Heat and the water. Hmmm...

[Reefer94]

I just got my VHOs installed on my 55 gallon tank. I've got 4 bulbs, 440 watts. My water tempurate gets up to the high 80s, 85-87 to be exact, over the course of a twelve hour photoperiod. Does anyone know if that will be harmful to the reef? I know winter is soon to begin, so it won't be a factor for a while. Also, does anyone know what the optimum photoperiod is? My 30 gallon is set on a 14 hour period, my 55 is on a twelve hour.

[HARRISON]

I am sure there will be lots of people answering this one. I am no expert but I will tell you what people have shared with me...

Your water is pretty warm. Not uncommon but not good either. Opinions vary but 77-78 seems to be the most poular response. If your water gets in the 80's, over 84 in particular I beleive, you will stress your corals. At 84 degrees xenia starts to fall apart and whither away. (trust me on this one) This is what clued me in to watch them temp closer. Now I have a digital thermometor and keep close tabs. At your temps you can do a couple things...

1. Turn up your air conditioning
2. Add a couple fans to move air across the water and remove the warm air from the lights. (watching the fact this will cause more evaporation)
3. Get a chiller. (there is actually a small one on ebay for 99 bucks that will work on a small tank up to like 55 gals I think.)

Like I said I am no pro but I can spit back what I have been told. I will be interested to hear what the real pros say as well....


Hope this helps
Harrison

[platapus]

Im going to have to agree wit Harrison on the optimal temp! I have 3 4' 110w VHO and 1 175w MH, with 2 fans in a canopy, and I rarely break 80 on a warm day!

On a side note, if you dont mind, how do you ahve your overflow setup in that 30g picture? Im looking for a solution for a glass tank I have.

[Brooke]

Do you have any fans in the hood? This is a must. One 4" muffin fan will keep the temps down.

Also, do you have glass on top of the tank? If so, take it off. Point a couple of little fans at the surface of the water and watch your evap level, which will likely go up.

Those temps are likely to stress your animals. What does the temp get down to at night?

12-14 hours is fine for total photoperiod.

Brooke

[Alice]

The range for tank temps is often debated. Different animals like different temps so if you've got a biotope from Florida reefs you'd likely be running the tank a little cooler, for example.

I run my tanks between 80-84 with a nighttime swing of about 3-4 degrees, depending on the tank.

Running your tank that high is really pushing the envelope, a heat spike of just a couple of degrees is going to put you in the range where corals will start to die. Get the fans, cheap and easy fix and nothing to hassle with if you put them on timers.

~Alice

[Reefer94]

There is no overflow... I run a hang-on powerfilter.... that's it. The cup is for the protien skimmer. I have the two Maxi-jets, that about covers it. All the live rock is in the tank.