Temperature?

[wen tom]

Hi guys, got a question, (something new and different!) I've been keeping my tank about 76 degrees. As heat came upon us, I got concerned as temp. in tank went up. (78ish) so cooled it down (night and opening) been reading and everything says 72-78, but when I said it was at 77.4, someone commented that was pretty warm. Now I'm averaging 73-76 and it seems they don't like the cooler (the fish) the reef stuff seems more than happy but the fish and crabs are not eating much. I know the flux. at night is bad so trying real hard not to let that happen more than 2 degrees but what temp. do you all like your tanks at? Thanks a lot!

 

[snakeblitz33]

I like to run mine at 76 in the winter to try to keep the heater from turning on as often to save on the electric. Over time I increase it a degree at a time as Summer approaches to around 79-80*F. But, my house gets warmer then that, and I am having to increase it up to 82*F and try to make my temp stay at that over Summer. The reason is stability. The more stable your temp is the better - if it's bouncing around by 2-4*F during the day, you might want to increase your heater to match the hottest part of the day in your tank.

 

[wen tom]

Thank you so much! It's been quite confusing and they really are not liking the cooler water. You know how they say "know your tank" (fish & so on) I was worried when it went up to 81 cuz thats past what I could find info. wise. So I'd get it down during the night and kept it there. (hard to do with lights) All that to say, outside of the anemone, everyone else likes it warm! And not fluctuating! Again, thanks for your time.

 

[snakeblitz33]

lol, my time... I do this out of my passion for teaching. Thank you for reading and listening!

 

[tthemadd1]

Mine is a constant 78 degrees. If you spike up in the mid to high 80's that is where things get hairy.
Snake is right get something constant under 82 degrees would be preferred.

 

[bang guy]

I agree with Snake (The horror!), it isn't the temperature your fish are objecting to, it's the temperature fluctuation. Raise the temp until it fluctuates less. There is nothing wrong with raising the temp in the summer when it's difficult to cool a tank and then lowering it in the winter as long as the process is slow.
This 10 gallon was kept at a constant 86F... (I'm not advising temps this high, it's just to show that maintaining a constant temperature is more important than what the actual temperature is.)

 

[wen tom]

Well, I'm thankful for your passion!

 

[wen tom]

Wow! Beautiful! I want one! O.K. Thanks, now just to learn how. Hate to have to learn as I go. Seems unfair to them. Oh well, they survived. All is good. I'm thankful for that! And you all.

 

[heymybigfish]

I can attest to that, my 55 was brought up to 89.... Fish were obviously agitated, but ok.

 

[heymybigfish]

Also, 77 is not too warm. At all.

 

[sweatervest13]

78 and steady is what I keep mine at.
What kind of lights do you have?? Sometimes an alternative lighting schedule can help with temp fluctuations (lighting at light instead of during the day, and dark during the day).

 

[jay0705]

I keep mine at 78 as well. Now last wk we had a real heat wave and it got to 84. I then started floating ice packs. Not so much to cool it down but to keep it steady. So it wouldn't keep rising. But even then my fish kept on eating lol

 

[geridoc]

The only drawback to maintaining a steady but relatively warm tank (79-82 or thereabouts) is oxygenation. As temperature rises the solubility of oxygen goes down, and in an especially tall tank, where at any temperature the oxygen available at the bottom of the water column is a problem, you need to maintain excellent water circulation at all times.

 

[bang guy]

Yes, water circulation and a skimmer. Even the wild reefs start to fail when there's a combination of high temp and no wind to drive the currents.

 

[jay0705]

Myself I like the use of air stones. Circulates from bottom up and is nice looking

 

[bang guy]

I can't get past the effects of the salt creep caused by the bubbles.

 

[jay0705]

Really? I get sum but not a horrible amount. Its weird tho some wks its worse than others idk why

 

[bang guy]

The higher the humidity is the more the salt creep can spread out before it dries.

 

[jay0705]

Ah makes sense

 

[pristinephoenix]

I keep mine between 77-78, but hotter weather in OK gets temps towards 79 and 80. As long as you're not fluctuating >2 degrees in a 12-hour period I think you'll be fine. To lower my temp, I also put a fan on the tank, and have raised the lights 2-3 inches.