Temp range ?

Southpaw · Aug 30, 2011

Just wondering what range is the Best for my 140 reef tank . I have had one LFS tell me 74 -75 summer months and another tell me 80-82 ..quite a difference in temps that I was hoping to get some feedback from others. :squigglemouth:

soccerbag · Aug 30, 2011

Yes, that is a pretty big difference. You will hear a pretty good range from folks. The key is to keep it as consistent as possible. Easier in the winter months as heaters are a lot less expensive than a chiller! I run my tank between 78.5 - 80 in the summertime and keep it pretty close to 78.5 in the winter months. In order to keep your tank at 74-75 in the summer months, you would need a good chiller and it would run quite often.

Reef Breeders · Aug 30, 2011

79-81 year round, it should fluctuate within that range daily. 74 degrees is crazy!, you would probably kill everything in the tank that way.

skinz78 · Aug 30, 2011

I shoot for 78 to 82 deg, I think a little bit of fluctuation isn't a bad thing but big swings are.

Reef Breeders · Aug 30, 2011

skinz78 said:
I shoot for 78 to 82 deg, I think a little bit of fluctuation isn't a bad thing but big swings are.

___+1___

Southpaw · Aug 30, 2011

I appreciate the feedback . My temps are 76.5 right now and holding steady . Running leds and havent had any issues with high temps. I ran cf's on my 65 gallon and temps would fluctuate from 76 to 82 daily and ended up with ick lost all my fish . I almost threw in the towel on saltwater but got another tank and a fresh start . I am hoping I can learn from my mistakes and have better luck with this tank so I may be asking for you guys feedback again .

pickupman66 · Aug 30, 2011

My controller is set at 80 degrees. it hystersis is from 80.8 to 79.6. with the cooler mornings, it got to 78.8 this morning. it hit 81.1 max this summer. my old tank went up to 82-83 in the summers. low of 77.5 in the winters.

chort55 · Aug 30, 2011

anemonekeeper said:
79-81 year round, it should fluctuate within that range daily. 74 degrees is crazy!, you would probably kill everything in the tank that way.

Really.......... My tank is 74.7-75.3 normally.... Highest I have seen it is 76.4. The biggest thing is to keep temps stable just like anything else. Swings are bag and cause issues but if you keep things steady a little cooler isnt that big of a deal and actually gives u more of a buffer "incase" a heater sticks or it gets exceptionally hot (although I normally run the ac on those days). Oh yeah, I don't use a chiller either, just a little 6" clip on fan that comes on with my DIY t5 retro and is programmed to come on at 75.3 even if lights are off through my AC jr.!

BTW, temps also rely on what you keep, there are some fish, corals, and inverts that definitely have a shorter lifespan at 78, then they do at even 70