SUPER HIGH TEMP.

[Joshua2598]

My first reef tank is finally setup. Cycles done, fish/coral have been ordered online and are coming in 1-2 days, but theres just one problem. MY TEMPERATURE IS AT 84.7! Ussualy it just above or below 80. Ive read some fourms about temp being around 80 and people seem to think its really not a big deal. From everything else that ive learned ever though, 84+is a very high temp. With fish coming so soon I need advise asap. Ive ordered a ocellaris clown, zoanthids, pulsing xenia, and a super expensive discosoma mushroom. (expensive by my standards of course,) The tank is a Fluval 13.5 gallon. I really need helping lowering the temp to even just 80, quickly and hopefully in a cost effective way. From what ive seen chillers are pretty expensive. And more importantly ive heard Xenia do terrible at high temp, and im worried about the other coral. Im sure the clown will be fine as they seem pretty hardy, right?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Is the tank covered at all? A fan blowing across the surface of the water will help cool it. Just be prepared to top off alot more.

 

[Joshua2598]

Is the tank covered at all? A fan blowing across the surface of the water will help cool it. Just be prepared to top off alot more.

yeah i have the tank covered with the stock cover and lighting.

 

[Joshua2598]

Is the tank covered at all? A fan blowing across the surface of the water will help cool it. Just be prepared to top off alot more.

Also, what kind of fan would i use, I would need one that would stay under the cover of the tank because thats the only lighting i have so i need the top, and I probably need one thats designed for saltwater right?

 

[Reef Jedi]

you could float bags of ice to help lower the temp, a Fan blowing across the water surface would help too. Do you have a heater in the tank? Can you turn the AC on in the house?

 

[Joshua2598]

you could float bags of ice to help lower the temp, a Fan blowing across the water surface would help too. Do you have a heater in the tank? Can you turn the AC on in the house?

Yeah i have a heater but its not even plugged in at the moment, just sitting in there as its summer. I knew about the ice bag method before ill have to try that just seems like a lot of work having to replace the bag every once in a while. We could turn on the AC but its costs so much money.

 

[Reef Jedi]

Personally I keep the house 72 degrees all summer so the tank doesn't over heat. Also my wife and kids appreciate that as well lol

 

[Joshua2598]

Personally I keep the house 72 degrees all summer so the tank doesn't over heat. Also my wife and kids appreciate that as well lol

ha understandable, I guess ill need to try the ice method for now

 

[Reef Jedi]

ha understandable, I guess ill need to try the ice method for now

Either that or a fan, it seems overkill to get a chiller for a 13g but then again it may be cheaper then running the ac. I guess it depends on how you look at it.

 

[Mikedawg]

Might considering propping open your stock light by placing a small piece of pvc or something similar across the channel where the light fits to let more heat escape; knocked off two degrees for me.

 

[Joshua2598]

ive just put some ice in the tank, it brought the temp down a whopping 0.003 degrees in 3 minutes

 

[Crabs McJones]

ive just put some ice in the tank, it brought the temp down a whopping 0.003 degrees in 3 minutes

It takes time. Slow down and take a step back, there isnt anything in the tank yet so you're ok. You can use any fan to blow across the waters surface. I use a oscillating stand fan for mine.

 

[Joshua2598]

guess i'll see how the ice does in an hour or so and see how that does,

Might considering propping open your stock light by placing a small piece of pvc or something similar across the channel where the light fits to let more heat escape; knocked off two degrees for me.

I'll try your idea to, see how that does

 

[Randyp79]

Take the cover off and use a fan. It'll drop your temp 3-4 degrees. BTW, I keep my sps dominant reef at 80-81 and everything does fine...

 

[Joshua2598]

Take the cover off and use a fan. It'll drop your temp 3-4 degrees. BTW, I keep my sps dominant reef at 80-81 and everything does fine...

beautiful tank, I just need something to keep the light in place if I were to do that, or just an entirely new light which i dont have the money to do atm. And btw the ice completely melted within 10 minutes and became warm water inside lol. Even though i suppose there wasnt a large amount of ice in there. Anyone reccomend any good fans to buy offline?

 

[Flexin]

What is the room temp? You have to be realistic on what you are willing/able to do.

Even if you make it through this summer, what about the next one?

If the room temp is 83, you will have a heck of a time cooling it down to 80. If you are not willing to buy a chiller and not willing to turn on the AC and that room is in the 80’s, maybe you should reconsider.. Just food for thought..

 

[Joshua2598]

What is the room temp? You have to be realistic on what you are willing/able to do.

Even if you make it through this summer, what about the next one?

If the room temp is 83, you will have a heck of a time cooling it down to 80. If you are not willing to buy a chiller and not willing to turn on the AC and that room is in the 80’s, maybe you should reconsider.. Just food for thought..

the temp in the room is about 86-90 degrees lol. I'll just buy a fan and it will be all good, not reconsidering mate. Just because i cant afford a 200 chiller or AC 24/7 doesnt mean i need to find a new hobby that im 100% passionate about, i already have freshwater anyways.

 

[Crabs McJones]

the temp in the room is about 86-90 degrees lol. I'll just buy a fan and it will be all good, not reconsidering mate. Just because i cant afford a 200 chiller or AC 24/7 doesnt mean i need to find a new hobby that im 100% passionate about, i already have freshwater anyways.

A fan will help, but blowing hot air at a tank isnt going to help a whole lot. It's like trying to put out a fire with gasoline.

 

[Flexin]

I’m thinking about the welfare of the future inhabitants. Sounds like you are not being realistic. Saying the room temp is 86-90 and following up with a “lol” is concerning.

 

[Toofattofish]

A fan will help, but blowing hot air at a tank isnt going to help a whole lot. It's like trying to put out a fire with gasoline.

As long as he can get evaporative cooling it should help somewhat.
You need as much exposed surface area as possible for this to work. If the cover is on, forget about it.
Temps above 80 should be ok for corals but your fish are going to have a hard time. Even more so because the O2 content in warmer water is drastically diminished.