my water is 86 degrees HELP!

[gdesigner17]

I have a 34 gallon nano with sump protein skimmer and chiller i have 3 clowns a blue tang flame angel and six line wrasse and few corals. I have my heater set at 78 and my chiller at 77. I went camping for the weekend and i come back to see the flame and the six line dead and 3 of my corals. my temperature is reading 86 degrees why is my water so hot?

 

[mr. limpid]

Is your heater malfunctioning? 86 is not that bad unless it went up quick. Check heater, don't lower it fast go slow like 2 deg a day.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Sounds like a heater malfunction. Take the heater out completely, it may have an electrical problem as well. Buy a new heater as soon as you can and set it for the temp you want. If you want to bring your temp down over the course of the next 8 hours, freeze some 1 or 2 liter bottles and put one in your sump to thaw. I've used that trick on really, really hot days in my household.
You don't want to shock your other tank inhabitants. So, pull out the old heater, replace it with a new one and set it to the temp that it should be. The tank should naturally come back down to the desired temp as it should be, gradually.

 

[snakeblitz33]

In the tanks that ran really hot with metal halides, I would freeze RO/DI water in ice cube trays or plastic zip lock bags and cut em' open and dump it in the sump to melt for top off water. It would keep the tank cool, but you would have to monitor it closely. Just an FYI tidbit.

 

[1guydude]

+1 on the ice....also double bagging reg ice cubes if u have to!
Just not to much as said take it down slow!

 

[1guydude]

Sorry bout ur loss!

 

[gdesigner17]

thanks for you help guys I took out the heater last night and it has only dropped to 84

 

[snakeblitz33]

Watch it for the next few days and see if it comes down any more, then feel your powerheads to make sure they are still on. Powerheads with intakes that are clogged up can add a lot of heat to the system.
If all else fails, try the ice trick for a little while.
What kind of lighting do you have??

 

[gdesigner17]

I lave LED they are not very hot at all

 

[btldreef]

Sounds like your chiller isn't functioning properly either, or it would have dropped to the desired temperature once the old heater was removed.
On a side note, you shouldn't have a tang in that tank, it's way too small. And while your clowns are young, 3 will get along, but eventually two will pair up and probably kill the third.
I run LEDs, while they produce a lot less heat than halides, they still produce heat.
Have you done a water change yet. Since you had death in the tank, I'd do a larger water change, that should help bring the temp down as well. Also, run a ran over the top of the tank, or the sump (or both) to drop the temp. I still don't think your chiller is functioning correctly .

 

[1guydude]

+1 on the chiller ordeal....
+1 on the fish problems posted by BTL...
btw by ran she means fan! LOL

 

[btldreef]

+1 on the chiller ordeal....
+1 on the fish problems posted by BTL...
btw by ran she means fan! LOL


What?... You've never ran across your tank?? Lol

 

[1guydude]

o ya all the time...

 

[saxman]

Assuming a single-stage controller, and you really had your heater set at 78 and your chiller at 77, they both may have failed because they were working against each other. Think about it, if your heater kept trying to heat the water to 78, and your chiller was trying to pull it down the whole time, both would be running WAY to much.
Unless you have a dual-stage controller (external or built-into the chiller) the way you need to set them is so the heater acts as the "safeguard" for the chiller. If you want your tank at 77, set the heater for 75 and the chiller at 77 with a differential of no more than 2*F. That way, the heater won't let the tank go below 75, and the chiller will keep it below 79*F (assuming a 2* differential setting on the chiller). The tank will typically be somewhere in the middle.

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/388258/my-water-is-86-degrees-help#post_3423434
Powerheads with intakes that are clogged up can add a lot of heat to the system.
I see an experiment is needed here because I don't believe that a clogged powerhead would add anymore heat to a system than an unclogged one. I have no facts or experience to base my opinion on.

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by gdesigner17 http:///t/388258/my-water-is-86-degrees-help#post_3423429
thanks for you help guys I took out the heater last night and it has only dropped to 84
If it were me I would test the heater in an external container and set the chiller to 85F.

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by gdesigner17 http:///t/388258/my-water-is-86-degrees-help#post_3423447
I lave LED they are not very hot at all
It's typically not the temperature of the bulbs that heats the water it's the amount of light from the bulbs that enters the tank.

 

[2quills]

Also check your skimmer pump and return pump for excessive heat. Malfunctioning pumps can indeed get very hot. Meowzer can attest to that when she had a malfunctioning skimmer pump. Also agree with Saxman's advice on the heater/chiller and everybody else suggestions. Accept for 1guyDude being a grammar nazi, that's just rude.