perfect temp

[mrarturocampos]

Hey guys, I just purchased a chiller, so I was wondering what the perfect temp is to set it to? I was thinking 78

[FireWater]

I haven't ran a chiller since I don't have the need for it. I will say that I strived to keep my tank as close to 78 as I could.

[350gt]

Running halides?

Ive never used a chiller but i would think anywhere in between 76-78 is where you would want it set at..

[mrarturocampos]

No I LEDS, but its usually around 80 if I keep the AC on while I'm gone, but I don't like to run up my electric keeping my AC on just to keep the tank cool, hence the purchase if the chiller

[350gt]

What size of tank?

[mrarturocampos]

125 gal with 50 gal sump

[FireWater]

Do you already have the chiller? I was able to get by just putting a fan underneath the stand.

[mrarturocampos]

Yes I already have the chiller

[FireWater]

I would shoot for a constant temp. My tank ranges from a low of 75 to a high of 80 depending on season.

[FireWater]

78 for the thermostat rating is a good starting point.

[350gt]

Why the swing john? No heater? Mine never moves... Only when i forgot to in the heater after a water change....

[jcnkt_ellis]

How hot does your place get during the day with no ac on?

I keep mine at 76.5 to 78.5, my heater has a thermostat that kicks on at the low end and off at the high end. I keep my house at 72 in Winter & 74 in summer and have leds.

From what I've read, a tank temp of 80-81 is safe, but prolonged temps above that is harmful. Also, a prolonged temp below 75ish is no good either.

[FireWater]

Why the swing john? No heater? Mine never moves... Only when i forgot to in the heater after a water change....

Temp swings from the house. I drop AC to the freeze your butt off setting of a night then back to a regular setting during the day. Also, the temp ranges I gave are for the whole year. It swings very little during summer vs when the heater is on in the tank in winter.

[mrarturocampos]

My house get around 80 during the day and the tank gets to about 82, and I can see the stress on the corals when that happens

[polarbear]

My work tank is at 82 all the time. I see no stree in the corals or fish.

[alton]

I would find out which pump is putting all that heat in your tank and replace it?

[aceer15]

I keep my tank around 80. Do the experts think keeping the temp higher than this will have negative effects on a tank?

[350gt]

What kind of return pump?

Something is putting that heat into the tank like alton said.

[mrarturocampos]

My house get around 80 during the day and the tank gets to about 82, and I can see the stress on the corals when that happens

[LuckySingh]

Perfect temperature would be maintaining and have its consistent . Any where between 74 to 82 would be fine . I have ran it at 82 with no ill effect

[jcnkt_ellis]

The website below was posted before in a different thread. This was one of the first sites I read when I was starting up my tank. Below is their exert on temperature.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php :

Temperature


Temperature impacts reef aquarium inhabitants in a variety of ways. First and foremost, the animals' metabolic rates rise as temperature rises. They may consequently use more oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, calcium and alkalinity at higher temperatures. This higher metabolic rate can also increase both their growth rate and waste production at higher temperatures.


Another important impact of temperature is on the chemical aspects of the aquarium. The solubility of dissolved gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, for example, changes with temperature. Oxygen, in particular, can be a concern because it is less soluble at higher temperature.


So what does this imply for aquarists?


In most instances, trying to match the natural environment in a reef aquarium is a worthy goal. Temperature may, however, be a parameter that requires accounting for the practical considerations of a small closed system. Looking to the ocean as a guide for setting temperatures in reef aquaria may present complications, because corals grow in such a wide range of temperatures. Nevertheless, Ron Shimek has shown in a previous article that the greatest variety of corals are found in water whose average temperature is about 83-86° F.


Reef aquaria do, however, have limitations that may make their optimal temperature somewhat lower. During normal functioning of a reef aquarium, the oxygen level and the metabolic rate of the aquarium inhabitants are not often important issues. During a crisis such as a power failure, however, the dissolved oxygen can be rapidly used up. Lower temperatures not only allow a higher oxygen level before an emergency, but will also slow the consumption of that oxygen by slowing the metabolism of the aquarium's inhabitants. The production of ammonia as organisms begin to die may also be slower at lower temperatures. For reasons such as this, one may choose to strike a practical balance between temperatures that are too high (even if corals normally thrive in the ocean at those temperatures), and those that are too low. Although average reef temperatures in maximal diversity areas (i.e. coral triangle centered Indonesia,) these areas are also often subject to significant mixing. In fact, the cooler reefs, ( i..e. open Pacific reefs) are often more stable at lower temperatures due to oceanic exchange but are less tolerant to bleaching and other temperature related perturbations.


All things considered, those natural guidelines leave a fairly wide range of acceptable temperatures. I keep my aquarium at about 80-81° F year-round. I am actually more inclined to keep the aquarium cooler in the summer, when a power failure would most likely warm the aquarium, and higher in winter, when a power failure would most likely cool it.


All things considered, I recommend temperatures in the range of 76-83° F unless there is a very clear reason to keep it outside that range.

[CoryDude]

I've always kept my chiller temp set at 78 during the winter and 80 during the summer. With the 1 degree max on the controller the tank runs 78-79 from nov - March and 80-81 the rest of the year.