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streetrodder

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Whats a good tempature to keep my reef with fish at? I'm still learning and i'm trying to hold my tank at a temature of 76 for fish and coral. Is that a good temp or should i raise it some. All suggestions will be helpful.. Thanks in advance.
 

IronVulture

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The short and simple answer I would give you is keep it at any temperature that takes the least amount of effort. Between 76-80, a little high or a little low, should be fine as long as you notice corals and fish appear to be happy. The point is don't aim for a magic number find the one that is easiest to keep constant. With all stats I believe the best number is the one you do not have to work hard to achieve as long as it falls close to the broad spectrum of "acceptable" numbers. Consistency with little to no swings is key imo.
 
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streetrodder

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My reef temp started at 77 then went to 79 then looked just now and was at 81. So I dialed it back a little. Just want to make sure I stay in the parematures of a good reef with fish and coral in it.
 

Skynyrd Fish

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Look into a controller. I have a reef keeper light, but there are others that are good. Dial in your temp and your good to go. They come with temp probes and kick the heater on or off. They can be used for a light timer, and wave makers. I wish I would have been sold one long ago by my lfs..
 

cdangel0

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I shoot for between 76-80 but I also am a firm believer in allowing the temp to fluctuate a little bit and not hold a steady temp.

My heater is on a controller, but I will add 5g of top off water that is considerably colder than my 78 set temp.

My reasoning is a small amount of fluctuation is healthy for the corals. They get small fluctuations in the ocean all the time. And god forbid there is ever a problem and your heater sticks on, or dies, a the coral will be better prepared for warmer or cooler temps and won't be as subjective to shock.

Now with that being said, I wouldn't allow it to change 6-8 degrees in a matter of minutes, nor would I allow it to get too warm or too cold for the fish and corals to not remain healthy, but a little fluctuation is good.
 

Wiz

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In the summer it gets up to 82. So I had the heater set for 81. But then I read that allowing a 4-5º shift in temp will strengthen your inhabitants resiliance. So I dropped it to 77. In the winter it goes from 77-79. In summer ranges from 77-82. Everyone seems fine with the flux. And if I ever lose power (AGAIN!) The inhabitants will be that much stronger in dealing with adversity. :)
 

Mike&Terry

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We keep our tank temp between 74 and 75.5° F (23-24° C) with a 75° average in our SPS dominant reef year round.
 

JFrar

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One thing I learned in my oceanography class about our tropical fish is that increase temperature something like ten folds their metabolism and use of energy per so many degrees... I really won't push 80 anymore in my tank. I keep around 75-78 depending on season of year
 

Tapio

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I keep mine at 76.
If the aeration is good in your tank this is not that critical. If you have dived or snorkeled a reef it is obvious that there are quite large temperature variations that both coral and fish tolerate fine. At higher temps oxygen dissolution is lower but with good water flow this is no problem. My tanks can reach 86 in the summer and go as low as 77 in the winter. This is on the high end, so I recommend something in the middle. The daily variation in my system can be as high as 5 degrees and I have never seen problems with that.
 

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