Non-heated aquariums

[blasterman]

There are no heaters in the ocean or chillers and the OP isn't keeping acropora. I turn my heater off in the summer as well because its a waste of electricity, my room temp is always in the mid 70s and its another piece of gear that can screw up and wipe out my tank so I keep it off as much as possible. My tank runs between 74- to low 80s daily sometimes. Doesnt bother a thing and I have more growth than I can deal with. Pic to prove it.

Water temp changes with depth, tides, upwellings, storm fronts, etc.

Seriously. ...if the ocean doesn't change temp why do we only get hurricanes a certain time of year? Good grief....

 

[Corey Shelk]

I ran my tanks at 76 for around 10 years with no issues.

Ppl around here don’t realize that the ocean is not a perfectly controlled space. Many of our corals, and especially our fish can thrive in a variety of habitats that are less than perfect.

That being said I would only attempt a tank without a heater if my temp swings within the home were relatively minor and happened over a fairly long period of time. Its rapid and constant change that may prove detrimental.

Yeah, temp swings will be relatively minor if at all. Sorry, I was unclear with my earlier post. The tank will not be swinging through 72-75. I just meant it will be at a temperature in that range and then kept at that temperature.

 

[Sump Crab]

Yeah, temp swings will be relatively minor if at all. Sorry, I was unclear with my earlier post. The tank will not be swinging through 72-75. I just meant it will be at a temperature in that range and then kept at that temperature.

What is your plan for winter?

 

[Sump Crab]

There are no heaters in the ocean or chillers and the OP isn't keeping acropora. I turn my heater off in the summer as well because its a waste of electricity, my room temp is always in the mid 70s and its another piece of gear that can screw up and wipe out my tank so I keep it off as much as possible. My tank runs between 74- to low 80s daily sometimes. Doesnt bother a thing and I have more growth than I can deal with. Pic to prove it.

Water temp changes with depth, tides, upwellings, storm fronts, etc.

Seriously. ...if the ocean doesn't change temp why do we only get hurricanes a certain time of year? Good grief....

Not to mention that most of the temps people are quoting for different parts of the ocean are most likely surface temperatures. If its 81 on the surface I can guarantee it is not 81 30 or 40 foot down.

 

[Tonycass12]

I think your issue will be consistency. Having an optimisticly 6-10* temp swing over an hour or two in the mornings and evenings could add a lot of stress to you livestock much more then that and things could start a downward spiral. Stability is key.

 

[ZoWhat]

well, there's no heater in the ocean, so depending what part of the world you live you, it could work. Upon googling temperature for corals, they can supposedly survive from 73 to 84 farenheit, so in theory it could work without a heater. If you do it, please report back after some time and let us know how it works out, it would be an interesting experiment.

In theory, you could drive your car 40,000 or 50,000 miles without an oil change



I'm out

 

[Sump Crab]

In theory, you could drive your car 40,000 or 50,000 miles without an oil change

This discussion is ignorance personified.

I'm out

The irony here is hilarious.

 

[tehmadreefer]

I don’t run a heater since I live in Florida l, mouse is at 73/74 degrees and my tank runs about 78-79. I do run t5 retro’s so that heats the tank.

 

[BZOFIQ]

This is one of these threads where the O/P asks question but doesn't want to hear anybody else's opinion - he/she is just looking for reinforcement of their personal beliefs.

That said, yes you can keep your tank at [enter your own] degrees. What you want to keep (alive) in it will dictate proper temperature.

The issue here is that without a heater (and for some chiller) your tank will not be stable. If you're fine that your tank is 72 degrees one day and 80 degrees two days later due to weather / environmental changes do it. Why ask anyone for permission to do something crazy?

Looking forward to reading the [EMERGENCY] thread in the near future.

 

[tehmadreefer]

There are no heaters in the ocean or chillers and the OP isn't keeping acropora. I turn my heater off in the summer as well because its a waste of electricity, my room temp is always in the mid 70s and its another piece of gear that can screw up and wipe out my tank so I keep it off as much as possible. My tank runs between 74- to low 80s daily sometimes. Doesnt bother a thing and I have more growth than I can deal with. Pic to prove it.

Water temp changes with depth, tides, upwellings, storm fronts, etc.

Seriously. ...if the ocean doesn't change temp why do we only get hurricanes a certain time of year? Good grief....

