scsaltywater
Member
What is the correct water temperature for reefs, inverts, corals, and fish??
Please help. Thanks, Kim
Please help. Thanks, Kim
Water Temp.
- Thread starter scsaltywater
- Start date
hurt
Active Member
It depends where your coral comes from. But for the most part 80-85, and I have actually heard the exact opposite. There was a marine biologist on the other board who discussed this same thread in great depth. Only reefs in Fiji are around 78, if I remember correctly. Most reefs in the wild will change drastically throughout the day, so if you are attempting to make your temp constant, you are not exactly replicating their natural environment. And if you attempt to keep a constant temp, when the power goes out they will be far more likely to be stressed, than if they were accustomed to temp changes. Growth rate of coral is heavily influenced by temp. In the winter when most reefs in the wild are below 80, the growth rate of coral is cut in half. I'll have to try and look it up for some more info, though the search feature rarely ever works for me on that board.
hooktonfsh
Member
I would think that the winter growth rate would have more to do with the shorter daylight period. I'm very interested in this though. I know someone with 3-5 degree temp fluctuations with his lights and is considering a chiller. If you happen to run accross that thread I'd appreciate a link. I think I might know which forums your talking about (--), and yes the search never works for me either, but I'll look around for it too.
hurt
Active Member
Yep it was --, and I'm almost certain he said when he dove in the Carribean the temp would be 82 in the morning and go up to 90 late in the afternoon. Again this is just what I remember,l'll try to find the thread with more details if I can.
As for the daylight period being shorter, this is not true in most reefs. Most reefs are very close to the equator, where there is very little change in daylight time from summer to winter.
If you can get the search feature to work, or better yet if anyone is a premium member, I believe it was MCsaxmaster who was giving this info.
As for the daylight period being shorter, this is not true in most reefs. Most reefs are very close to the equator, where there is very little change in daylight time from summer to winter.
If you can get the search feature to work, or better yet if anyone is a premium member, I believe it was MCsaxmaster who was giving this info.
shogun323
Active Member
Originally Posted by Hurt
It depends where your coral comes from. But for the most part 80-85, and I have actually heard the exact opposite. There was a marine biologist on the other board who discussed this same thread in great depth. Only reefs in Fiji are around 78, if I remember correctly. Most reefs in the wild will change drastically throughout the day, so if you are attempting to make your temp constant, you are not exactly replicating their natural environment. And if you attempt to keep a constant temp, when the power goes out they will be far more likely to be stressed, than if they were accustomed to temp changes. Growth rate of coral is heavily influenced by temp. In the winter when most reefs in the wild are below 80, the growth rate of coral is cut in half. I'll have to try and look it up for some more info, though the search feature rarely ever works for me on that board.
Very interesting. I would love to hear alot of info and perspectives on this!!
It depends where your coral comes from. But for the most part 80-85, and I have actually heard the exact opposite. There was a marine biologist on the other board who discussed this same thread in great depth. Only reefs in Fiji are around 78, if I remember correctly. Most reefs in the wild will change drastically throughout the day, so if you are attempting to make your temp constant, you are not exactly replicating their natural environment. And if you attempt to keep a constant temp, when the power goes out they will be far more likely to be stressed, than if they were accustomed to temp changes. Growth rate of coral is heavily influenced by temp. In the winter when most reefs in the wild are below 80, the growth rate of coral is cut in half. I'll have to try and look it up for some more info, though the search feature rarely ever works for me on that board.
Very interesting. I would love to hear alot of info and perspectives on this!!
bang guy
Moderator
Originally Posted by Crox
My wats are around 76 in the morning and they go up to 81 during the day. Should I worry?
If everything is thriving then why worry. If it were me I'd be inclined to set the heater at 80 or 81 to prevent the temp fluctuation. Lagoonal animals can handle fluctuating temp but many of the true reef animals do not.
My wats are around 76 in the morning and they go up to 81 during the day. Should I worry?
If everything is thriving then why worry. If it were me I'd be inclined to set the heater at 80 or 81 to prevent the temp fluctuation. Lagoonal animals can handle fluctuating temp but many of the true reef animals do not.
chipmaker
Active Member
ANywhere between 76 and 82 as long as its stable. I maintain my tanks between the 81 and 82 deg mark. Looking at the various charts out there with average reef temps low to mid 80's is closer to what most tropical reefs are than with them being in the upper 70's except perhaps during so called winter months they may drop a few degreees on occasion.
chipmaker
Active Member
Originally Posted by Crox
My wats are around 76 in the morning and they go up to 81 during the day. Should I worry?
