Sps temperature swing

InspectorGadget · Aug 9, 2017

What's up everyone! I have a question about temperature swings. I have a dominant SPS nano aquarium (45gallon water volume). I have a temperature controller that powers two 150w heaters. The controller only adjusts in 1 degree increments. So I have it set to 78 degrees Fahrenheit and the heaters won't switch on until 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Then it takes maybe an hour or less to bring it back up. Last night I saw the temp get to 76.5 then raise to 78.5 after the lights went out. Could this be an issue in the future? Or is this within the norm for temperature fluctuations?

CodyRVA · Aug 9, 2017

Following.

Eddie7144 · Aug 9, 2017

hard to say, but keep an eye on it. if your heater goes nuts , it could be a problem. I do t is e heaters as my apt stays at a good temp. but corals are pretty tough . I had my water go up to 85dor three days during a heat wave in NYC and they we not affected. maybe I was lucky, but either way stay on top of it.

InspectorGadget · Aug 9, 2017

Eddie7144 said:
hard to say, but keep an eye on it. if your heater goes nuts , it could be a problem. I do t is e heaters as my apt stays at a good temp. but corals are pretty tough . I had my water go up to 85dor three days during a heat wave in NYC and they we not affected. maybe I was lucky, but either way stay on top of it.

I was considering taking one heater off the controller to set at 77.5 and leave the other on the controller set for 78. So either way the swing stays within a half degree and maximum 1 degree. Then maybe the temp won't get above 78 unless both heaters were engaged. But if it doesn't make a difference, I might leave it. I have an alarm set on the controller for 79 degrees.

Eddie7144 · Aug 9, 2017

like alot of ppl here say don't go crazy chasing numbers, stability is the key. with out heaters what is your water temp ? 75 degrees is just a bench mark. I ha e seen alot of tanks that stay at 78 to 80 without any issues at all. just avoid major swings with you're temp

InspectorGadget · Aug 11, 2017

Eddie7144 said:
like alot of ppl here say don't go crazy chasing numbers, stability is the key. with out heaters what is your water temp ? 75 degrees is just a bench mark. I ha e seen alot of tanks that stay at 78 to 80 without any issues at all. just avoid major swings with you're temp

By itself it stays around 71

Ashish Patel · Oct 3, 2017

I have 2X150Watt heaters and 130Gallon system.. I think your fluctuations are caused by the heaters being oversized. To be honest with you 2x50watts would do a better job of keeping your tank stable. redundancy is good but 1 of your heaters if malfunctioned will overheat your tank, not so much redundancy after all.. Hope this helps.

reefguyty · Oct 4, 2017

My tank fluctuates a few degrees throughout the day and that hasn't been a problem. I would be interested to know if it could affect coral growth if it happens in a short period.

I have settled on a 200 watt heater for my 40 gallon and I'm happy with it.

Ashish Patel · Oct 4, 2017

reefguyty said:
My tank fluctuates a few degrees throughout the day and that hasn't been a problem. I would be interested to know if it could affect coral growth if it happens in a short period.

I have settled on a 200 watt heater for my 40 gallon and I'm happy with it.

Hey if it works for you thats fine...Few degrees is fine. I've had a heater cook my tank years ago so i don't trust any heater fully. Then again a simple heat/cooling device can fix this problem.

reefguyty · Oct 4, 2017

Ashish Patel said:
Hey if it works for you thats fine...Few degrees is fine. I've had a heater cook my tank years ago so i don't trust any heater fully. Then again a simple heat/cooling device can fix this problem.

Good to know. I have an apex control the thermometers on my sps / lps tanks, hasn't let me down (yet). I don't worry about it on my softy tank