Safe Temperature

[Fink]

I didn't tag this with the emergency, because I don't think I'm at that point yet, but my downstairs AC has gone out. My tanks usually sit around 79-79.5 without much fluctuation, but they are currently at around 81 and it's been steadily rising. How high can they go before I am in serious trouble? The tanks are a 32g biocube and 13.5 fluval. I'm curious at what point is the heat dangerous

I have a 20gallon long that I could setup in the upstairs area (where the AC still works) and try to move as much of the coral there as possible. It's going to be really hard to catch the fish though. Between the two tanks there are two clowns, two mollies, one blenny, one firefish, and one cardinal.

Suggestions?

 

[BarSnackz]

Bag up some ice and float it in the tank to cool your tanks down a bit. Do you have an estimate on how long the downstairs AC will be out for? If it will be for a prolonged period, I would do as you suggested of trying to move the fish/corals upstairs.

 

[PatW]

I scuba dive in the Caribbean at coral reefs. Water temperatures can get down into the low 70s in some places during the winter. Summer temps can get pretty high at 85 degrees. Generally anything over 84 degrees is considered potentially risky for coral bleaching.

A good way to cool a tank is with a fan. You can run it to a temperature controller to turn on only when it reaches a certain temp and turn off again when it dips below.

But if you only get up to 81 episodically, you are good.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

I didn't tag this with the emergency, because I don't think I'm at that point yet, but my downstairs AC has gone out. My tanks usually sit around 79-79.5 without much fluctuation, but they are currently at around 81 and it's been steadily rising. How high can they go before I am in serious trouble? The tanks are a 32g biocube and 13.5 fluval. I'm curious at what point is the heat dangerous

I have a 20gallon long that I could setup in the upstairs area (where the AC still works) and try to move as much of the coral there as possible. It's going to be really hard to catch the fish though. Between the two tanks there are two clowns, two mollies, one blenny, one firefish, and one cardinal.

Suggestions?

Get a fan to blow on it. Will help keep your temps down till your get ur ac fixed

I do t have ac and i don’t use a chiller just a fan hooked up to an ink bird if it goes one degree over what i keep my tank at it kicks on

 

[rob s.]

for the future put some water bottles in your freezer and freeze them solid. If this kinda thing happens again just float the frozen water bottles in your sump or tank and it will usually keep the tank at a steady temp if you monitor the thermometer or heater....

 

[Lowlandreef]

Here in the Netherlands we have a heatwave so I have the same struggle with temperature. My tank was 84 degrees, and by putting in frozen water bottles it only came down to 82 for 30 mins. I bought a cheap tank fan today and it brought the temperature back down to 80 degrees. Definitely worth it if you ask me!

 

[Fink]

So I came home from work to check on everything (i was getting updates from my 17yr old before) and it looks like the open top (egg crate) fluval is perfectly fine. The biocube was close to 82 by the time I got home, but i put some water bottles in the freezer and grabbed one of the plastic ice packs we use in our lunch boxes and threw it in the sump. The water came down to around 81 and is holding steady there.

My kids are both off work between now and when the AC guy is coming in, so they are going to monitor and whenever it starts creeping up over 81 they are going to replace the ice bottle in the sump.

Wish me luck!

 

[rob s.]

So I came home from work to check on everything (i was getting updates from my 17yr old before) and it looks like the open top (egg crate) fluval is perfectly fine. The biocube was close to 82 by the time I got home, but i put some water bottles in the freezer and grabbed one of the plastic ice packs we use in our lunch boxes and threw it in the sump. The water came down to around 81 and is holding steady there.

My kids are both off work between now and when the AC guy is coming in, so they are going to monitor and whenever it starts creeping up over 81 they are going to replace the ice bottle in the sump.

Wish me luck!

good luck!!

 

[Palegic]

I went a few months years ago in with temp swings from high 70s at night to high 80s during the day with the LEDs on in a closed tank. I didn't notice any I'll effects but it was enough to make me nervous so I added a chiller after fussing around with fans and nonsense. Now the temp swing is no more than 1-2 degrees.

 

[MJ in Boise]

Fan pointed at surface of water, powerhead pointed to create surface agitation. I would NEVER float a bag of tap water ice. bags leak and tap water is bad. Frozen clean water bottles, or frozen block of salt water. I always keep a 1gal block of fresh mixed saltwater in my freezer. mainly to drop temp in garage mixing container (hot garage), but it's always ready for a tank in case the power goes out.

 

[Fink]

Fan pointed at surface of water, powerhead pointed to create surface agitation. I would NEVER float a bag of tap water ice. bags leak and tap water is bad. Frozen clean water bottles, or frozen block of salt water. I always keep a 1gal block of fresh mixed saltwater in my freezer. mainly to drop temp in garage mixing container (hot garage), but it's always ready for a tank in case the power goes out.

It's the small sump of a 32g biocube, but I've been rotating out bottles of water that I bought just yesterday for this. So far it's been working well to keep the temps below 82. It's supposed to be a cooler day today (high of 81 where I live) so I'm thinking we'll be ok til the AC guys get there tomorrow.

Is there any harm in just leaving the lights off today if temps start creeping up? Steve's LEDs generate quite a lot of heat.

 

[MJ in Boise]

It's the small sump of a 32g biocube, but I've been rotating out bottles of water that I bought just yesterday for this. So far it's been working well to keep the temps below 82. It's supposed to be a cooler day today (high of 81 where I live) so I'm thinking we'll be ok til the AC guys get there tomorrow.

Is there any harm in just leaving the lights off today if temps start creeping up? Steve's LEDs generate quite a lot of heat.

Turn em off. It will help a ton it sounds like. 72hr blackouts are very common and cause no issues.

 

[blasterman]

I also have a 20l with various healthy and fast growing SPS and LPS.

My tank sometimes hits 85F or a bit higher during the day if I forget to turn my AC on. SPS could care less because most SPS are shallow water and equatorial reefs can get way warmer than 85F during the day. A change in wind direction or tide can cause deep water upwellings and knock Temps down 20 degrees.

Not sure why some of you think shallow reefs in the wild have digitally controlled Temps.

LPS on the other hand can start to get annoyed if temps get higher than 85F or stay elevated for more than a day. That's because LPS typically thrive in deeper water. A house fan pointed at a tank will cool it to a point.

 

[kylebeano]

Well, from personal very recent experience (my temp probe accidentally dislodged outside my tank), my tank was around 90 when I found it. Its a newer setup from an established system (45g), was probably 36hrs climbing to that temp.
Most SPS survived, a hybrid birdsnest lost all but the tips, just some color loss as well, but even tenuis pulled through. Softies did alright, but perked right up with water change. LPS lost many to rapid tissue loss, all but one blastos/acans just melted away, goniopora just peeled off, a prized trachy took 2 days to peel away, have the detached mouth with some little surrounding tissue found later in the rockwork though (I placed it back into its own base). A crocea clam survived just fine, pistol shrimp fine, snails okay, all fish okay although have some distressed colors/patterns (also improved). Some LPS like my candy canes though, are unphased. I would say most LPS lost was shipped from overseas. Tank raised LPS like the one blasto mini colony, candy canes, appeared affected.