Temperature change question

[iidylii]

Ok so according to some sources that I have found online the fish and or creatures in my tank which include "2 true percula clowns, 8 red hermits, and 2 peppermint shrimp", all seem to like a water temp of 72-78 degrees...my question is...is it ok for my tank to fluctuate in a 24 hour period as long as it is between these recommended temps?

I live in Minnesota so we have pretty cold nights and at night my house heating is on a timer to go down to 60 degrees while I sleep and back up to 70 during the day...So last night my tank was at 78 degrees when I went to bed and this morning it was at 72...so to compensate for this I might just have to turn my tank heaters up 5 degrees or so while im sleeping and turn them back down when I get up? what do you guys think? and yes I have a couple cheapie 300W heaters in my 55 gallon tank and realize that upgrading would probably be a good idea but ill get to that issue in another thread

I ask because I thought I also read somewhere on this forum that even like a couple degrees fluctuation is bad?

thanks again everyone im learning a lot from you all and really enjoying this :-D

 

[jay0705]

300 watt should be plenty. I have a 200 in my 56 column. Yes fluctuating temp is bad. Get a good heater.

 

[iidylii]

so your saying even though the temp is fluctuating within the fish parameters its still not the best practice?

 

[geridoc]

Tank organisms will come to tolerate almost anything, so long as the condition is constant. They can't adapt to change very well. After all, the ocean environment they evolved to live in is very constant. My tank in the office is always between 80 and 81 degrees, and everyone in there does fine. Last January while I was on vacation the radiator broke, and the room fell to 50 degrees, and the tank went to about 70 (the heaters weren't chosen to be able to handle that big a temperature differential), and I lost several fish and many inverts even though the tank temperature was in the "correct" range.

 

[iidylii]

gotcha...thanks GeriDoc...so for now I will bump my heaters up 5 degrees or so to make up for my house temp change during the night and turn them back down 5 during the day...

any other advice I appreciate

thanks guys

 

[jordan s]

I have seen people put heaters one on each side of tank when there temp of house changes over night. Looks alil weird but helps for cases like that.

 

[bang guy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by GeriDoc http:///t/397465/temperature-change-question#post_3542612
Tank organisms will come to tolerate almost anything, so long as the condition is constant. They can't adapt to change very well. After all, the ocean environment they evolved to live in is very constant. My tank in the office is always between 80 and 81 degrees, and everyone in there does fine. Last January while I was on vacation the radiator broke, and the room fell to 50 degrees, and the tank went to about 70 (the heaters weren't chosen to be able to handle that big a temperature differential), and I lost several fish and many inverts even though the tank temperature was in the "correct" range.

+1 good post.