[autumnandbrett]

Well, I have read and looked and it is really hard to find a set temp. Me and husband are debating on the correct one.

Devils claw, Zinnias, mushrooms, toadstool, brain coral, purple bush, purple tube aneme, sandsifter goby firetail goby, clownfish a mandrian goby and two seahorses ( I know but the horses have been doing well for 2 years) This is in a 55 gal

What would any of yall suggest a good temp would be? This summer he will run the air and some days it wont be ran as high I don't want there to be a big jump in my temp at any time so i was wanting to set it so that it wouldn't go to cold to fast and also figure out if I should go ahead and put fans on the tank (the small ones that attach), so it won't get too warm.

[Br14n55reef]

sounds like a overload of fish to me but I keep my 55 reef at 80dag
Good luck
Brian

[cidermaster]

I keep mine at 78-80.I dont think its a overload of fish but im not the fish police

[gramesy777]

i think 80 degrees is a little warm...especially in the summer. I try to keep my tank around 78 and try to avoid it getting higher than 79

[autumnandbrett]

Ok, well thnks for the info., I will see what I can do to get it to stay reasonabley close to your suggestions and see what reactions I get from the inhabitants. I may have been keeping them too cool 76-77. Sure would be easier this summer.

As far as too many fish, hmmmm, we are fairly diligent on making sure we don't overload. All the spicies listed are not very big, they all are active and seem to have thier own area. But it is something I will look into to make sure none are stressed.

Thanks again everyone!! Yall are indispencible as usual.

[e_baer]

Look at any ocean temp near a reef. It gets up to almost 94 degrees! I dont see why 80 is a problem. I dont think you would want to go much higher than 84 though.

[DEWAYNE]

I have read and heard tha 78, is the magic #, now 80 is not too high, you just don't want a drastic change in temp. I need to put my heater back on mine, since I built my refugium, my temp. has went from 81 down to 74/75, just a lil too cool.

[e_baer]

I think cinsistency is the most important goal for temp. Whether it be 77 or 82.

[capitalb]

76 to 77 is ideal. 80 degrees is the temperature that most disease start to thrive in. Although my tank reaches 80 from time to time, I like to keep it 76 to 78. The lower temps hold more oxygen (very important). I am surprised no one mentioned that! In reply to an earlier reply of one of my posts, I have been breeding clownfish for about two years now. Good luck in solving your temp dilemma. It's all a bunch of experiences we learn from. I hope I never know everything so I can keep leaning.

[DEWAYNE]

I agree, if you are able to keep your temp. from going up or down, then your tank will do much better. I would also say keep in mind, if your temp. is rising while lighting is on (sure it is) then you may want to look at better circulation, or do a vent system to pull most of the heat from the tank. I took my glass tops off, now some fish will jump out, just be careful on what you buy.

[autumnandbrett]

thank ya, thank ya. Refugium is almost there I think that will help, with the temp going up. Right now I am leaving the lid off. I did put T-5's on for lighting and they don't put out lots of heat plus they have fans. I will set up a heater for 78 so that temp won't dip too much when it is cooler out.

I definately see a difference in how my tank inhabitants react to the lower and higher temps and I'm sure they could adapt to either (slowly)as long as it is not too extreme.

lots of good info., I had not thought about, thanks agian.

[Taras1]

Originally Posted by e_baer

Look at any ocean temp near a reef. It gets up to almost 94 degrees! I dont see why 80 is a problem. I dont think you would want to go much higher than 84 though.

Agreed -- Unless you're doing a temerate zone reef and then about 76 should be your max. A five degree variance throughout the day is not uncommon. Your home's ambient temp has a lot to do with your tank.

