Tempature 82! Corals, fish, anemone. How to lower?

[Miami Reef]

Im pretty sure I always had 82F, which is weird because I have a chiller set on 78 (it shows the temp is 84) and I have a heater set on 77F. I live in Miami, but that shouldn’t matter. Should it? How can I get the temp lower?

If you need any additional information, please ask, because I’m very new to chillers and heaters.

 

[Reeferdood]

Living in Miami, the first thing I would do is unplug the heater. What type of pumps are you running and are they internal or external? What is your AC set at during the day and night??

 

[Ron Reefman]

Where are you pulling your water from that goes to the chiller? Did it just go through a hot pump?

What happens if you lower the chiller setting by 1 or 2 degrees? Most chillers have a 2 to 4 degree range (1 or 2 degrees either side of the set temperature).

What is putting heat into your system? An old A/C return pump? Metal Halide lighting? Additional A/C pumps like in the skimmer or wavemakers? Do you have glass covers on the DT?

I live due west from you and we keep our house between 79 and 83 degrees when the A/C needs to run. We get warmer during the day as the A/C can't keep up with the heat due to crappy old windows. But I pulled my chiller out of service in Oct 2017 and haven't used it since. My water runs right at 80F. My return pump, skimmer pump and wavemakers are all DC and run cooler. I have led fixtures over the DT and the refugium and they are cool. I do have a good ceiling fan circulating air right in front of the tank and my evaporation is a bit higher than most due to that air movement.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Is the temp 82 F (fine) or 84 F (borderline high)?

 

[Dom274]

Is the temp 82 F (fine) or 84 F (borderline high)?

Agreed. I wouldn't be concerned unless it was 85.

 

[Mark3]

simple answer ....unplug heater, and if chiller doesn't bring down the temp, it's not working.
Just a little fan will drop temp by 1 or 2 degrees.
I live in Florida also, my tank temp runs at 80 to 82 all the time, I worried about it, and ran a fan in the cabinet for about 6 months and took it down to 78-79....but then the fan crapped out and I have never got a replacement....(that was about 2 years ago) But, the point is, just a small fan will drop temp on 125 gal tank & 40 gal sump by a couple degrees....I would think a chiller should be able to achieve any temp you want to run at?

 

[Fritzhamer]

During heat waves we set the AC to 77 when we aren’t home. When we are home it’s set much lower. Cooling the entire room, for me, is easier than trying to cool just the tank.

 

[Mark3]

My AC is at 75 during the day and 73 at night....help with tank temp....but I also run 3-MH lights 2-LED strip lights and 3 pumps in the sump....hard to keep cool.

 

[Fritzhamer]

The halides are probably the biggest offender. If you can vent some of the heat from them up and out that might help a bit. Also looking at other ways of moving water or more efficient pumps?

82 with three halides isn’t bad for the Summer time in my book. I’d maybe set it to shut them down if the temp goes over 83.5.

 

[ZoWhat]

Freeze empty milk jugs filled with RO water with tighten scewcap AFTER freezing...

....float a gallon jug in sump while 2nd one is freezing. Keep swapping out.

You'll see a 3-4 degree drop

 

[Mark3]

yea, I know the MH give off the heat, ....need to get some vent fans for the hood....I just keep putting it to the bottom of my list of things to do. Light fixture has three fans on it, but it could use another. ....but what started this thread was question about chiller....I have thought of chiller, but I know a fan would be enough for my need. (don't need to use any more power)

 

[Miami Reef]

The chiller shows 84 but it’s set at 78. The digital thermometer that is in the water shows 82, but it most recently showed 81. I lowered the heater to 74.

Edit. I’m using ai hydra 52 leds

 

[Mark3]

The chiller shows 84 but it’s set at 78. The digital thermometer that is in the water shows 82, but it most recently showed 81. I lowered the heater to 74.

Edit. I’m using ai hydra 52 leds

make sure you use a thermometer you know to be correct..

The chiller shows 84 but it’s set at 78. The digital thermometer that is in the water shows 82, but it most recently showed 81. I lowered the heater to 74.

Edit. I’m using ai hydra 52 leds

sounds to me that your chiller is not doing it's job....make sure you use a thermometer you trust ... you may need to get chiller repaired or recharged, same as AC?

 

[Ron Reefman]

The chiller shows 84 but it’s set at 78. The digital thermometer that is in the water shows 82, but it most recently showed 81. I lowered the heater to 74.

Edit. I’m using ai hydra 52 leds

Sounds to me like your chiller isn't working, or at least not working properly. Set at 78 it should turn on and cool water once it reads over 80. Is it even turning on? Is the water coming out of the chiller any cooler than the water going in (the tank temp)? That shouldn't be too hard to measure.

Your leds shouldn't be an issue. What make and model is the chiller?