HELP Plz

[valen]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the hobby and just purchased a new Red Sea Max 34 gallon reef tank. I just set it up last week and added water and live rock.

The question that I have is this..... I am having a hard time keeping a steady temperature in the aquarium. It has been ranging from 78 to 81 degrees during the day. It doesnt seem to be related to my lights. The temperature doest go up much when i turn the lights on..... sometimes it even goes down which i think is rather weird. Right now my lights are only on for 6 hours a day and I am increasing that by 1 hour every 2 days per the tank manufacturer instructions.

I think the fluctuations may have to do with the temperature of the room that the tank is in (Its in a basement family room with a fairily low ceiling).
I am trying my best to regulate the temperature in the room and make it more stable.

I am worried that once I finish cycling the tank I wont be able to add any livestock to the tank without worrying about the temperature swings in the tank. I was just curious is this swing in temperature normal and nothing to worry about or should I be worried and if so should I be looking at a chiller for the tank to help keep the temperature more in the 78-79 degree range.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Krish]

Welcome to RF!! Hope you enjoy it here As for the temp swings, if you can get the swings down to no more than a 2 degree swing throughout the day, then IMO you will be fine. Some chillers (like the one I use to run) had a minimum setting of 2 degrees meaning the temp would have to rise 2 degrees first before the chiller would cut in and cool the water back down. With 81F being your highest and also within range to keep marine life (83F said to be max), I'd say maybe you can get a heater rather than a chiller (much cheaper) and set it to 79F or 80F which means you'd have at the most a 2 degree swing with 81F being your highest now. If you rather keep your temp a little lower, then before purchasing a chiller, maybe you can first try using a fan to blow across the surface of the water to help keep the temp down. Just a few thoughts. HTH

 

[Ed Hahn]

Welcome, keep asking...

Valen,
Your tank temperature can be affected by room temperature. The smaller the tank the more sensitive to temperature issues. Another factor is material your tank is composed of Acylic/Glass and etc. Two tanks made of same material, set up the same way often do not react same way due to unforseen circumstances. Natural Sunlight, Open Drafts, Floor Vents, a object other than aquarium that creates heat. You could add a smaller temperature contoller and temperature compensating equipment. But first look for floor vents, drafts from open doors, windows, vents. That is a very small swing in temperature, but still a swing. I wish You luck and patience.
Welcome to Reef Frontiers! There are lots of good people in here. If something has you puzzled ask please. No dumb questions, just a lot of hobbyist wanting to learn and trying to help.
Sincerely,
Ed

 

[valen]

Thank you both very much for your help... I will continue to keep an eye on the temp and try to get it to no more than 2 degrees swing during the day... I am really looking forward to my first reef tank. I had a saltwater fish only tank a long time ago and and really enjoyed it! You folks will probably hear back from me again because i want to make sure I do this reef tank right!!

 

[Krish]

Sounds great! Good luck!