Summer Sweet Spot For Tank Temperatures: What's your max?

[salty joe]

All of this is moot point in the winter though as any power used by the tank goes to heat the house, so no power is wasted.

Agreed, no power is wasted but it's a lot more expensive to heat with electricity so I use gas.
Good point about insulation. Covering the tank to cut down on evaporation also helps reduce need to heat and the need to deal with humidity. I had my system covered so that little evaporation occurred but opened the fuge to allow some evaporation because I have low Ph and wanted to add more kalkwasser.

 

[Greybeard]

I think the misconception is that it requires heating to heat it more.

In warm climate my tank runs 86 with no heater and LED lights. A target temp of 82 can actually be a money saving goal for many reefers in warm climates.

You let the inside of your home rise to the mid 80's?

How do you keep the tank temp stable? I have lived in FL, CA, and TX... Got a daughter in Tucson. Even in areas where temps regularly exceed 100f, they typically don't STAY that high. Even in Tucson, the AVERAGE daily temperature, year round, is 70f, and nighttime temps during the winter approach freezing.

What's the daily temp swing in your tank? How about seasonal temperature swings? In my experience, stability is key for marine life. If you allow your home to get that warm in summer, I'm assuming it gets much cooler in winter. Do you maintain that 86f all year?

I shudder to think... forget the aquarium. I work from home. Can't imagine sitting at my desk all day in a puddle of sweat. Thank you, Willis Carrier

 

[blasterman]

My tank routinely drifts from 74-75 at night to the low 80s during the day. If it gets hotter some LPS temporarily recess because they are deeper water corals. SPS don't care. Most softies don't care. SPS can take much colder temps.

There are no thermostats in the wild and shallower waters on tropical reefs drift daily with tides and weather changes. The assumption that reef tanks need to be kept within a degree or two all the time is just absurd.

 

[AJsReef]

I have mine locked in between 77-78 degrees thanks to my chiller. Wouldn't panic with a slightly larger swing, but my chiller drops the temps quickly IMO so prefer to minimize the down swing

 

[punchy7080]

Wow, anything over 79 has always started to make me nervous but I feel a little better about all these tanks happily running at 82-83 lol

 

[Montiman]

You let the inside of your home rise to the mid 80's?

How do you keep the tank temp stable? I have lived in FL, CA, and TX... Got a daughter in Tucson. Even in areas where temps regularly exceed 100f, they typically don't STAY that high. Even in Tucson, the AVERAGE daily temperature, year round, is 70f, and nighttime temps during the winter approach freezing.

What's the daily temp swing in your tank? How about seasonal temperature swings? In my experience, stability is key for marine life. If you allow your home to get that warm in summer, I'm assuming it gets much cooler in winter. Do you maintain that 86f all year?

I shudder to think... forget the aquarium. I work from home. Can't imagine sitting at my desk all day in a puddle of sweat. Thank you, Willis Carrier

Chiller on the SPS tank.

I used to run the AC lower but I need to keep it at 76-77 to keep things below 82 in the tank even with an open top tank with LEDs. After switching to 78 when home and 82 when away my bill dropped over $60 a month. I realized in 1 year I could pay for a chiller.

My LPS softie tank is new and I really don't want to add a chiller. So far nothing seems too bothered.

By the way my inlaws keep their house at 80 all the time to save money and think I am crazy for spending money on so much AC.

 

[Laith]

My temp setpoint on my controller is 26.5C (about 80F). Before the AC kicks in the tank temp can go up to about 28C (82-83F). With the AC, it rarely goes up over 27C (80.5F).

Never noticed any problems at any of those temps.

I avoid chillers like the plague: they are noisy and they generate *alot* of heat. If I wanted one on my tank I'd have to plumb it through the wall so that it sits outdoors for those reasons. I'm glad I've found that the max temps my tank reaches doesn't seem to cause any issues. Though if I didn't have AC in the house then I'd have to rethink my strategy!

And I agree: this site has quite a few international members (I assume), so giving temps in both C and F would be the right thing to do...

 

[Buckster]

I don't like it when my tank reaches 80. If it does then I open the canopy and cabinet doors and the AC in the house helps it cool down. I keep the house at 74.

 

[tamanning]

I run my tank at 79 and it has been there since the beginning.

 

[ClownWrangler]

This thread cursed us here in the PNW. we are looking at a record high of 110F tomorrow. The best my little AC unit could do today was keep me at 83 with a high of 99. I think my pets can go without lighting for a day. Lol.

 

[Jposch]

I hit 85F to encourage faster growth, but after a short spurt, things went stagnant. I would say 83F is as high as I would maintain a tank at long term.

 

[Maximitsurugi]

1. 82 is my average temp. I only run a fan.

2. 85 is where I start to ice the sump. I don't see any decline or ill effects but that's the point I choose not to go above. I notice that here on the reefs, temps aren't stable and are often high but the sea is high flow so corals respire more easily so i too run high flow. My acros dont even flinch at 85...but my heart and my wallet does. Lol.