Cooling of tank

[reefandfish]

My tank gets about 82F during day and about 78 at night, I currently have clip on fan on the sump which helps little, but I was wandering if I should drill sidesof the hood and have fans pulling air out or have one fan blow in and other out, currently I have 2 fans behind the tank and holes in top of my hood ( which are mostly coverred by T5 bulbs) ..

here you can see some pics of the stand...

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f6...ld-114811.html

any suggestions ?

[Reeftanker3295]

To be completely honest, some people run their tanks at 82 degrees and have great success. My mantis shrimp tank is always 80-82 degrees and its the only tank that my corals open up in. If you like it at a lower temp then just use 2 fans blowing over the water in the sump, that will bring it down to atleast 79.

[motorslave]

There's nothing wrong with the range you're in right now. My tank will go from 79 to 83 and on really hot days it has hit 85 with no ill affects on any critters. Your tank is within acceptable temps. Some people want the stability of minimal temp swing. In nature on a shallow reef there is a decent temp swing. Personally I don't mind it as I feel it makes the tank more durable and able to stand up to issues. If there is no swing and something does happen then your tank is more likely to be negatively impacted.
If you are uncomfortable try to get more air hitting the water surface as this will increase evaporative cooling but will require an ATO or for you to monitor your water level daily.

[reefandfish]

I have ATO in place already. seems to be better to have top off every time the level goes down then to add 2G of fresh water at once ...

[bcrum51]

I think your idea of the fans in the canopy is a good idea one pulling in cooler air while the other exhausts it out

[fox2589]

my tank is 77 at night and 82 by the end of my lighting cycle..and all is dandy..-drew

[Salty O'Shen]

in summer i swing between 79-83.5, winter 76-80...i agree that having some swing would give your tank inhabitants a little more tolerance for the unforseen issues that inevitably come up. but if you want to make your temp more stable a couple of fans mounted as you describe will do the trick. be prepared for additional evap tho.

[Loverotties]

You mite try cooling your topoff with RO/DI ice cubes.

[biowheel]

I like the temp swings . I think it's better for the tank and more natural . JMO

[Reeftanker3295]

Depends biowheel. If you are out on the water alot you come to realize that temperature really matters on location more than time of day, out on the sound the water temp never changes more than about 3 degrees per day but in the harbor its always like 7-10 degrees warmer.

[motorslave]

Originally Posted by Reeftanker3295

Depends biowheel. If you are out on the water alot you come to realize that temperature really matters on location more than time of day, out on the sound the water temp never changes more than about 3 degrees per day but in the harbor its always like 7-10 degrees warmer.

We are talking about reef type environments here though.

[Reeftanker3295]

Yea but just saying it takes a really hot day or cold day to really cool down or heat up the ocean especially at deeper depths. Thats just my thoughts though i could be wrong

[motorslave]

Originally Posted by Reeftanker3295

Yea but just saying it takes a really hot day or cold day to really cool down or heat up the ocean especially at deeper depths. Thats just my thoughts though i could be wrong

Agreed, but most of the coral we keep is from shallow water where the temp swings are a daily fact. Shallow waters, specifically reefs do go through daily temp swings. Low tide magnifies this as the water gets even lower. majority of reefs are in areas where the temps in the air and strength of the sun are very pronounced.

[Reeftanker3295]

Originally Posted by motorslave

Agreed, but most of the coral we keep is from shallow water where the temp swings are a daily fact. Shallow waters, specifically reefs do go through daily temp swings. Low tide magnifies this as the water gets even lower. majority of reefs are in areas where the temps in the air and strength of the sun are very pronounced.

Yea that makes sense, especially when tides turn.

[bgbeards]

I have a 4 inch fan cut in side of canopy and one three inch on top on opposite end. 4" blows in when MH is on, and 3" is exhaust for the total duration of lighting cycle. I stay at a solid 80. I also use the temperature variable fans (coralife I think?). They work great.