[pogodzib]

80 degrees is the average the people like to keep their tanks at. Some people prefer the 77-78 range to help ensure that they won't go over the 84 degree threshold during the summer months. Others prefer keeping their tanks around 82 degrees year round to help increase their coral growth rate. The main thing is to try to keep your temp between 78-84. Any colder and the coral growth rate really drops off. Any higher and some corals get stressed out. A couple key notes is that corals that get adjusted to low temps struggle more in high temps, but corals that get adjusted to higher temps usually do fine if the temp drops. At the same time, higher temp water holds less oxygen which can stress out or kill fish if the levels are too low and temps above 84 degrees can aid in coral bleaching. I wouldn't keep the temp above 81-82 degrees without a chiller, nor under 78 degrees due to the slower coral growth rate and negative effects on the corals if the temp were to rise during the summer. I didn't consider disease spread an issue because, if you quarantine properly for your home aquariums, you can prevent most diseases from ever getting into your tank. For FO systems, lower temps and salinities help to minimize diseases.

[Adam J]

Originally Posted by Taras1

Agreed -- Unless you're doing a temerate zone reef and then about 76 should be your max. A five degree variance throughout the day is not uncommon. Your home's ambient temp has a lot to do with your tank.

A five degree variance seems a little high.I could be wrong but that doesnt seem very stable.

[Jay03GT]

I let mine swing about 3-4 degrees. It usually doesn't get above 80 or 81 during the day, and I have the heater set to come on at 77. My reasoning is this. If I loose power and am running just the emergency stuff the temp is gonna swing some, so everything in the tank will be somewhat used to that. Also I just can't see a natural reef not having some kind of temp swing day to night. It'll be slow and gradual, but these systems where the temp don't vary by .5 degrees, seems to be too much effort.

[mtfabel]

I keep my tank at 80 and it fluctuates a degree to a degree and a half every day. No biggie. Heres the thing though, it is easier for your tank inhabitants to deal with a 2 or 3 degree jump when the tank is already a little warmer to begin with. The lower you keep your temp then the less fluctuation you should allow yourself. At 78 degrees you shouldnt go more than 80, at 80 degrees you can get away with 83, at 81 you can swing 85, any more than that though and you are probably pushing your luck. If you noticed that with each low temp, your high temp had a little more leeway than the one before it.

I beleive I saw someone mention the temp that the ocean reaches. This is in no way to be construed that you can keep your tank that hot.

[e_baer]

You all can come up with your own conclusion...




Notice the temp of the coral reef areas....

[Taras1]

Nice Map -- Temps are in Celcius

For those of us who don't remember the formula to convert to Fahrenheit and back, here's a web site:

Fahrenheit to Celsius Converter

The map is surface temperatures only.

[e_baer]

True, but it wont drop by too much more 20 feet down...

[Mr. Tang]

I think fish & corals can adapt to most envoriments. I have seen tanks swing temp.s up and down every day. Like 5 degrees. Some could read that would kill( or stress) your livestock. And in some cases it could. If you have a fish that is all ready stressed, than the temp. swings could stress him more. But I think if your parameters are in check and you start with healthy livestock(fish/corals) your tank can thrive with temp. swings as much as 5 degrees. Of course I'm not taking about the temp. going up 5 degrees in five minutes but I think if you start with the temp at 76 and than your lights come on and at the end of the cycle your temp. is 81, I think your tank would be ok. I think especially if that happens every night,, I think you'ld be ok. I do know that with snails the higher the temp,,the faster their metabolism is. Thus they would age faster and die sooner. If your tank runs hot,,you might need to add snails more often. But I think the corals and fish would be ok. The corals would need to be acclimated to the temp swings, but that just takes time.
Just my .02

My temp. on my 120 swings 4 degrees every night

[Taras1]

Mike -- I guess my comment about a 5 degree variance spurred some contention among members. My tank does NOT cycle 5 degrees daily. It's usually about 2 - 3 degrees throughout the 24 hour cycle. On the other hand, I've been to the Caribean and Aruba, and the temps on their reefs and beaches do vary 5 or so degrees. My wife has been to the Great Barrier Reef and can tell you that the water does warm up significantly during the day, only to be cooled down at night by the incoming current.

You hit the nail on the head, our livestock adapt to their world. If not, they become dead.