Do Cooler Tanks produce better Color in Coral than Warmer Tanks?

that Reef Guy

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Do Cooler Tanks produce better Color in Coral than Warmer Tanks?

I was talking with a guy who has amazing colors in his Coral.

I told him that a lot of my Corals Loose Color after I get them.

He asked me what Temperature that I kept the Tanks at and I said 78 to 80 Degrees.

He said that is the Problem.

His Tanks are kept at 73 Degrees with a Chiller.

Is there any Truth to that or do I have something else going on?

If I Lower the Temperature to 73 Degrees will I get better Color like he does?
 

tupes

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I keep mine around 71 72 I get ok color but I don't think great.
 

whixley101

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Subscribed. Your coral metabolic rate would be slower at colder temps. As well, your oxygen saturation would be less at lower temps. I am no expert. Hopefully Randy or Melev will chime in.

Cole
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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Oxygen levels will be potentially higher at lower temperatures.

I don't know about optimal temps for color, but I'm certain the variation with temperature (if any) is not the same for all corals, so it might make sense to describe what corals you are referring to. :)
 

iReef86

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I have kept my tanks between 74 (winter) and 76 (summer) for the last 15 years. Coloration has always been good in my tanks when talking SPS. Being that corals grow much slower, the coloration becomes deeper due to the thicker branches. The biggest difference I can attribute directly to cooler temps is that though, thicker/harder/stronger branches. I have found that in warmer water, the faster my corals grow, the more pale the ends/tips/stalks become, and thinner/weaker the coral becomes.

Slightly off the main topic but IMO still correlates: Because corals do metabolize significantly slower in cooler temperatures, photoperiod can be cut back. Example, I ran my halides in my 90g only 4 hours a day and 4 ati Blue+ t5ho for 7. Coloration was the best I had ever seen, growth was slow but thick and hearty. I plan to continue this on my 120g once I finish my canopy and can put my halides back above my tank.

IME I prefer to keep my tanks cooler and photoperiod shorter. It works for my tanks, corals and fish.
 

tupes

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Why so low? That seems well below the temperatures where corals thrive the best in the wild. :)
I've never thought about that aspect. I've had sw tanks for 6 years now and on my current tank which is a 75 don't have a heater in it no sump just a hob skimmer and aqua clear 110 with filter floss. We normally keep the house around 72 year round. My light I have a 150w MH that runs for 6 hours. And it don't heat the tank much at all. So that's why it stays cooler. May have to put a heater back in and see if I notice any growth difference.
Is anything growing at those temps???
I get good growth from just about everything in my tank. I have leathers lps (chalices, acans) zoas, and just a few sps( 2 caps and 4 sticks). Growth may have been better when a little warmer but never attributed it to the water temp. I have to look more into this.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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What Temperatures are Safe for Corals?

What is considered too Hot?

What is considered too Cold?

These are tricky questions.

Some corals are better suited to lower temperatures than others. That probably applies to higher temps as well, but isn't as clear jsut from looking at coral distributions since few oceans are too hot (yet, anyway).

This has more:

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/re...-coral-reef-aquarium-randy-holmes-farley.html

from it:

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 or produce 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, change 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 that might suffer a power failure and trap the organisms in a small amount of poorly aerated water, something that rarely happens on a natural reef. Looking to the ocean as a guide for setting temperatures in reef aquaria may also present complications because corals grow well in such a wide range of temperatures. The greatest variety of corals, however, are found in water whose average temperature is about 83-86° F.
During normal functioning of a reef aquarium, the oxygen level and the metabolic rate of the aquarium inhabitants are not often important issues, and many reef tanks do well with temperatures in the low to mid 80's. 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.

These 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.

One additional comment on temperatures: having a small temperature swing is not necessarily undesirable. While temperature stability may sound like a desirable attribute, and in some cases it may be, studies have shown that organisms that are acclimated to daily temperature swings become more able to deal with unexpected temperature excursions. So while a tank creature that normally experiences only 80° F may be very healthy, the same organism adapted to a range from 78° F to 82° F may be better able to deal with an aquarium that accidentally rises to 86° F
 
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that Reef Guy

that Reef Guy

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These are tricky questions.

