78 degree water temp sweetspot OVERRATED

[ZoWhat]

Imo. Yes my opinion...The 78 degree tank temp sweetspot is overrated.

But it could be just my situation. 95% zoa/play dominated tank with several tangs

Since July I have my Apex bottom temp at 80 and its bounces from 80 to 82.5.....sometimes 83 but rarely. I've put my hand in the tank and 82-83 doesn't feel unhealthy at all.

My zoas/palys have never looked better. My fish are active, fat n healthy.

I'm going to keep 80 as my low mark for 6mos and see the longterm effects.

Your thoughts?




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[Servillius]

Higher heat is good for life in a lot of ways. Your tank will probably be just as happy at 83 as at 78, possibly happier. There are two reasons I’m aware of this is not the recommended temperature however.

1. Corals and fish will start to die in the low 90s or thereabouts. Maybe a bit higher. Lots of tanks die because heaters get stuck or something else causes them to get hotter. Starting at 78 means it’s going to take longer to happen and there’s more chance of you noticing and intervening.

2. I think this is the biggie. The amount of oxygen dissolved in your water changes based on temperature. As the temp goes up, the oxygen goes down. This isn’t a problem in most situations as long as there’s good surface exchange. If however the pumps shut down because you lose power or something goofy happens, your fish will run out of oxygen much faster.

If you’ve got a really stable, safe environment, you may even be better off at 83. I just don’t recommend it.

 

[ZoWhat]

The amount of oxygen dissolved in your water changes based on temperature. As the temp goes up, the oxygen goes down. This isn’t a problem in most situations as long as there’s good surface exchange

I have both my skimmer and a powerhead in the sump sucking air from the outside via a 3/8th in airline blowing micro bubbles like crazy in the sump.

My tank would never go over 85 bc my Apex controls my heaters and Apex tells all lights to turn off at 84. Plus I would get endless text alerts at 84 on my phone.



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[Servillius]

I have both my skimmer and a powerhead in the sump sucking air from the outside via a 3/8th in airline blowing micro bubbles like crazy in the sump.

My tank would never go over 85 bc my Apex controls my heaters and Apex tells all lights to turn off at 84. Plus I would get endless text alerts at 84 on my phone.



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The higher the temp the smaller the maximum amount of oxygen your water can hold. No amount of aeration can overcome that, that’s just a physical property of the water.

As for the Apex, power outages happen. The higher the temperature and the more fish you have the less time you have to get the flow going again before stuff starts to submit.

Like so said, you can take the bet that you have a plan to cover every contingency. I would absolutely not take that bet myself.

 

[User1]

I run mine at 79 - 80. I'm looking at it from a Scuba Diver point of view and the places I've been, the depth, and what I see. I do think there is a threshold and you are under it with your temps. I'm also on the higher side of things as well although a tad lower than you. My fear is around loss of control. Apex warning is on thing - or any controller for that matter but I'm also of the belief not to put all eggs in the same basket.

In any case I forget what the thread title was but the Apex video of the coral breeding / spawn lads also ran their temp around 80 or 81.

 

[ZoWhat]

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[ZoWhat]

My fear is around loss of control. Apex warning is on thing - or any controller for that matter but I'm also of the belief not to put all eggs in the same basket.

In the 100-of-thousands of Apex's sold worldwide, I have yet to read any Apex heaters stuck-on cooking the tank

As I understand it when an Apex outlet fails, it fails in the OFF position making the outlet dead.


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[andyg1960]

[QUOTE="skimjim, post: 5083695, member: 37756
I've put my hand in the tank and 82-83 doesn't feel unhealthy at all.
.[/QUOTE]

If you feel 83 is the best temp for you, go for it, but this part of your comment makes no sense to me.

 

[ZoWhat]

If you feel 83 is the best temp for you, go for it, but this part of your comment makes no sense to me.

What? The whole feeling water temp with hand part? With 20yrs experience I can feel with my hand in the tank if it's too cold or too hot



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[Gareth elliott]

Newer tanks might benefit from the lower 78. Anecdotal but have had aquariums since i was young and in newer tanks, higher the temp faster undesired algae takes hold. This also holds true for fish illnesses, they multiply faster at 84 than 79. Again all just my experience. All said have my temperature set at 26c a little lower than 79f on my reef. At around 24c for my planted. My unregulated pond actually has the highest spawn survival, again completely anecdotal.

On a side note.
In the wild there is a lot more temperate variation than we typically keep an aquarium. In freshwater breeding I have used temperature for cueing mating behavior and there are numerous papers linking temperature to coral spawning.

 

[Uhohhotdog]

I don’t know but my new biocube has been at 83-84 and it’s got me a bit scared as to whether or not I should be worried about that. I’ve put a fan on it that’s brought it down to 81 but it’s so loud I hate running it.

My older tank typically runs at 80 and everything does fine in there so far.

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

Temperature is a very wide range question. As long as it's consistent with very less variation throughout the day it doesn't matter as long as it's within acceptable range of 74 to 84 degrees.
Like somebody mention higher temperature causes less oxygen in the tank.
Regarding the Apex I have seen Outlets getting burnt or stuck in on position and if it happens to be the heater and your tank has no chiller you will have a sauna by the end of the day. No electronic is foolproof.

 

[DSC reef]

78 degrees always worked for us so I don't see how it's over rated? I agree, stability is a better factor.

 

[andyg1960]

What? The whole feeling water temp with hand part? With 20yrs experience I can feel with my hand in the tank if it's too cold or too hot



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Thats great, you save money on thermometers.

 

[LouisianaReef]

I have always maintained my tank at 80F and had no problems. Lucky (Knock on wood) I have not had a heater fail on.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I snorkel shallow, off the beach, reef flats in the Florida Keys. On sunny days in the summer the water can get up to 90 degrees in the shallows (under 4 feet deep). And I snorkel a spot where the water is even warmer because it's only 2 feet deep or less! And this site has zoas, sps, anemones, sponges, stars, cucumbers and much, much more. And the very close to 90 degree temps during the day last for 2 to 3 months (mid July thru mid Oct).

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

i agree with Ron in shallows and in low tides corals are subjected to higher temp as high as 86-90 and even subject to being exposed out of water to straight wind and sun. But they are used to it. this is why i said temp can be anything within acceptable range as long as livestock is acclimated to it and variation is as little as possible.

 

[ca1ore]

78 degrees always worked for us so I don't see how it's over rated? I agree, stability is a better factor.

Hah, yes, just what I was thinking. Unnecessary perhaps, but just as valid a choice as 77, 79, 80 ........ Is funny, in the 1990's there was a school of thought that corals were much happier at 74-75. I guess none of those folks had actually visited a wild reef. I've been keeping my tank nominally at 79 for years. A little cheaper to heat in the Winter, so I let it creep up to 80 in Summer.

 

[hart24601]

I don't think 78 is overrated, it's just a middle ground of what people have kept tanks at so you have a buffer, so to speak, either way. Tank drops to 72? Going to be fine. Raises to 84? Same thing.

Keep that same tank at 84 and go to 90? Or even 82 and it jumps to 86, will have more issues. So it's just the middle ground especially old school days of MH lighting if a cooling fan or chiller gave out tank heats up fast.

 

[vetteguy53081]

While conditions appear favorable according to tank temp, realize also that proper flow, lighting , ph, type of water and salt , nutrients and inhabitants all contribute to success of zoas as well as other softies and SPS and every tank will differ,
The best thing is that you found a happy median and need to maintain your tank in the same manner and keep your current status stable .