Temperature always at 80

[JonChicago]

Hey everyone question about tank temp. Running an apex on my 30 gallon and it always seems to be reading 80/80.5, even gets up to 81.2/3. Apex temp sensor is in the sump. I bought a small thermometer from Amazon that seems to be reading .5deg lower than the apex but also helps me monitor temp. I've been keeping this cheap one in the overflow. LFS tells me I should be keeping it nearer 78deg. Spent a lot of time looking on R2R to lean and while there seems to be a range of acceptable temps I've gather most like it around 78? I've been trying to keep my windows open ( only about 55-60deg outside) which keeps my place with ambient room temp of 68-71deg on the thermostat. Even been trying to keep the front cabinet on the reef stand open during the day to help with air exchange through the sump area as the back of the cabinet is open, about 5-6 inches away from the wall. I have what I think is decent surface agitation in the open top tank. I'm new to all of this, had the tank 2 months so far but it is an established tank of 2-3 years from a close trusted friend. My first post on here a few days back has tank pics and more specific details.

Any ideas what I could do differently to get temp closer to 78? Am I ok keeping it in the 80-81 range all the time?

 

[Billldg]

Corals do go thru a temp range in the wild, often reaching temps well above 80 degrees. They do seem to thrive in temps around 78 degrees which is why its the excepted temp. Some equipment adds heat to the water causing it to rise above what you feel it should be at, return pumps, powerheads, skimmers to name a few. I have a 4 fan fixture mounted above my tank to blow air across the top causing evaporation and thus lower the temp. Some reefers also install a fan on the sump to help cool it down. I have mine up top under a canopy to not only cool the tank, but also cool my t5 fixture which adds a lot of heat to the tank.

This is the fan fixture I use, I control it with my Apex, but you can control it with any temp controller.

Cooling Fan 4 - Seaside Aquatics

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

 

[JonChicago]

Corals do go thru a temp range in the wild, often reaching temps well above 80 degrees. They do seem to thrive in temps around 78 degrees which is why its the excepted temp. Some equipment adds heat to the water causing it to rise above what you feel it should be at, return pumps, powerheads, skimmers to name a few. I have a 4 fan fixture mounted above my tank to blow air across the top causing evaporation and thus lower the temp. Some reefers also install a fan on the sump to help cool it down. I have mine up top under a canopy to not only cool the tank, but also cool my t5 fixture which adds a lot of heat to the tank.

This is the fan fixture I use, I control it with my Apex, but you can control it with any temp controller.

Cooling Fan 4 - Seaside Aquatics

Shop The Best Saltwater Aquarium Equipment & Supplies at Saltwater Aquarium. We Carry Everything you will Need for your Fish Tank.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

Thanks for the quick response. Checked out that link for the fan as well as your tank thread, looks nice. I think I'm leaning towards a small fan in the sump and see how that helps. Thinking that might be a little quieter and not take away from minimal look of the open top thank than that bank of fans on top. I like the idea of linking to apex and having fan turn on when temp reaches a certain point like you do. Still learning all that it can do.

 

[Billldg]

Thanks for the quick response. Checked out that link for the fan as well as your tank thread, looks nice. I think I'm leaning towards a small fan in the sump and see how that helps. Thinking that might be a little quieter and not take away from minimal look of the open top thank than that bank of fans on top. I like the idea of linking to apex and having fan turn on when temp reaches a certain point like you do. Still learning all that it can do.

If you already have a Apex, then all you have to do is select a outlet and use the chiller setup as that is really what you are doing and set the temps, easy peasy.