Pump Upgrade and Temperature Problems

[olsenjb]

I just purchased a JBJ 12G Nano Deluxe. I had an old Maxi-Jet 1200 that I used to upgrade the pump. The temp in the tank, even without the lights on, is running around 85-86 degrees. I assume this is because of the larger pump?
What brand/size powerhead would you recommend changing to? I've read about people using the Maxi-Jet 900, but does that really produce that much less heat than the 1200? What about the Maxi-Jet 600? It only puts out 160 GPH, but is that enough?
Thanks for your help. I've had a 55 gallon reef for about 3 1/2 years, but this is my first nano.

 

[bigarn]

What was the temp before the upgrade? Maxi-Jets are known for "NOT" running hot.

 

[olsenjb]

I don't know...I bought the tank and immediately put the new pump in. Perhaps I should put the small pump it came with in and see if the temp drops. What is the general consensus on what pumps people use in nanos?

 

[bigarn]

I think the 900 gives the best bang for the buck, but the 600 should be fine also.

 

[olsenjb]

In your opinion, do you think it's the pump? Have you had any temp problems with the 900? I'd like to get the max flow possible, but I hate to buy a 900 only to find out it gives me the same temp problems.

 

[bigarn]

I have a 900 in my 10 gallon and never had temp problems. Could it be your heater?

 

[olsenjb]

I considered that....it's a brand new heater, but I pulled it out anyway, and the temp remained at ~86 degrees. This was last night right after the lights went out. So, I thought I'd give it over night to cool down and see what the temp looked like this morning. When I left for work this morning, it was still holding at 85-86 degrees and the lights had been out for ~10 hours.

 

[bigarn]

Sooo, no heater and no lights and the temp stays that high? :thinking:
Either you have a very warm house or your thermometer is broken.

 

[olsenjb]

Or....My powerhead is running hot, right? There just doesn't seem to be any other possibility. My house isn't that hot. Even though these nanos are pretty much sealed around the lid, the heat should have still dissipated overnight if it were just the lights causing the temp increase, right?

 

[olsenjb]

Well...I'm happy to report that I removed the maxi-jet 1200 and put the stock pump back in, and my temperature dropped right back down to 80. So, I think it's obvious that I need to get a new/smaller powerhead. Now, I just need to decide between the maxi-jet 900 or 600...I'm kind of leaning towards the 900.

 

[bigarn]

I'm glad to hear the temp dropped, but I find it hard to believe the Maxi-Jet would raise the temp that high. Maybe it was a faulty PH though, since you removed it and the temp dropped like that.

 

[olsenjb]

Yeah...I was surprised as well, but that appears to be the problem since nothing else has changed. The PH was older and made quite a bit of noise when it was running...I'm sure it was just on its last leg and was running hot.

 

[bigarn]

That was the problem .... problem solved!

 

[olsenjb]

Bought a 900 last night and installed it. When I left this morning, the temp was looking great.

 

[bigarn]

Glad to hear it!

 

[bonebrake]

Awesome! I think I will try a brand new Maxijet 1200 in my 24 Gallon Nano Cube. Hopefully a new 1200 will not run hot.

 

[fixed]

Originally Posted by olsenjb
Bought a 900 last night and installed it. When I left this morning, the temp was looking great.
Found this thread through a search because I have the same issue. I have a 55 gallon with Maxijet 400 and 600, plus running a 1200 on my BakPak 12 hours a day, plus an XP2 canister filter. All that, with heater, and water temp at 78 degrees. I'm told I need more circulation, so I added 2 MJ 1200's. Now temp shot up to 81 degrees. Hmm.
Isn't it necessarily true that all the power the pumps consume, in terms of watts, is directly contributed to the water? So, a 20 watt powerhead is adding 20 watts to the water. If the total wattage added to the water exceeds the ability of the tank to dissipate heat, then won't the temp rise?
Maybe a solution is to put some of the pumps on a timer and run them only parts of the day.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by Fixed
Isn't it necessarily true that all the power the pumps consume, in terms of watts, is directly contributed to the water? So, a 20 watt powerhead is adding 20 watts to the water. If the total wattage added to the water exceeds the ability of the tank to dissipate heat, then won't the temp rise?
Yes, if a powerhead consumes 25 watts then it is producing the same amount of heat as a 25 watt heater.
The answer in my opinion is a fan. A small fan can be used to evaporate more water to lower the water temperature. If you don't want to evap more water then a larger fan pointed at the tank itself will dissipate a significant amount of heat from the tank. This works best with small glass tanks but it will still work a little with acrylic tanks.