oceanic 29 HQI overheating question please give input..

Steven R · Jan 27, 2012

My bio cube hqi has been up for about 4 months and recently developed a massive fluctuation in temperatures. I have been monitoring the system closely for over heating in the first few months and had no problems. But over the last week or so it skyrockets up to almost 85. I know if you have it set for this temp it is ok but i have mine set for 82 with a SG of 1.027. And i have some rare softies that i do not want to loose so i transferred them to my other system till i get the heat problem fixed. I have removed the lid and both back covers and the heat still goes up to 83 ish throughout the day which is a lot better then 85.6. The only changes I have made to the Halide light system is I put in a phoenix 14k bulb. I really do not want to add a chiller. I hope after i add the sump it will help cool the water more. I know the bio 29 hqi is a AIO but it does not need my specific needs for filtration which is why i am adding the eshops rs-75 sump to house my heater and a RDSB for added bio-filtration and my skimmer a Tunze 9002 which i tried repeatedly to get to fit in any compartment and run efficiently. Well all help or info on similar problems and how to fix them is greatly appreciated.
Thanks Steve

bige · Jan 27, 2012

I have 2 fans pointed at my tank. One blows directly at the water surface in my sump and the other blows across the dt water. This keeps my tank at 78. You will have more evaporation.

Steven R · Jan 27, 2012

cool thank you great idea i have a reef octopus cooling fan i will hook up then thanks

bige · Jan 29, 2012

How did it turn out?

Reloadeddevil · Jan 29, 2012

Hey Steve i have a biocube 29 HQI with phoenix as well. This happened to me one time, in my case the room temperature was set higher so during the day it got close to 85. Also i changed the direction of return flow to the surface in a slant angle, that way the heat from the lamp does not build up overtime, because by doing this you will have a lot flow at the surface which will help with the oxygen circulation and heat would not have a calm surface to concentrate on. Also make sure that your built-in fan is working as well. Its been setup for 2 years now and have not used the chiller yet. I have tetra heater which automatically turns on to keep the temp between 78-80 degrees. It is hidden in the first compartment, it does really good job. I change the heater every six months regardless of its condition, because its only $20.00 at petco, and i have very high end zoas in there. You have the biocube with arm light right?

Here is my biocube.

bige · Jan 29, 2012

Reloadeddevil said:
Hey Steve i have a biocube 29 HQI with phoenix as well. This happened to me one time, in my case the room temperature was set higher so during the day it got close to 85. Also i changed the direction of return flow to the surface in a slant angle, that way the heat from the lamp does not build up overtime, because by doing this you will have a lot flow at the surface which will help with the oxygen circulation and heat would not have a calm surface to concentrate on. Also make sure that your built-in fan is working as well. Its been setup for 2 years now and have not used the chiller yet. I have tetra heater which automatically turns on to keep the temp between 78-80 degrees. It is hidden in the first compartment, it does really good job. I change the heater every six months regardless of its condition, because its only $20.00 at petco, and i have very high end zoas in there. You have the biocube with arm light right?

Here is my biocube.

Thats one full biocube! Do I count 10 fish?

Reloadeddevil · Jan 29, 2012

Yup and got em 1.5 years ago. Bought those clowns as babies. Now they are fully breeding pair. I am really lucky to have such communitive clutch.

Chris L · Jan 29, 2012

Great looking tank!!

Steven R · Feb 11, 2012

Reloadeddevil said:
Hey Steve i have a biocube 29 HQI with phoenix as well. This happened to me one time, in my case the room temperature was set higher so during the day it got close to 85. Also i changed the direction of return flow to the surface in a slant angle, that way the heat from the lamp does not build up overtime, because by doing this you will have a lot flow at the surface which will help with the oxygen circulation and heat would not have a calm surface to concentrate on. Also make sure that your built-in fan is working as well. Its been setup for 2 years now and have not used the chiller yet. I have tetra heater which automatically turns on to keep the temp between 78-80 degrees. It is hidden in the first compartment, it does really good job. I change the heater every six months regardless of its condition, because its only $20.00 at petco, and i have very high end zoas in there. You have the biocube with arm light right?

Here is my biocube.

Yeah I have the clip on arm light. I added a sump to the tank and it ended up cooling the water down a lot.
Your cube looks great by the way I agree with you on the replacing the heater great looking tank though.

Steven R · Feb 11, 2012

bige said:
How did it turn out?

Turned out great sorry for the late reply. I added a sump to the system and placed a fan over top of it

eliramos · May 6, 2013

Reloadeddevil said:
Hey Steve i have a biocube 29 HQI with phoenix as well. This happened to me one time, in my case the room temperature was set higher so during the day it got close to 85. Also i changed the direction of return flow to the surface in a slant angle, that way the heat from the lamp does not build up overtime, because by doing this you will have a lot flow at the surface which will help with the oxygen circulation and heat would not have a calm surface to concentrate on. Also make sure that your built-in fan is working as well. Its been setup for 2 years now and have not used the chiller yet. I have tetra heater which automatically turns on to keep the temp between 78-80 degrees. It is hidden in the first compartment, it does really good job. I change the heater every six months regardless of its condition, because its only $20.00 at petco, and i have very high end zoas in there. You have the biocube with arm light right?

Here is my biocube.

your tank is awesome man! you dont use a fan over the top? did you keep the glass on?