Temperature and lighting issues with MH HELP

[lastchoice]

I have a 4 X 96 PC atinic and 3 X 150 MH 10k lights in a retro fit kit over a 125g 6 foot long tank. I have tried a number of different things trying to keep the heat below 80 degrees and trying to keep the temperature steady and I don't really want to get a chiller right now.
Can anyone tell me what temperature I should keep my tank are or maybe how high is too high? Also how much should I allow the temp to vary when the lights come on?
I read that some corals the temp can be between 80 to 89 in the wild.
I have a brain coral, some zoos, leather, shrimp, scallops, tangs, clowns, and CUC (snails and hermit crabs). The fish are not in the tank yet, but I was going to put them in soon. They are in a small 55 gallon tank now that seems to be too small for them.
If my temp is too high one option I was thinking about was changing 2 of the 96w bulbs out for 10k and going with just the 4 X 96 bulbs for now. Is that enough light?
Thanks,
John

 

[xcali1985]

74-78 is optimal. 76 is perfect. Maintaining a temp at 80 is ok as long as the change isnt radical say 2-3 degrees from day to night gradually. Try increasing the distance away from the tank the lights are. Also installing a fan blowing inbetween the lights and the tank will help also. Not blowing directly on the water or the lights but inbetween.

 

[lastchoice]

I have 2 X 100 CFM fans one on each end of the canopy. If I set the temp to anything below 78 the MH lights will heat the tank up to around 80 in a few hours. If I keep the temp at 80 the MH do not seem to heat the water any higher. This is why I thought it might be best to keep the temp at 80 so that the temp would be steady. I live in NY and it is kind of cold here now, but this thing heats the house for me.
The lights or in a canopy and I think it is 6-8 inches off the water. I think maybe I could put something between the top of the tank and the canopy to raise it some more. I was thinking about that, but was worried about it falling. Not sure how I would do that yet.
So long term 80 degrees is OK and it is more important that the temp does not change more than 1 degree a day?

 

[lastchoice]

about the fans. One blows in and the other blows out. I was thinking about having them both blow out.
The tank is about an inch or 2 from the wall. Are you suggesting that maybe I get more fans at the back of the canopy?

 

[xcali1985]

From my understanding and experience, 80 is a bit high but within the safe range. Soft corals will do fine in that, ive been warned that stonys need cooler water temp for long term health and growth. Fish and softcorals and most inverts should be fine with 80.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by Xcali1985
http:///forum/post/3170750
From my understanding and experience, 80 is a bit high but within the safe range. Soft corals will do fine in that, ive been warned that stonys need cooler water temp for long term health and growth. Fish and softcorals and most inverts should be fine with 80.

In my opinion, 80 is not high and 76 is too cold unless you keep sea horses or other cold needy critters. The tank can even be around 82-84...even 87 for a day won't do any real harm. In nature temp changes daily...80-84 is normal, the reef is shallow compared to the rest of the ocean.
Most folks keep a tank at around 78 because it slows things down, it allows time to catch any problems like algae blooms before they multiply to dangerous proportions.
In the 80s is perfect…

 

[lastchoice]

That is kind of what I thought. I figured the temp just change some in nature day to night and with the seasons.
If I keep it high like around 80 the temp seems to be steady around 1 degree it sounds like it will be OK. There is no way I can keep it any less than 78 w/o the temp changing more than 2 degrees day to night. The MH are HOT!!! I might get a chiller at some point, but if there is nothing wrong with what I am doing there might be no point.
I also read about the heat speeding things up, so I was wondering about oxygen too. I have a wet/dry filter and I heard that they are really good for oxygen.
I also have 2 Hydor 4s and a Seio 1100. Probably more than enough current or too much.
So the current also provides oxygen??? or should I have an air pump also?
From what I read it sounded like current provided oxygen and bubbles are bad. I was confused by this. Must the power head break the water surface to provide oxygen or is the current alone enough?

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by lastchoice
http:///forum/post/3171030
That is kind of what I thought. I figured the temp just change some in nature day to night and with the seasons.
If I keep it high like around 80 the temp seems to be steady around 1 degree it sounds like it will be OK. There is no way I can keep it any less than 78 w/o the temp changing more than 2 degrees day to night. The MH are HOT!!! I might get a chiller at some point, but if there is nothing wrong with what I am doing there might be no point.
I also read about the heat speeding things up, so I was wondering about oxygen too. I have a wet/dry filter and I heard that they are really good for oxygen.
I also have 2 Hydor 4s and a Seio 1100. Probably more than enough current or too much.
So the current also provides oxygen??? or should I have an air pump also?
From what I read it sounded like current provided oxygen and bubbles are bad. I was confused by this. Must the power head break the water surface to provide oxygen or is the current alone enough?

Your heat is fine...at this time it is not a concern...tiny micro bubbles, I have been told can cause problems with fish gills...%%..I really don't know..Some say not.
Yes you want to break the water surface and use a current. The water surface has the oxygen that all living things need..But the current carries more than that..The wave is the life of the ocean. The coral depend on the current to bring the food to them., it cleans the stuff off the rocks and keeps crud stuff suspended to be taken way...
Power heads create the "wave" in our tanks...
This suspended yuck the current carries is taken out by filtration and skimming in an enclosed system like a tank.
Speeding things up...In a perfect environment, things grow and reproduce. The algae, the fish and even ich. A tank is so enclosed, things can go wrong fast. By keeping temps low..It is not such a perfect breeding ground...things grow slower. So if a hobbyist notices something like hair algae he/she may have a better opportunity to fix it before it is full blown and takes over the whole tank.