Tank running hot

[Poseidons Reef]

I have the redsea nano g2 xxl 53 gal. I run the ink bird controller and my heater is the BRS titanium 200 watt. It’s always stable at 78 degrees. Lately even when the heater isn’t on, I’ve noticed over the last week the temp slowly going up and in some cases go back down to 78. It is currently stable at 79 for a few days now. My home temp is always at 74. What would cause the temp to go up to 79 even when the heater isn’t on and is this something I should be concerned about. Thank you in advance for your opinion and recommendation.

 

[Kooma]

74 ambient with eruient running and a light can easily put you over 78, especially if you are running 120v pumps. Honestly that’s a dream, to not have to heat the tank. I’d lower the house to 72 and see if it follows and the heater is used more.

 

[Poseidons Reef]

I was thinking the same thing about the lights and pumps. But this has recently started. Is 79 something to be concerned about as long as it doesn’t continue to go up?

 

[Freenow54]

74 ambient with eruient running and a light can easily put you over 78, especially if you are running 120v pumps. Honestly that’s a dream, to not have to heat the tank. I’d lower the house to 72 and see if it follows and the heater is used more.

If concerned I bought two fans for $53 Canadian meant to cool the water ( Amazon ). You can cool the water or I mounted them to cool my lights which generate lot of heat for such a small amount of water. Once set they will come on every day for the % of air flow you chose

. Depends when you first turn them on and hours to run. All off a small controller in series ( included ) with the fans.

 

[Quietman]

79 is fine. Reefs can go up to 82/83. Reefs in nature vary quite a bit daily (2-4 degrees) and averages can vary over 6 degrees throughout the year including hitting those temps in the summer in the warmer reefs.

I would have a means to cool tank on hand such as a fan above that can lower it by a few degrees if you have a heat wave hit and you start exceeding the temps you desire. Same can be accomplished with a room fan, just try that for an experiment so you know if you had to, you can lower the temp a bit. Otherwise, if you tank is managing on it's own that a bonus for you and your heaters.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Lights and pumps can run up water temperatures for sure. DC pumps and led lights have had a major impact on lowering water temps and the need for a chiller. I used to run a huge chiller when I ran metal halides and had AC pumps.

I don't see 79F as an issue. I run my tanks at 79/80F all the time with no issues and my house runs at 78F overnight and 80F during the day. I do have a ceiling fan in the reef room that runs all the time (like all 5 ceiling fans in our house). I also snorkel in the Florida Keys where water temps in the summer often get over 85F and sometimes as high as 90F. Although 90F does cause some issues, it's not totally destructive.

 

[Poseidons Reef]

Thank you for the peace of mind regarding it being 79. I live in Florida and yes I’m always concerned when our summers run extremely hot. I also dive and have noticed some decline of the reef system here. I hope to be able someday to give back to the reef as I have been blessed to enjoy this hobby.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

My tank was running 80-81 at times, and I didn't have issues. As long as you aren't going above 82-83 consistently, you are perfectly fine!

 

[Freenow54]

Certainly not arguing about the temp, but the swings may not be desirable ( thought ) Just suggested fans if it bothers you. You did not respond to my post so I assume you did not like the idea

 

[Poseidons Reef]

Certainly not arguing about the temp, but the swings may not be desirable ( thought ) Just suggested fans if it bothers you. You did not respond to my post so I assume you did not like the idea

Yes, definitely something to consider. I have heard of those that have a fan blowing across the top.

 

[ShawnSaucier]

I was going through this earlier this year. House internal temp is around 72* most days with ceiling fans and the display was hovering around 81-82*. I replaced some pumps that I felt were not working efficiently and that helped a small bit. Then added some fans to blow across the top of the tank. With a little rescheduling on some equipment (UV runs for 12hrs @ night) and fans running off of the Apex, tank does not go over 79.5*.