights are about only 2 or 3 inches away from the water.
 
dlight692000

dlight692000

Member
what i did , is rather simple, to avoid maing the water hot, i just lowered the water in the tank, so instead of the water being filled to the top, it is a little below the top about 4-6 inches, but i also have fans on the pCS
 
vince

vince

Member
i heard chillers were very expensive =(
could fans be installed even if my powercompact didn't come with one? how much are they for around 48 inches?
so far, i did manage to bring the temperature down to 82~84
i can't try lowering the water level because i have an overflow box
[ August 18, 2001: Message edited by: vince ]
 
T

the new guy

Guest
You can make a chiller out of a little refridge, a five gallon bucket and some tubing. If you do a search you can find a post I posted telling you exactly how to do it.
 
broomer5

broomer5

Active Member
Although I never done this, I've read on this board where a lot of people go to Radio Shack and get small electric fans that can be installed on either end of a lighting fixture. I've seen them at that store before, normally used on electrical appliances, stereo cabinets and such.
Pretty cheap way to get some air flowing under your hood.
 
darkp

darkp

New Member
If you're looking for a ghetto, cheap way for fans. I had problems with my 20gal overheating b/c my upstairs doesn't get too good circulation. I borrowed this lil' heater fan from my friend. I think he got it at walmart... Anyhow, it has a a *fan only* setting.. Using a brick and some CD cases, i easily mounted it so it blew air over my lights & aquarium top. Worked great to drop the temp 2-3 degrees.
 
@knight

@knight

Member
if you dont mind cutting the housing, PC processor fans will work. ist not as easy as it sounds though, and i would not worry about the fans. to reduce the tank temp, you might try turnoing off your skimmer and and any unnecessary electrical items ( UV filter or powerheads) and cut back on the lighting time during the summer months.
 
vince

vince

Member
now i turn my lights on at 7am ~ 11am and 6pm to 10 pm.
i need my powerheads for my anemones and don't i need to keep my skimmer on?
 
@knight

@knight

Member
i would only use the skimmer at night. i would only keep one PH, if any, and i would not run it durring the middle of the day. the pump mechanism creates heat inside the tank, allbeit not that much, when your tank is at 86, your short of having gumbo. any little improvement could help.
if you have a cover on the tank, remove it as well, as a cover will hold the heat in. you will get more evaporation, but with it, you get heat displacement.
 
T

the new guy

Guest
Vince,
Sorry it took me so long to reply, it sounds like you have fixed your problem but if you want to see how to do the DIY chiller it is under equiptment and DIY under "Too Hot Tank!!! HELP!!".
 
vince

vince

Member
nothing still showed up. i guess i'm bad at finding things :cool:
well. my temp is now at 84 and sometimes at 82. i can't seem to drop it any lower.. i'm constantly trying the things you guys told me to do. thank you for the suggestions again.
 
bino_98

bino_98

New Member
hey vince. since you have a sump, i would suggest mounting a small fan inside your stand that would blow directly over the water in your sump. it's a smaller area than trying to evaporate the entire top of the tank and seems to work really well for me in the summer time to keep my temp down. good luck
 
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