How to keep a reef tank cool in Mass ??

[mordibv]

What does everyone do ? I do not like temps above 79.5 .
No basement available .. In a upstairs apartment for a year .
I drop bags of ice in the sump but that's getting old .
How much of a pull down will I get from fans ?? If a chiller is used then I got a warm room with a cool tank ...
Help ..

TIA

P

 

[JohnK]

You can cool most tanks by a few degrees by placing fans blowing across the surface. If that's not enough, then it's either chiller or AC.

 

[pallobi]

sup bud...

last summer, before i moved my system to the basement, i used a fan right over and pointed into my sump, and i had an air conditioner for when it got more than 80 degrees... i got up to around 82 to 83 degrees and never noticed any problems... but of course you'll have to feel it out yourself as to what temps your ok with and how you keep them in check, especially if you dont use a chiller...


jmo...

GL bro...

jus to note, myself, right now i am not using a heater, its in my basement where there is a dehumdifier, and a pretty constant temp... i stay between 78 and 82... i dont mind the temp swings and i notice no ill effects as they are not sudden swings obviously...

 

[pallobi]

if you consider a chiller, might i say jus get an AC for the room your system is in... this way, your system AND you can be comfortable through the summers here lol... if your gonna be spending the extra money on utility's, you might as well be comfy as well

 

[JohnK]

^^ I soo agree with that.

Chillers heat the room and make you sweat more while using a lot of electircity.

AC uses a bit more electricity but it makes both you and your tank comfortable.

 

[mordibv]

Sup ..
Yeah I get kinda paranoid that some crazy latent bacteria monster will awaken .
I came in July last year in Beverly to visit and went to HD got a AC unit .
It is the portable type with the no drip feature .
There is a unit in the front of the apt and I placed the other stand alone unit in the rear hallway .
I could move it to the room the tank is in but then I will not be cool at night since the bedroom is in the rear of the apt . The nano is the middle section of the apartment .
I will order fans on the interim . Push comes to shove are the Artica unit quiet and reliable ?
U know who has been here so long all I get for a reply is " Well in New England if it's not cool don't sweat it just wait a few days or so it will cool down eventually " .

Thanks for the suggestions

P

 

[jpnasty]

agreed i have a chiller and it makes tons of heat for the room..... i use a ac on low and my tank stays right around 79 80

 

[mordibv]

Thanks everyone I had a fan come in this morning . Took a bit looking for it . I will order another today to put in the sump . Had to make sure it was quiet . I had to put KT athletic tape on the duckbill outlet . It moved too much .
It is very quiet and not a eyesore .
Tank is @ 79.5 so well see if I get a pull down if any at all . LOL

[/IMG]


Parts out the box .

It's on the tank and running ..

 

[Conlius]

Think of how much all the corals & fish cost. Think of the pain of rebuilding a tank from scratch. Cry a little, then go buy an AC or a Chiller

My setup is a little complex and controlled by a reef keeper with all sorts of alarms buuut here is how it works:

heater keeps the tank up to 76.5, then shuts off until the temp drops back down to ~76
When temp hits 79.5, a fan pointed at the surface of the water turns on until the tank drops to 79
When the temp hits 80, the chiller comes on until the tank drops down to 79.5
When the tank hits 81, the lights turn off.

The tank generally swings between 76-81/82 in the summer (which is OK with me)...but this is mostly due to having over-engineered my lights. If it gets higher i start the ice in the sump strategy. Now i just need to setup a system to stop flooding my basement with my RO/DI!

 

[mordibv]

Think of how much all the corals & fish cost. Think of the pain of rebuilding a tank from scratch. Cry a little, then go buy an AC or a Chiller

I prolly should have stated this in the thread starter . I apologize for that . Post # 6

I came in July last year in Beverly to visit and went to HD got a AC unit .
It is the portable type with the no drip feature .
There is a unit in the front of the apt and I placed the other stand alone unit in the rear hallway .
I could move it to the room the tank is in but then I will not be cool at night since the bedroom is in the rear of the apt . The nano is the middle section of the apartment .

Unit one the one in the rear hallway 10,000 .. Yeah I gotta do something about that crappy painter's tape ..

The other one in the living rm / dinner table area . Front of apt

My setup is a little complex and controlled by a reef keeper with all sorts of alarms buuut here is how it works:

heater keeps the tank up to 76.5, then shuts off until the temp drops back down to ~76
When temp hits 79.5, a fan pointed at the surface of the water turns on until the tank drops to 79
When the temp hits 80, the chiller comes on until the tank drops down to 79.5
When the tank hits 81, the lights turn off.

The tank generally swings between 76-81/82 in the summer (which is OK with me)...but this is mostly due to having over-engineered my lights. If it gets higher i start the ice in the sump strategy. Now i just need to setup a system to stop flooding my basement with my RO/DI!

It is the 81 + degree temps that bother me . As far as complex is , I guess I may be in the same boat . I want to concentrate on the livestock and not be distracted by letting the tank run me ..

I still have to clean up the wires and pick up a net module and prolly another pc4 ..

BTW can the sid be connected to a lptp all the time ? .. Logging purposes . I asked on the DA forum .. I did not check back for an answer yet

No basement here .Since the tank is small when I make water I make sure I am around and use my lil leap frog .

So at the moment the fan is connected to my RKL L3 and all is well . I don't need another fan . I watched it pull down the tank 4 degrees before the heater kicked on . This was also running the two AC units on a timer for 2 hours . (before reconfiguring the RKL )



Thanks,
P

 

[mordibv]

I love this lil guy .

