tank too hot without heaters on

[Millerb415]

hi all i have a 100g tank and for some reason as of this week the tank is running hotter than it should. i have a hydros controller where the heater is plug in and back up temp prob just to be safe. i can confirm the heater is off and getting no power to it but the tank is still sitting at 80-81 degrees house is 74 which is normal. i did clean the gyres last weekend but do not see how that would cause this but it is the only thing that is different. any advice would be great thanks

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

If the Humidity is up in the house, the Evaporation will go down, resulting in a Warmer Aquarium. What do you use for a Return Pump? When I had my VAC Pumps, I had problems with overheating. When I switched to 24 Vdc Pumps, the temperature went down. Also I figured the Simplicity Pumps paid for themselves in Six to Eight months, depending on if I had to use the heaters, in the late Fall and Winter.

 

[Millerb415]

If the Humidity is up in the house, the Evaporation will go down, resulting in a Warmer Aquarium. What do you use for a Return Pump? When I had my VAC Pumps, I had problems with overheating. When I switched to 24 Vdc Pumps, the temperature went down. Also I figured the Simplicity Pumps paid for themselves in Six to Eight months, depending on if I had to use the heaters, in the late Fall and Winter.

hi i have this pump https://topshelfaquatics.com/products/varios-10-controllable-dc-pump-4220-gph-reef-octopus
i know overkill for the tank but have the same pump for mixing station witch is farther away so i can pump it into the tank. and now if it fails have backup from outside.

edit:
I also live in socal so not that humid here been much more humid in the past without this issue. wondering if it was where i put the waive makers after cleaning i may have put them down lower than normal i just moved them up a little to increase evaporation and cooling a little

 

[painter1982]

I had to shut off my uv sterilizer because I kept running hot. No problem all summer until recently

 

[Millerb415]

I had to shut off my uv sterilizer because I kept running hot. No problem all summer until recently

great idea if i had one that would make perfect since that that could cause it

 

[Fish Fan]

What are you using to measure the temperature? Is the probe(s) calibrated, and where is the probe located in your system?

 

[BryanM]

I'd be poking my hands around the tank items, powerheads, etc, to see if you can find one that is over heating.

 

[Millerb415]

What are you using to measure the temperature? Is the probe(s) calibrated, and where is the probe located in your system?

I have 2 probs one connected to my hydros reading 80.7 right now and one that is connected to the heater itself reading 82 (yes the heater has a prob and a digital display forgot the name of the product) can confirm that the hydros system is kicking off the heater properly as the display on the heaters controller is off and turned it on override and the display turned on
edit:
hydros prob in sump, heater prop in tank, heater in return the back return chamber

 

[Fish Fan]

I have 2 probs one connected to my hydros reading 80.7 right now and one that is connected to the heater itself reading 82 (yes the heater has a prob and a digital display forgot the name of the product) can confirm that the hydros system is kicking off the heater properly as the display on the heaters controller is off and turned it on override and the display turned on
edit:
hydros prob in sump, heater prop in tank, heater in return the back return chamber

Just before you go crazy looking for overheating equipment, which it may likely be, do you have any other way to test the temp of the tank itself, something like a decent kitchen thermometer? Just to rule out a temp probe calibration issue?

 

[Millerb415]

Just before you go crazy looking for overheating equipment, which it may likely be, do you have any other way to test the temp of the tank itself, something like a decent kitchen thermometer? Just to rule out a temp probe calibration issue?

not really but i may have felt the water a little warmer around the protein skimmer going to turn it off and see what happens

 

[Millerb415]

do these power numbers look right for a reef octopus elite 200 sss skimmer?

 

[BryanM]

I found online it uses between 25-40 watts, so this seems reasonable based on that.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

hi i have this pump https://topshelfaquatics.com/products/varios-10-controllable-dc-pump-4220-gph-reef-octopus
i know overkill for the tank but have the same pump for mixing station witch is farther away so i can pump it into the tank. and now if it fails have backup from outside.

edit:
I also live in socal so not that humid here been much more humid in the past without this issue. wondering if it was where i put the waive makers after cleaning i may have put them down lower than normal i just moved them up a little to increase evaporation and cooling a little

If you are running at full speed you are running 200 watts into the water if the pump is submerged. You can take approximately 20 watts off for every speed you drop to. Towards the lower end it will be a little more watts than the 20 watts per speed dit, do to the drag on the pump. BTW, I’ve used watt meters on the 24 Vdc pumps, to test what the actual wattage is at the plug, then minus the efficiency lost at the Controller.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

After reviewing this thread, that’s way too big of a pump for your 100 gallon Aquarium. You can only push so much water through your pipes. Try and push more you just increase the head pressure, stalling the pump, resulting in overheating, and failures down the line. I run Two Simplicity 1600 on my 120, with two one inch returns, that split off into four nozzles. Also on pump one, it goes through a UV, and back to the sump. The other pump, also feeds an Algae Scrubber, returns to the Sump. I can’t run either pump at full speed.