Some corals are better suited to lower temperatures than others. That probably applies to higher temps as well, but isn't as clear jsut from looking at coral distributions since few oceans are too hot (yet, anyway).

This has more:

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/re...-coral-reef-aquarium-randy-holmes-farley.html

from it:

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 or produce 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, change 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 that might suffer a power failure and trap the organisms in a small amount of poorly aerated water, something that rarely happens on a natural reef. Looking to the ocean as a guide for setting temperatures in reef aquaria may also present complications because corals grow well in such a wide range of temperatures. The greatest variety of corals, however, are found in water whose average temperature is about 83-86° F.
During normal functioning of a reef aquarium, the oxygen level and the metabolic rate of the aquarium inhabitants are not often important issues, and many reef tanks do well with temperatures in the low to mid 80's. 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.

These 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.

One additional comment on temperatures: having a small temperature swing is not necessarily undesirable. While temperature stability may sound like a desirable attribute, and in some cases it may be, studies have shown that organisms that are acclimated to daily temperature swings become more able to deal with unexpected temperature excursions. So while a tank creature that normally experiences only 80° F may be very healthy, the same organism adapted to a range from 78° F to 82° F may be better able to deal with an aquarium that accidentally rises to 86° F

If Coral come from water that is 83 to 86 then why does everyone keep it much colder than that?

I talked to someone who's Tank Crashed and everything Died when their Heater went bad and the Tank went to 84

But you are saying Corals can handle 86?

Why would 84 Kill them?
 

Rob Top1

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After years of breeding FW with great growth and I mean great. Hatch to market in under a months for bettas guppies and a host of cichlids at 82-84 degrees I thought about applying that to my corals. Warmer temps faster growth sounds great. So I slowly went form 78-83. A degree a week. BAMM growth exploded in everything softies SPS LPS felt like I could stand there and watch them grow. Unfortunately about 5 weeks into this I had another BAMM grade A acan colony gone over night, then another and another. In a few weeks time I lost thousand in coral. During this time frame of loss I spoke with a number of great minds in the hobby trying to decided what happened and why. Our final answer was while the higher temp did increase the metabolism of the coral and thus its growth rate, it also increased the growth rate of some rouge bacteria, fungus and or parasite.
I lowered the temp treated with Melafix, Pimafix and Interceptor.(I went nuclear with the treatment due to my massive and fast losses. This is not advisable however at the time the loss was so fast and so great I felt it worth the risk) The issue went away and I salvaged about a third of my collection. But not after filling 3 five gallon buckets with the remains of chalices acans acros ephillias and trecs. Thinking about that still hurts some 7/8 years later.
I now keep at 76 and am pleased with color and growth.
 
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knukles55

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Very interesting thread you know I've always wondered how corals survive our "cold waters" here in Florida during winter time..... I mean I guess the temperature doesn't do a 10 degree drop in 1 day but slowly as the season go by they fluctuate over time making them adapt to various temperatures.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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If Coral come from water that is 83 to 86 then why does everyone keep it much colder than that?

I talked to someone who's Tank Crashed and everything Died when their Heater went bad and the Tank went to 84

But you are saying Corals can handle 86?

Why would 84 Kill them?

As I mentioned, things can be different in tanks where aeration is less efficient, especially in a power failure, and toxins build up fast.

But as to 84, many peoples tanks hit 84 without a crash.
 

ritter6788

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I try to keep mine close to 80 as possible. I've had it drop as low as 74 and high as 86 without issues.
 

Rjramos

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IMO, no extreme hot or cold is good for corals. I would say in the confines of an aquarium hot is probably worst, due to lack of oxygen and rapid build up of waste. As for natural reefs and particularly here in Florida, water temperatures maintain within adequate range due to the Gulf Stream flow over the reefs. About 60miles north of Miami reefs become scarce. From personal experience in the water, the reefs don't go under 72 in south Florida .
 

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