70-72 deg reef

[Leko]

Hi all

Ryan the old owner of brs is questioning the 78 deg rule for reefs.

Im sure you've all heard about the temp fluctuations by divers - below 10 feet it can dip to 68 in tropcal seas .Has anybody tried and maintained a reef with fish around 70 to 72?

I wouldn't need a heater if so....

 

[Gumbies R Us]

@Nano_Man

 

[Nano_Man]

Most of my tanks run at 68 but I have cold water aquariums
You will need a heater because if your room temperature get low on a night you could start problems you want your temp stable ideally temp is 75 a few degrees each way won't harm.The thing for a reefer is stability in your reef for success

 

[anarvaez]

Oh wow yea I was running at 78 but dialed it back to 76. I tend to have more deep water species in my tank so I think they like it colder

 

[Leko]

It's just expensive and risky to be the first to try it (like the first over Niagara falls in a barrel).

The whole idea is that -maybe- 72 isn't cold and those temps are seen often on the tropical reefs in deeper water where these animals are found/swim. So I'm guessing tangs/angels etc are exposed to these temps routinely. But do the thrive at those temps? What's the long-term prognosis? Do the fish have to go up toward the surface to "warm up" occasionally?

Who's going to to be the first to risk their 800.00 tang gang?

 

[Michael Hughes]

I wouldn't be surprised if deeper water fishes do fine at 72.

What about corals though?

 

[Leko]

Corals...some stony corals found near the surface (warmer) could be a problem..

For me- I'm using fast growing softies to help control nutrients in tank with large tangs/angels.

 

[jahnje]

I’ve dove a couple of places in the Caribbean where it was 80 all the way down to 120 feet. So not sure I’d mess too much. Unless I was sure the habitat was cooler. And I think Ryan was questioning where the number originally came from more than suggesting we should futz with it.

 

[exnisstech]

I used to run mine at 78 buy have been running them set to 75 for the last couple of years with no noticable ill effects.

 

[Nano_Man]

 

[jahnje]

I used to run mine at 78 buy have been running them set to 75 for the last couple of years with no noticable ill effects.

Depending on where you live and tank size, probably a lot cheaper to do that too.

 

[exnisstech]

Depending on where you live and tank size, probably a lot cheaper to do that too.

Kind of what I was thinking. They're fighting the AC in the summer was the main reason for lowering it. They serve as radiant heaters in the winter.

 

[Leko]

The easy and safe thing is 78.

But the ability to move down the temp and let the hvac do most of the work might become more significant as electricity rates rise and rise. Also the heater does little work from time to time...

The whole idea may fail, but who's tried it?

 

[vlangel]

Hi all

Ryan the old owner of brs is questioning the 78 deg rule for reefs.

Im sure you've all heard about the temp fluctuations by divers - below 10 feet it can dip to 68 in tropcal seas .Has anybody tried and maintained a reef with fish around 70 to 72?

I wouldn't need a heater if so....

Yes, I have. I kept seahorses and they need to be 74°F or less. I did not use a heater and sometimes the temp went down to 72 or so. The coral all did well although growth slowed down. Macroalgae also did well. I kept softies and LPS only however so cant say how SPS and across would do.

 

[Largeangels]

Long term I haven't seen an issue running 72-74 in FOWLR for years. Various angels, tangs, wrasses, clownfish, etc. from various parts of the world.

 

[robanister]

Hi all

Ryan the old owner of brs is questioning the 78 deg rule for reefs.

Im sure you've all heard about the temp fluctuations by divers - below 10 feet it can dip to 68 in tropcal seas .Has anybody tried and maintained a reef with fish around 70 to 72?

I wouldn't need a heater if so....

I run my reef 73 to 74 max 75. Only 75 due to battery

 

[SaltyWalty]

I’ve done a decent amount of diving in Indonesia and other parts of the Coral Triangle, and I’ve seen corals in water ranging from 68–82°F. From what I’ve observed, many corals are adaptable and can live in a range of conditions.

I keep my own reef around 76–78°F, with some seasonal variation. For a mixed reef, aiming somewhere in the middle seems like a sensible way to play it safe. We’re keeping corals from different environments in a small captive system, often just inches or feet apart, so it doesn’t truly represent a natural reef.

Personally, I don’t see much reason to keep a mixed reef below 75°F unless you’re targeting animals that specifically need cooler water. Otherwise, the middle ground seems like the best approach to me.

 

[PolypPocket]

The owner at one of my LFS told me he keeps all the tanks at 75 and that anything from 72-78 is fine.

 

[Subsea]

Yes, I have. I kept seahorses and they need to be 74°F or less. I did not use a heater and sometimes the temp went down to 72 or so. The coral all did well although growth slowed down. Macroalgae also did well. I kept softies and LPS only however so cant say how SPS and across would do.

I also run my mixed garden < 75 degrees. I haven’t used a heater in many years. With too many tanks it’s easier to cool them (summer & heater) using evaporative cooler and I allow central unit to handle humidity & cooling.