kknight Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Since it is getting warmer my tank temp is at 82 usually about 76. Is this ok ? and what temp is too high ? Thanks for the advice in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 82 is about the max i would let it get. You might have a fan blow across the surface of your water while your lights are on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akambience Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 There are some who believe that its perfiectly fine to have fluctuation in tank temp. (http://www.seahorse-nw.com/No_Heaters.html) . But I think that it would be best to maintain as stable of parameters as possible. A fuge on an alternating lighting schedule, a controller for heaters and fans, kalk doser, etc. Although I cant afford anything near a controller at the moment, I do keep a small fan pointed at my sump for hot days. If your temp gets much higher, you might consider a fan on the top of the tank for more surface contact. If you still cant get it down, an ice pack in a zip lock bag(for cleanliness) and drop it in your sump. Although I have only read about this method, there may be others that have better knowledge or experience in cooling a tank without a chiller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barelycuda Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 It is best to try to maintain the parameters as stable as possible but it is not uncommon for fluctuations of a few degrees. I personally would not allow the tank to get any warmer than 82 and try to keep it under 80. There are ways to cool it down. A fan across the surface is a good way. Another way is to get a couple of 2 litre soda bottles and fill them up with water then freeze them. If the water gets to warm throw one or 2 of them in the sump to cool it down. Once they are thawed throw them back in the freezer and save for another warm day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kknight Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 Got the fan down from the attic and turned off the 2 middle lights. Down to 80. Why a fan on the sump verses by the lights ? I looked on a couple websites and there is a fan for both top and sump. When it gets realy hot I do have central air Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barelycuda Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 The suggestion for the fan on the sump is it is usually more effective. If you put a fan by the lights it will push some of the heat away but it is also blowing warm air from the lights across the water which is not as efficient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kknight Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 Thanks I'll get a fan for the sump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titus'reef Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Here is how i cool my tank down. No AC in the house :( , and 2X250W MH bulbs and 4xT5 actinic bulb over a 50 gallons acrylic (36x15x20) I bought from Walmart two 7" clip on fans. One is blowing the air in the canopy from one side of the tank mounted in the back of the canopy, and the other one is taking the air out on the other side in the back of the canopy. I also have 4 x 4" wholes on top of the canopy, which two of them have two computer fans taking the air out. I also have another 120 mm computer fan blowing in the sump maybe 1 - 2 hours a day. The RKL controls only the fan in the sump. The rest of the fans turn on with the lights. Today the room temp was at 79 and the tank temp was at 77.9 +/-1 degree. So far, so good. I hope I am not too confusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancymacc Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I thought about leaving the canopy off on hot days too since my lights sit on legs on the top of the acrylic tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhowe Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I thought about leaving the canopy off on hot days too since my lights sit on legs on the top of the acrylic tank. Be careful about taking the canopy off completely. Any fish that are known suicide jumpers may end up on the floor. Propping open the doors and adding a cheap clip on fan will help circulate some air and lessen risk of fish suicide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaticEngineer Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I just bumped my tanks down to 52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnkrcklives Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Why so cold stu? Though you would keep the colwater tanks 54-56 degrees... I also have cheap clip on fans one in the hood and keep the doors open same with the sump... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titus'reef Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 I thought about leaving the canopy off on hot days too since my lights sit on legs on the top of the acrylic tank. Since we are talking about metal halide, we are talking about corals that need light. I wouldn't turn off the metal halides. Instead I might limit the hours they run, and i would say, no less than 6 hours a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGooseWhisperer Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Here's a bit of useful info for those that are floating ice in their sump... 1gal of ice (about 2 2L bottles) will cool 80g of tank water by 1C (1.8F) also considering that the ice is below freezing and raising the temp from thawed ice to tank temp you should get a bit more than 2 degrees F cooling out of it. However this does not take into consideration the additional heat put into the system while the ice is melting and warming up. If you have spare room in your freezer the fastest way to cool a tank is to freeze RO/DI water and use that as top-off. Of course, there is a limit to how much you can use, but it will get you out of the weeds if you are at the top of your acceptable range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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