My Temp in my Tank!!!

[Reef Guy11]

Hey Guy's, yesterday I Got home from Work, and My tank with my MH On was at 76 to 78 Degress. Everyone was fine and this morning it was at 72 degress, but my heater is set at 85 and my sump temp is at 75 degress. I was worried but everyone actually is thriving better in that Condition. Well I ask my roommate that was born and rasied in the Philippines and he even said don't worry that the waters in tropical places get even down to 70 degress and raise up in the day so i am not to concern i will buy a new heater as if the tank decides to get even lower. But every thing has better polyp extension, So i am kinda liking the fluxuation from 72 in the morning then creeping up to 78 threw out the day then graduly going back down.

 

[ReefLion]

I have a large basement sump and was having the same issue. I added a few more heaters to stabilize things, and it seems to be working fine. Everything looked ok in my tank, but I didn't want to take a chance with temps approaching sub-75.

Tim

 

[Garry thomas]

As i'v said before stability is the key to success? To many people say that a 1 degree change between night and day is nothing? does the sea fluctuate? I run my tank at +- .3 all the time which i think is stable. i dont think that standard stat heaters good enough ( acurate enough) for reef tanks? i would'nt use them. So there you have it , you know the answer allready ditch the heater stat go for xternal stat?

 

[aquarist=broke]

I'd watch my fish for smallish bugs crawling or attached to them. That kind of temperature change usually affects one or two of my fish when I have a massive temperature swing like you have described. I wouldn't let the tank do that, but that's just me......

 

[Desolas]

Your tank is not the open ocean and the problems associated with temperature swings will be compounded in a closed environment.

The lowest minium average of coral reefs is 70 degrees F (Kleypas, 1999). Letting your temperature swing is not good for the animals. If it were swining from 77-82, that would be an acceptable shift. 72-78 is not. Your swinging in the lower end of your animals temperature tolerances. Some corals can tolerate large temperature swings, as high as a 14 degree difference; but these animals come from areas where they are adapted to this. Most corals collected are not. The natural swing of most Indo-Pacific reefs is 75-80 degrees; and most of the animals we get come from areas where the water is above 80 most of the time; the lower extreme is 78.

Like already said, stability is good. If your temp is that drastically different from sump to tank, you may need more water flow. If your heater is "set" to 85 and your tank's average is that low, your heaters settings are off and you need to calibrate it manually - or you may need a larger heater.

Stress can also present itself in larger polyps extensions. The animal swells up more, making itself look pretty to the eye, but it could be stress from the environment that is doing this. If they are opening up "more than normal" this could very well be the case.

 

[npaden]

Natural reefs can have daily temperature fluctuations of nearly 10 degrees although that is on the extreme side. My tank readily has temperature swings of 3 to 4 degrees, and I worry if the fluctuations get over 5 degrees in a day. However, I think that creating to stable of a temperature can do as much harm as having wildly fluctuating temps.

I also have seasonal temperatures swings where my temps range from 81-84 in the summer and 78-81 in the winter. I've always liked the site that shows the seasonal temperature flucuation of fijiian waters. Here is the graph for the last several years. The graph in the link is of the average daily temperature and doesn't show the daily fluctuation but the seasonal fluctuation. Daily temperature would run several degrees on each side of the average temperature each day.

http://www.naia.com.fj/research/water.html

In answer to your question, I would add a heater if my temps were dropping below 75.

FWIW, Nathan

 

[Anonymous]

Remember that this is over seasons and not days. So just remember that it is over months and not days.

 

[Garry thomas]

I'd like to see where you got that information from? 10 degree swing on a reef? 3 to 5 degree's bad enough! and i quote: creating to stable a temperature can do as much harm as a wildly swinging one! unquote...... i really dont know what books you'v been reading my friend? if any.. or is this wild assumption about swinging temps, being the norm, only so because thats how your tank runs? COME ON..... this forum is to help each other? newby's and old hands alike......
Anyway back to the thread .... Reefguy try and keep your temp as stable as possible, its better to have it low or high as long as it stays there, big fluctuations cause stress! to fish and corals! fish will show there colours less and are more prone to disease, and they are more tolerable than corals especially hard corals. so there you have it reef guy STABILITY is what you whant to be aiming for! as with all parameteres on your tank

 

[Minh Nguyen]

In some lagoons, the temperature can go from near 90 to lower 80 over a hour as the tide come in. I think temperature shiff is ok. In my tank the temp go from 77 at night to 85 as the light turm out at the end of the day. Everything, as far as I can tell, are OK.
Minh Nguyen

 

[M.E.Milz]

I am with npaden on this one.

