dburr
Active Member
Just read this in Marine fish and Reef 2003 annual.
The article is The fish friendly reef tank by Richard Harker.
Quote "A decade ago, the most common reef tank temperature was 75 deg Fahrenheit. While most hobbyists maintain reef tank temps in the mid to upper 70's, some have recently advocated higher temps, in some cases as high as 85 deg. The proponents of higher temps argue that because greater coral diversity is near the equator, we should strive to recreate similar conditions.
Unfortunately, this argument fails to take the reef tank's fish inhabitants into consideration. In the wild, fish can move about in search of a preferred environment. Fish are free to move from shallow to deeper, cooler areas of the reef. The small volume of a reef tank means there is very little temp difference from one part to another. Using thermal shuttleboxes, where fish are free to move into areas with water temp to their liking, studies suggest that many coral reef fish prefer temps in the 70s."
It goes on to say yellow tangs prefer 73 deg at noon at 66 at midnight.Chaetodon multicinctus prefers 75 deg but juveniels prefer 81.
Michael Paletta from his book The New Marine Aquarium writes "Generally speaking, the lower average temps are better for most tanks, Not only does cooler water hold more O2, but lower temps also result in slower metabolism. Fish tend to eat less, grow more slowly, and live longer."
What do you think? Mid to lower 70s or upper 70s to lower 80s?
I know my fish are imporant just as my corals. This is a study on why fish don't live as long in a tank than the wild.
Give your input.
The article is The fish friendly reef tank by Richard Harker.
Quote "A decade ago, the most common reef tank temperature was 75 deg Fahrenheit. While most hobbyists maintain reef tank temps in the mid to upper 70's, some have recently advocated higher temps, in some cases as high as 85 deg. The proponents of higher temps argue that because greater coral diversity is near the equator, we should strive to recreate similar conditions.
Unfortunately, this argument fails to take the reef tank's fish inhabitants into consideration. In the wild, fish can move about in search of a preferred environment. Fish are free to move from shallow to deeper, cooler areas of the reef. The small volume of a reef tank means there is very little temp difference from one part to another. Using thermal shuttleboxes, where fish are free to move into areas with water temp to their liking, studies suggest that many coral reef fish prefer temps in the 70s."
It goes on to say yellow tangs prefer 73 deg at noon at 66 at midnight.Chaetodon multicinctus prefers 75 deg but juveniels prefer 81.
Michael Paletta from his book The New Marine Aquarium writes "Generally speaking, the lower average temps are better for most tanks, Not only does cooler water hold more O2, but lower temps also result in slower metabolism. Fish tend to eat less, grow more slowly, and live longer."
What do you think? Mid to lower 70s or upper 70s to lower 80s?
I know my fish are imporant just as my corals. This is a study on why fish don't live as long in a tank than the wild.
Give your input.
