Cooling down the tank....

[Anonymous]

Get rid of the glass, it is useless. It inhibits gas exchange at the surface as well.

My tank is completely open air, and my Metal halide 250 10k is a pendant that hangs down from the ceiling and is about 8" from the water surface.
You do not need egg crate unless you have jumpers (hawkfish etc..)

Egg crate signifigantly reduces the light's throw, and is kinda ugly.

81 is perfectly fine, I have mine at 80-81 all year round.

I also keep a smal fan blowing across the surface of the water of the tank itself. No matter how hot it gets, the water stays put.

 

[Anonymous]

--------wake up call---------
yellow leather that appears to be shrinking.
--------wake up call---------

How long has it been shrinking. Leathers expand and contract. They will also shed the outer "skin" from time to time.

 

[Anonymous]

Low 80's is fine for the shrooms and crabs - the snails might like it a little cooler, but I wouldn't worry too much.

Any sunlight hitting the tank?

Can you redirect an AC vent toward the tank?

I would remove the glass tops and use eggcrate.

 

[WRASSER]

You can move the A/C vent towards the tank, but not on it. any dust that gets by the filter will go into the tank. check the filter weekly and change as needed :wink:

 

[bleedingthought]

Sometimes it's not in lighting section. I've had to really look for it sometimes. Seems like they like to keep it in the lumber section often. Also, some employees have no clue what a light difuser is, even if you discribe it.

God bless home depot! They have everything you need but sometimes make it incredibly hard to find it! :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

Low 80's should be fine.

 

[Anonymous]

I guess it could also be kept with the suspended cealing stuff.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Gretzky!

Wassel, it's been shrinking ever since we left for vacation (~2 weeks ago now)

Andy - no air ducts on that wall, and no sun hits it either.

I installed egg crate - cut it to size

bleedingthought - it was found in the lighting section at Home Depot.

I'm not sure I'm crazy about how it looks - it seems to redirect a lot more light out of the tank than the glass did...but it could be misleading because now there's NO glass to go through to hit the water. I do need something to support the blocks of wood (1"x1"x6") that act as a stand for the pc lighting.

Thanks everybody... I'll let you know if the temp drops some more.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure I'm crazy about how it looks - it seems to redirect a lot more light out of the tank than the glass did.

:roll: See my previous advice? It is ugly and blocks light.

But ya did it anyway. You should learn to listen only to me

*sigh*

 

[Anonymous]

I think that you are fine at 81-82.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure I'm crazy about how it looks - it seems to redirect a lot more light out of the tank than the glass did.

:roll: See my previous advice? It is ugly and blocks light.

But ya did it anyway. You should learn to listen only to me

*sigh*

Yeah, but I still need a way to support my lighting. I don't want to hang it from the ceiling.

 

[Anonymous]

I think that you are fine at 81-82.

Thanks! The temp is coming down now.. ~83 right now.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure I'm crazy about how it looks - it seems to redirect a lot more light out of the tank than the glass did.

:roll: See my previous advice? It is ugly and blocks light.

But ya did it anyway. You should learn to listen only to me

*sigh*

Yeah, but I still need a way to support my lighting. I don't want to hang it from the ceiling.

Got ya. That is how mine is, but I have a pendant made for hanging. 250 mh

 

[Anonymous]

The fan "blowing over the sump". Point the fan at the water to get even more evap if you can.

I have a feeling that just ditching the glass top is going to do everything you need.

fyi - I run my tank at 82F. I ran the nano contest tank at 85F.

I don't recommend the higher temp for Acropora though...

 

[Anonymous]

The fan in the sump is totally pointed at the water there.
Guy, I think you're right - after taking the glass off I think it's helping.

The temp is dropping!! ~82 now.

 

[bleedingthought]

I do need something to support the blocks of wood (1"x1"x6") that act as a stand for the pc lighting.

What if you made that 1"x1" block longer to reach from one side of the tank to the other? If I'm getting the picture right, you could just have it go from the front of the tank all the way to the back. And you could paint it the color of the light fixture or your tank trim to look natural. That's just a thought if you decide to ditch the glass and the eggcrate also and go completely "topless"! :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

I do need something to support the blocks of wood (1"x1"x6") that act as a stand for the pc lighting.

What if you made that 1"x1" block longer to reach from one side of the tank to the other? If I'm getting the picture right, you could just have it go from the front of the tank all the way to the back. And you could paint it the color of the light fixture or your tank trim to look natural. That's just a thought if you decide to ditch the glass and the eggcrate also and go completely "topless"! :lol:

Not a bad idea! I might actually do that. I do like having something covering my overflow box though (would have to figure that piece out), so that snails don't get caught and kill my siphon (my biggest fear!).

 

[bleedingthought]

I do need something to support the blocks of wood (1"x1"x6") that act as a stand for the pc lighting.

What if you made that 1"x1" block longer to reach from one side of the tank to the other? If I'm getting the picture right, you could just have it go from the front of the tank all the way to the back. And you could paint it the color of the light fixture or your tank trim to look natural. That's just a thought if you decide to ditch the glass and the eggcrate also and go completely "topless"! :lol:

Not a bad idea! I might actually do that. I do like having something covering my overflow box though (would have to figure that piece out), so that snails don't get caught and kill my siphon (my biggest fear!).

Have a piece of glass or acrylic cut just big enough to cover your overflow. Also, to help out even further, paint it black (or get black plastic) so your overflow stays algae free! :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

Great tips! Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

if you're maxing out at 81-82, no chiller is necessary-i've kept tanks at 84 constantly, and have had spikes that would make you're hair curl for a day or two (88-90) with no ill effects (most likely due to the constant higher average temp of the system-the spike is less of a 'shock').