 

[SPC]

I am with npaden on this one.

Ditto
Steve

 

[Reef Guy11]

Hey Guy's thanks for the Concern, Everyone is Fine It didn't affect the Fishes and the Coral's Great i did get another heater that i had and add it to the Sump and now the temp is rising up it is at 78 degress right now by tomorrow it should get back to it's nomral state.

Oh GT that person that told me that is my friend, that i said was born and rased in the Phillpinees til he was 26 yrs old. Anways when he would be in the Shallow parts of the water, the water was warmer and when you swim deeper down in the water the temp drops, so water does fluculate 5 degress in a day. :roll:

 

[Minh Nguyen]

I'd like to see where you got that information from? 10 degree swing on a reef? 3 to 5 degree's bad enough! and i quote: creating to stable a temperature can do as much harm as a wildly swinging one! unquote...... i really dont know what books you'v been reading my friend? if any.. or is this wild assumption about swinging temps, being the norm, only so because thats how your tank runs? COME ON..... this forum is to help each other? newby's and old hands alike......
...........

GT,
In the shallow lagoon, after a hot day the water can heat up quite a lot. When the tide got up, cooler water from the deeper water is quite a lot cooler. As the cool water rush in, it can cool the water in the lagoon by a lot.
Coral and fish are more tolerance to temperature and salinity shift than many of us seem to think. Just because fishes and corals live in a large body of water does not means that they cannot take temperature change.
Minh Nguyen

 

[Reef Guy11]

Thank You Minh Amend, that is right. Because of the change in temp eveything came out more, from Crabs to Fishes that hid alot, it is Natural for water to change temp from day to night. Just because it is Tropical weather doesn't mean that during the day if it 85 with 100% humity, making the water around 78 degrees or higher that at night it is going to stay about the same, nope it will drop. Well anyways Thank you again Minh

 

[npaden]

Thanks for the support guys, I almost sound like I might know what I'm talking about!

Just to add a little more to the discussion. Anectodally I have heard of more people who keep their tanks very stable having problems in the event of mechanical failures (chillers, controllers, heaters, power outages, etc.) when there are temperature fluctuations than people who regularly let their temperatures fluctuate moderately. I truly think the critters in your tank can become so accustomed to the stable environment that they can't handle fluctuations as well as critters who are regularly dealing with them.

The Red Sea is very well know for it's extreme temperatures with highs during the summer months exceeding 90 degrees. Even the great barrier reef will fluctuate 5 degrees on a daily basis and not just in lagoonal areas. I also agree that our tanks are not the ocean and things that might be okay in the ocean might not be okay in our tanks, and I'm not saying to keep our tanks at 90 or to let them swing wildly throughout the day, but based on my anecdotal evidence I feel very comfortable saying that moderate daily temperature fluctuations of 3 or 4 degrees are probably more benificial than keeping your tank at a rock steady + or - .3 degrees. Just my opinion.

FWIW, Nathan

 

[Garry thomas]

Npaden fair points buy everyone, as i'v said personally i like to keep my temps and parameters stable. Surely i cant be wrong? i keep moorish idols do you think they would be more happy in a wildly swinging reef tank? back to the thread.........every bodies tank is the jewel in there eyes? what i believe in.... stability..... it works for me, please lets dont have a slanging match now that i mentioned moorish idols, i just used them as an example.

 

[wombat1]

My tank goes from 73-80 every day in the winter and 78-85 in the summer (approximately). I've always worried it's a big swing but everything does fine.

 

[Reef Guy11]

GT I understand what your saying. I am not tring to say your wrong, but you have to understand that not everyfish is Captive breed. Making the tank as there natural enviroment for the one that are not captive bred, and less stress is good. I feel that if i were a Fish or coral, for that matter that i would not want to be kept in a tank that stay around 78 to 84. But that i would like a little cooler water from time to time.

Well anyways Happy Holiday to everyone hope that you get everything you want and more. GT hope still friends What is a Community Board without a little arguements. 8O