[countryjay]

Im fairly new to the saltwater arena, and i've seen a lot of opinions on recommended temperatures. But so far I have seen only one by a phd here is the link:http://www.ronshimek.com/temperature%20salinity.htm

He seem to have very solid data that 82 would be the median temp, most of what I read here by posters is that that would be on the high end. What I want to know is if there are any other (professional) opinions or studies out there that either contradict or collaborate this one.

[e_baer]

i agree with you, the natural temp of reefs is low 80's, nut i always hear keep tank at 72-78. same with SG...ie always heard 1.020-1.025...but natural reef is even higher. Why?

[countryjay]

corrected link Temp/Salinities

[jvharding]

IMO 78 to 80 Is right there in the middle of the range that provides some insurance. If tank is running at 82 and tank goes up to 3 degrees or more not much room for error. I have found that running my tank at 82 to 85 my livestock did not do well and some never recovered. Temp is important and having enough room for temp swing I think is desirable in the event of some sort of failure. I speak from experience on this Issue. I don't care what any PHD has to say this is the real world, and in the real world s**t Happens! So let's just say you run your heater at say 82 and the thermostat fails it takes less time for the tank to reach a unacceptable temp. I had a controller fail for my chiller and came home to 60 degree tank this was not Fun. So there are not enough Fail/Safe measures we can take in this Hobby! JMO