Bump the heater up to eliminate so much temperature variation. I try and shoot for no more than 1 degree variation and in most cases it can be done with a bit of messing with the lights, cooling fans and heaters.
My wats are around 76 in the morning and they go up to 81 during the day. Should I worry?
Bump the heater up to eliminate so much temperature variation. I try and shoot for no more than 1 degree variation and in most cases it can be done with a bit of messing with the lights, cooling fans and heaters.
crox
Active Member
Originally Posted by Bang Guy
If everything is thriving then why worry. If it were me I'd be inclined to set the heater at 80 or 81 to prevent the temp fluctuation. Lagoonal animals can handle fluctuating temp but many of the true reef animals do not.
Well if I set the heater at 80 it will reach mid 80 during the day.
If everything is thriving then why worry. If it were me I'd be inclined to set the heater at 80 or 81 to prevent the temp fluctuation. Lagoonal animals can handle fluctuating temp but many of the true reef animals do not.
Well if I set the heater at 80 it will reach mid 80 during the day.
bang guy
Moderator
Originally Posted by Crox
Well if I set the heater at 80 it will reach mid 80 during the day.
It doesn't work that way. If the lights have the ability to raise the temp to 81F in the middle of the day then that's as high as they can get the temp regardless of the starting temp.
Well if I set the heater at 80 it will reach mid 80 during the day.
It doesn't work that way. If the lights have the ability to raise the temp to 81F in the middle of the day then that's as high as they can get the temp regardless of the starting temp.
hurt
Active Member
I asked him what is the ideal temp for a reef? His response:
"Hmmm, good question. Well, I would say that what "ideal" is depends on what the goals are. If the goal is maximize coral growth in addition to providing a temperature that is suitable for other organisms I'd shoot for a temp. of 27-28.5 C (80.6-83.3 F). Most corals experience a optimum for linear extension in that range and many experience a calcification optimum in that range too. Some corals have calcification optima at higher temps, but most are pretty close to max. calcification at about those temps. These are also very comfortable and normal temps for any of the animals in out tanks, even those from cooler places like Hawaii. These are, essentially, summer-time temperatures from cool places and mean year-round temps for average and warm places. So, I wouldn't necessarily call this ideal for every contingency, but I'd shoot for a mean temp of 80-83 and call it good enough."
Then I asked him if he feels that temperature fluctuations of say 5 degrees in a day are acceptable? Or do he feels it is better for a reef tank to stay at a constant temperature with little to no change? His response:
"I think that's probably fine to have some fluctuation. I've never had problems with daily fluctuations of up to 4-5 F (e.g., min. 79-80, max 84). I would try to keep the daily fluctuation from exceeding this as I don't think allowing the temp. to fluctuate more than this is necessarily a good thing. Is it tolerable? Yes, most definitely. Is it stressful and less than ideal? Probably. Something to keep in mind is that nature does not necessarily offer an ideal environment. There are storms, freshwater deluges, extreme low tides, slack waves from doldrums, etc. which all kill corals. Yes, corals and many animals can tolerate environments like reef flats with lots of daily variability, but they may be growing in spite of these conditions, not because of them. For that reason I wouldn't advise draining a tank twice a month and letting the corals fry under the halides for an hour, even though corals in nature might tolerate similar conditions. Having said all that, a little variation with a range of say 5 F daily is fine IMO. Also, a little fluctuation tends to desensitize corals to bigger swings if something goes wrong (chiller fails, AC breaks, etc.). Sometimes folks try to keep the temp. rock solid (e.g., 78+/-0.1 F) only to find that when the temp. does spike for whatever reason temps. that are normally tolerable (e.g., 84 F) cause severe bleaching. A mean temp. +/- 1-2 F daily is fine IMO and maybe even desirable."
BangGuy was correct about the lagoons having drastic temp fluctuations, that is where he was diving in the Caribbean when the temp rose 8 degrees in one day. I was unaware of the differences, and asked for a greater description of both.