 

[KSC]

"It is the 81 + degree temps that bother me"

Why? Reef tanks should be run at 80+ degrees. I don't get nervous until I see 86....

 

[mordibv]

"It is the 81 + degree temps that bother me"

Why? Reef tanks should be run at 80+ degrees. I don't get nervous until I see 86....

If the tank was bigger I would have no problem with higher temps ..
Tank is @ 77.5 today and holding steady ...
I just want to keep the tank cooler since it is just a 17.5 gallon nano with maybe 4 gallons in the sump .

When I was cycling the tank it got up to 86 one day .. but there where other factors .. hot day , windows open , no fans with a halide pendant .. etc .

I am surprised the fan did the trick with the AC 's on ..

Today I have the windows open since it was so cool last night .

TIA

P

 

[Jocko]

Why? Reef tanks should be run at 80+ degrees. I don't get nervous until I see 86....

They should? Well don't tell my tank that or the livestock might start to complain! I run at 76 normally.

Although in the summer that's not possible even with the basement sump. I refuse to get a chiller. Fortunately the larger water volume evens out the fluctuations over a longer time period. By the end of those long endless 90+ degree weeks in August, the tank will usually be around 81-82 by the end of the day. It can only shed a degree or so overnight. And the lights will be kicking off a few hours early each day. And the fan will be running nonstop. But hey what ya gonna do? Actually hopefully I'll have my LED build done before the real heatwaves hit. So maybe the lights won't have to be going off so early.

 

[mordibv]

They should? Well don't tell my tank that or the livestock might start to complain! I run at 76 normally.

Not trying to start a stink here but this is what I was taught too .. I remember a long ago thread or review by Greg H with a IceCap pendant . Not a quote but from memory .. A mention of temps and 80 + degrees but the corals still grew like weeds ..

I just have never followed this range of temps on a reef tank even though it does work and seems to cause no harm . Yet a lot of people in the summer months complain of cyano issues ..

Just my thoughts and nothing else ... besides trying to get my post count up ... LOL

Although in the summer that's not possible even with the basement sump. I refuse to get a chiller. Fortunately the larger water volume evens out the fluctuations over a longer time period. By the end of those long endless 90+ degree weeks in August, the tank will usually be around 81-82 by the end of the day. It can only shed a degree or so overnight. And the lights will be kicking off a few hours early each day. And the fan will be running nonstop. But hey what ya gonna do? Actually hopefully I'll have my LED build done before the real heatwaves hit. So maybe the lights won't have to be going off so early.

Yes LEDS are a big help ... which is why I switched back to them ... 50 watt's of Cree's --- Sunbrite Slim Line S model ..

TIA

P

 

[Killarsox]

I'd advise against a chiller and invest in LED lighting.

 

[Conlius]

I just want to keep the tank cooler since it is just a 17.5 gallon nano with maybe 4 gallons in the sump .

With a tank that size you probably don't actually need a chiller. The temp can swing up and down very easily, in either direction. Fans should be plenty to bring the temp down quickly.

Also, yes, tanks can run at 80+ no problem. Shallow parts of the reef crest fluctuate between low-mid 70s all the way up to high 80s depending on time of day and conditions. However, their dying algae gets washed away much easier than ours does. Running your tank consistently at high levels will result in disgusting mess due to the fact that nothing can escape the confined area. I would advise not letting it swing anywhere outside of the 74-82 area, ideally 77-79.

 

[KSC]

Some good info here:http://www.ronshimek.com/salinity_temperature.html
"The average annual temperature of most coral reefs is around 82 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit (27 to 28 degrees Celsius)(see Table I and Figure 1), which seems to be the optimum for coral growth (Barnes et al. 1995, Clausen and Roth 1975, Weber and White 1976, Coles and Jokiel 1977 and 1978, Highsmith 1979). The commonly advised mini-reef temperatures of 74 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit (22 to 25 degrees Celsius) are stressing most of the animals unnecessarily and, in some cases, severely."

 

[mordibv]

Some good info here:http://www.ronshimek.com/salinity_temperature.html
"The average annual temperature of most coral reefs is around 82 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit (27 to 28 degrees Celsius)(see Table I and Figure 1), which seems to be the optimum for coral growth (Barnes et al. 1995, Clausen and Roth 1975, Weber and White 1976, Coles and Jokiel 1977 and 1978, Highsmith 1979). The commonly advised mini-reef temperatures of 74 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit (22 to 25 degrees Celsius) are stressing most of the animals unnecessarily and, in some cases, severely."

Good read ...TY

FWIW I went and grabbed my reef aquarium volume one .
The Reef Aquarium Volume One . Sprung and Delbeek
Chapter 8 Page 225

Temperature .
" The temperature in reef aquariums should be between 21-27 *C or 78-80 degrees for the best results and as stable as possible .
In our experience , a temperature of 23-24 * C 74-76 degrees *F is ideal . If the temperature varies plus or minus one or two degrees Fahrenheit during the course of the day .,this is not a problem .
The most common problem is high temperature above 27* C 80* F .Wide fluctuations are also harmful .yada yada .

Like I stated before I was a teeny bopper when I started this hobby and this confirms that this is what I was taught .

I can see why these two operating parameter's are tossed back and forth so much ..

TIA

P

 

[Jocko]

Ah well. At least running at 76 will keep my small band of mexican turbo snails happy. Heh.