Cold temps and SPS corals!

[Ubans13]

So as we all know it’s very cold outside. I’m currently dealing with single digit temps and had a heater fail in my system. I do run two heaters and a large UV. With this the temp control never really ran. Now I usually have temp in aquarium at 77*. Due to the system being in basement that has never dropped under 72 until this very lengthy cold spell this system temp has dropped to 74. I have added a couple smaller back up heaters but wounded if the temp could come up to fast? And if so has anyone seen negative effects of a 3 degree swing with any acropora? Or what would be an acceptable rate to raise the temp? Thanks everyone!

 

[Crabs McJones]

Some reefers keep their tanks at 74 to 76 degrees with no ill effects. So a temp drop to 74 should be ok. My JBJ truetemp controller will fluctuate the temp in my tank from 77 to 79 over the course of 3 or 4 hours. So if you bring your temp back up to 77 over a couple hours you should be ok

 

[Ubans13]

Then I’m not as bad as I thought. That will be the plan then. Thanks a lot!

 

[skiergd011013]

just look at it this way. When a lot of people buy coral, it goes into the bag, and drives home. The temp in that bag most likely swings up or down by several degrees while in transit, and then again when you add it to the tank. No problem at all. Over the years, I have really seen that these things are not as sensitive as people make them out to be

 

[jda]

I would put in the extra heaters and get it back up to where it is used to being.

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

I always have a spare new heater in the box. This has happened to most of us. Good call on running 2 heaters incase on fails.

 

[cobra2326]

I would put in the extra heaters and get it back up to where it is used to being.

This. It's more important what your corals have gotten used to than some absolute numbers. In tanks that regularly see 74, it will be fine. Tanks that swing regularly 74-80, fine. If it's been a long time since yours saw 74, I'd get it back to what's "normal".

See: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1977164

 

[Ubans13]

Thanks everyone

 

[Mark Waltermire]

I would say that in the wild the ocean is going to be probably below 74-72º where the coral are being collected. Everyone likes to think about how the surface of the ocean will be like 84º in Fiji, but once you go down 100 feet it generally is going to be colder. I run my tank at 76 in the winter, just because the heater doesn't have to run as much then so it's a little easier on the power bill.

 

[jda]

The vast majority of what gets collected in the hobby is done with snorkels and the fellas holding their breaths. Going down to 100, or deeper is very expensive with rebreathers and equipment... this happens, but not nearly as much. Less than 20 feet, in open tidepools, or waist deep water is the most common. It is amazing to watch how proficient these guys can be with just a mask and snorkel - they are good at it from what we saw.

 

[Mark Waltermire]

The vast majority of what gets collected in the hobby is done with snorkels and the fellas holding their breaths. Going down to 100, or deeper is very expensive with rebreathers and equipment... this happens, but not nearly as much. Less than 20 feet, in open tidepools, or waist deep water is the most common. It is amazing to watch how proficient these guys can be with just a mask and snorkel - they are good at it from what we saw.

You are probably correct that most of it is less than 20 feet, but also do remember that you can scuba dive down to about 150-200 feet rather safely. It isn't until after that range where you get in to using rebreathers. Using scuba diving equipment is going to be much cheaper than using a rebreather also.

 

[cobra2326]

There's really no need for speculation here. It's well documented what the average temperatures and swings are on reefs throughout the world. 74-72 is outside basically all of them. I suggest a google search for "The Great Temperature Debate" for a thorough coverage of the subject. There is also a lot of literature that covers the issue as well. I'd be happy to start posting links if need be.