Need help asap!!!

[bige11]

My thermometer began beeping an hour ago. Turns out that my temp is below 75 with my halides on! I have 5 heaters that were in a vat that I used for changing water so that I could heat the water quickly. Anyways, After last winter I meant to buy a stainless steel system with controllers and just kept putting it off and just said well if an emergency happens then I'll just use my other heaters! Well here I tonight, irresponsible with my reef again, and I went to fetch the heaters out of the vat and got shocked. So here is the question. I am sure only one of them is bad. However, how do I know which one, I don't want to be the guinea pig 5 times! Would walmart have something that can measure current in water? They are the only thing I can think of that would be open now. It is supposed to get below 30 here tonight, which is the coldest night of the year by far, I am freaking out! I need as many heaters as possible in the tank too because I have 500 gallons circulating. My sump has grounding probe and everything is plugged into GFCI plugs, FWIW.....

For what it's worth this is a lesson to all of us. I have the calcium reactors, dosing pumps, high tech protein skimmers, refugiums, frag tank, etc. and neglected the most basic thing---temperature. Is there an idiot of the month award here on Reef 2 Reef??? If so I nominate myself.

 

[CHALICEKEEPER]

You could buy a heater fan and face it on the sump????? Sorry not much help.

 

[bige11]

I think I am going to just get in the car and go to walmart to see if I can figure it out. See my sump and everything is in my basement, and it gets fairly cold down there. Maybe keeping the air around the sump hotter would help? I don't know, not a bad idea I guess. Don't think it would do much to help the water temp increase though. I already turned up the thermostat on my heat pump.

 

[bige11]

BTW, please continue to post. I have iphone so i can still check posts when I get to walmart!

 

[customcolor]

i do believe a multi meter will read currant thats in water

 

[bige11]

do you think they will have one of those at walmart?

 

[fragtastic]

They'll have a multimeter in the tools section. They also sell heaters in the fish section... at least they do at the one near me.

 

[Psychographic]

Take all of the heaters out and put them back in one at a time until you find the culprit. That way you will only get shocked once.

 

[EliteReefs]

Take all of the heaters out and put them back in one at a time until you find the culprit. That way you will only get shocked once.

hahahaha red neck testing at its best. lol just kidding.

you need to just put them in a bucket and use a multi meter to detect current. using your hand is not the best of ideas.

 

[Murfman]

So how did it go? Everything OK?

 

[Leishman]

My tank goes below 75 most days. I panic when it goes over 83.

 

[Ian]

75* is fine, that's where I hope to keep my new aquarium at all times......

 

[Ike]

My tank goes below 75 most days. I panic when it goes over 83.

Why? 82-83 is about the yearly average of a typical Indo-Pacific reef.

 

[Ike]

75* is fine, that's where I hope to keep my new aquarium at all times......

Again, why? That's probably lower than most of our inhabitants would experience for any length of time on a typical Indo-Pacific reef.

 

[Reef Pets]

I agree. I try keeping my temp at about 76.

Keeping the air temp in the basement a little higher would of course help with the water temp. Then again, just adding a heater through out the winter should take care of the issue.

75* is fine, that's where I hope to keep my new aquarium at all times......

 

[Reef Pets]

Possibly in the Indo Pacific. But another example would be Australia where the water gets MUCH cooler than 75 degrees. So, I have to ask why not?

Again, why? That's probably lower than most of our inhabitants would experience for any length of time on a typical Indo-Pacific reef.

 

[bige11]

One thing I know for sure, the reef wants stability! If the tank is going from 82 to 75 in 1 day that is really bad. Also, corals grow best in the 80s..

 

[Ike]

Possibly in the Indo Pacific. But another example would be Australia where the water gets MUCH cooler than 75 degrees. So, I have to ask why not?

Perhaps, but unless you're keeping all Aussie corals why go so low?

 

[Ike]

One thing I know for sure, the reef wants stability! If the tank is going from 82 to 75 in 1 day that is really bad. Also, corals grow best in the 80s..

There's nothing stable about the temps on reef, and I have seen no actual evidence to suggest that a stable temperature is important to coral or fish health. The whole stability thing in regards to temperature is just the result of bad information being fed into the hobby for years by so called experts.

 

[Reef Pets]

Its a happy medium. Not too high for Aussie Coral and not too low for Indo coral. Not only that, typically there is no need for a heater here in the south if the temp of the water is at 75 or so. Therefore, that cuts down on electric, the risk of shock and the risk of having a heater that sticks. Thats the reasons I keep my temp around 75 or so. I dont see any reason to heat the water when in reality its not needed.

Anyhow, back to the topic.... I would not worry about the water getting too cold if its at 75 degrees. Putting a small heater in the sump would of course help keep the water temp stable throughout the night when the lights are not creating heat.
Gary

Perhaps, but unless you're keeping all Aussie corals why go so low?