The ocean does in fact have multiple heaters and chillers. The sun, underground molten lava, super heated water from underneath the ocean bed, etc. Then you have the Arctic ice and winter and summer seasons that warm/cool water temps.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I don’t run a heater since I live in Florida l, mouse is at 73/74 degrees and my tank runs about 78-79. I do run t5 retro’s so that heats the tank.

By contrast, in NY, I run 4 heaters in the winter (staged) to keep it around 77.8 and just connected the chiller this week to keep it below 80.

 

[GlassMunky]

You’re perfectly fine without a heater regardless of what everyone else says.
this tank never gets above 75 because of its location in the house. Sometimes as low as 70*
Keep a GIANT clam and other corals no problem

 

[Pntbll687]

Hey everyone! I’m currently planning out a new nano tank and I want to run it without a heater. So the tank would be a room temperature of 72-75, maybe even slightly higher depending on if the lights heat the tank. It’s varied right now because the tank isn’t set up yet so it’s just a range of what it might be. Has anyone run tanks lower than the typically 77-79 degrees Fahrenheit? I’ll mostly be focusing on growing soft coral and possibly a yellow clown goby.

If you're in the 75 degree range, you'll be fine, 72 might be pushing the lower limit.

I have a 20 long in my office. Did maintenance on it over a weekend, forgot to plug the heater back in. It was literally a month before I noticed. No ill effects on corals or fish. Thermostat of the house is set to 74, the tank is upstairs which is usually slightly warmer, so probably 75.

Try it out, see if it works. If not, throw a heater in there.

 

[GlassMunky]

This is one of these threads where the O/P asks question but doesn't want to hear anybody else's opinion - he/she is just looking for reinforcement of their personal beliefs.

That said, yes you can keep your tank at [enter your own] degrees. What you want to keep (alive) in it will dictate proper temperature.

The issue here is that without a heater (and for some chiller) your tank will not be stable. If you're fine that your tank is 72 degrees one day and 80 degrees two days later due to weather / environmental changes do it. Why ask anyone for permission to do something crazy?

Looking forward to reading the [EMERGENCY] thread in the near future.

This is laughable to me because obviously the guys has AC in his home and you’re just being extra over the top to try and prove your point.
You’re just as bad a commenter as you claim this OP is. If you don’t like the thread move on, don’t take it personal and get all upset.

 

[BZOFIQ]

...
Try it out, see if it works. If not, throw a heater in there.

There, he said it - Short and shweet.

 

[BZOFIQ]

This is laughable to me because obviously the guys has AC in his home and you’re just being extra over the top to try and prove your point.
You’re just as bad a commenter as you claim this OP is. If you don’t like the thread move on, don’t take it personal and get all upset.

Perhaps because I've always battled the extreme temp swings is why I have a different outlook on temp stability.

 

[NatureHold]

Something else not mentioned here is residual heat from your equipment. I have a 10 gallon cube AIO in my office with a single piece of tonga, an RBTA, and a pair of clowns. I have a heater in the back of it, but ask me how many times a day it turns on? That's right 0 times, big ole goose egg. Your return pump, skimmer pump, and lights will all produce heat that will in turn, warm the water. I keep my house at around 74 degrees during the day and my heater never has to turn on to keep the tank at 78 degrees.
FWIW, i think you can achieve what you are wanting to do, but you should have some type of backup plan to heat the tank in the event that your house temps drop below the threshold of what your tank can handle with no heater.

 

[Corey Shelk]

You’re perfectly fine without a heater regardless of what everyone else says.
this tank never gets above 75 because of its location in the house. Sometimes as low as 70*
Keep a GIANT clam and other corals no problem

Wow your tank looks great!

 

[Corey Shelk]

This is one of these threads where the O/P asks question but doesn't want to hear anybody else's opinion - he/she is just looking for reinforcement of their personal beliefs.

That said, yes you can keep your tank at [enter your own] degrees. What you want to keep (alive) in it will dictate proper temperature.

The issue here is that without a heater (and for some chiller) your tank will not be stable. If you're fine that your tank is 72 degrees one day and 80 degrees two days later due to weather / environmental changes do it. Why ask anyone for permission to do something crazy?

Looking forward to reading the [EMERGENCY] thread in the near future.

I don’t have any personal beliefs towards it, I was just curious and looking for those who have run their tanks without heaters. I don’t see how my tank could be 72 on day and 80 the other lol. It’ll be inside my air conditioned home, so only time it wouldn’t be maintained at my room temperature would be if the power goes out. And well, if the power goes out then a heater won’t be of any use

 

[Corey Shelk]

What is your plan for winter?

My room temperature won’t change in winter be summer. It’s air conditioned