"Most of the corals we keep live both on forereefs and in lagoons. The lagoon is really part of the reef though. We can separte lagoon from forereef sure, but I'm not sure how we could talk about the 'reef' without including the lagoon it forms. Water motion is generally the most powerful structuring agent in determining which corals are present (light intensity is a close second). Water motion is strongest on the uppermost part of the forereef, on the reef crest, and onto the reef flat for a distance. The further down the forereef you move or the further over the reef flat (and into the lagoon) the calmer the water flow. You'll find corals that grow well at mid-depth on the slope also growing in the lagoon where water motion is similar. Corals that grow deep on the forereef will also grow in the lagoon if it is calm. Corals and other animals are collected from all over these environments. Generally the only limitation to collection is that people rarely go below 30 m (98 ft) or so to collect, so animals that occur only at depth tend to be pricey and sporadically available. Diving to 200 or 300 ft. requires special equipment and training, afterall, and is dangerous if not done correctly."
"Hmmm, good question. Well, I would say that what "ideal" is depends on what the goals are. If the goal is maximize coral growth in addition to providing a temperature that is suitable for other organisms I'd shoot for a temp. of 27-28.5 C (80.6-83.3 F). Most corals experience a optimum for linear extension in that range and many experience a calcification optimum in that range too. Some corals have calcification optima at higher temps, but most are pretty close to max. calcification at about those temps. These are also very comfortable and normal temps for any of the animals in out tanks, even those from cooler places like Hawaii. These are, essentially, summer-time temperatures from cool places and mean year-round temps for average and warm places. So, I wouldn't necessarily call this ideal for every contingency, but I'd shoot for a mean temp of 80-83 and call it good enough."
Then I asked him if he feels that temperature fluctuations of say 5 degrees in a day are acceptable? Or do he feels it is better for a reef tank to stay at a constant temperature with little to no change? His response:
"I think that's probably fine to have some fluctuation. I've never had problems with daily fluctuations of up to 4-5 F (e.g., min. 79-80, max 84). I would try to keep the daily fluctuation from exceeding this as I don't think allowing the temp. to fluctuate more than this is necessarily a good thing. Is it tolerable? Yes, most definitely. Is it stressful and less than ideal? Probably. Something to keep in mind is that nature does not necessarily offer an ideal environment. There are storms, freshwater deluges, extreme low tides, slack waves from doldrums, etc. which all kill corals. Yes, corals and many animals can tolerate environments like reef flats with lots of daily variability, but they may be growing in spite of these conditions, not because of them. For that reason I wouldn't advise draining a tank twice a month and letting the corals fry under the halides for an hour, even though corals in nature might tolerate similar conditions. Having said all that, a little variation with a range of say 5 F daily is fine IMO. Also, a little fluctuation tends to desensitize corals to bigger swings if something goes wrong (chiller fails, AC breaks, etc.). Sometimes folks try to keep the temp. rock solid (e.g., 78+/-0.1 F) only to find that when the temp. does spike for whatever reason temps. that are normally tolerable (e.g., 84 F) cause severe bleaching. A mean temp. +/- 1-2 F daily is fine IMO and maybe even desirable."
BangGuy was correct about the lagoons having drastic temp fluctuations, that is where he was diving in the Caribbean when the temp rose 8 degrees in one day. I was unaware of the differences, and asked for a greater description of both.
"Most of the corals we keep live both on forereefs and in lagoons. The lagoon is really part of the reef though. We can separte lagoon from forereef sure, but I'm not sure how we could talk about the 'reef' without including the lagoon it forms. Water motion is generally the most powerful structuring agent in determining which corals are present (light intensity is a close second). Water motion is strongest on the uppermost part of the forereef, on the reef crest, and onto the reef flat for a distance. The further down the forereef you move or the further over the reef flat (and into the lagoon) the calmer the water flow. You'll find corals that grow well at mid-depth on the slope also growing in the lagoon where water motion is similar. Corals that grow deep on the forereef will also grow in the lagoon if it is calm. Corals and other animals are collected from all over these environments. Generally the only limitation to collection is that people rarely go below 30 m (98 ft) or so to collect, so animals that occur only at depth tend to be pricey and sporadically available. Diving to 200 or 300 ft. requires special equipment and training, afterall, and is dangerous if not done correctly."