Thanks Big_Wally_B

I have had trouble the past three days with my tank heating up.
I kept having to turn off the lights for a couple of hours to let
it cool back down.

I was just reading an article and Big_Wally_B suggested lifting
your lights up off the tank a few inches. I tried it right then...
I could watch the temp dropping by .1 degree every minute or
two.

I have fans on the sump, eggcrate on top of tank, ceiling fan
going, Ice bag in the sump, and nothing cooled it off faster than
just putting a few shot glasses under the lights.

Thanks again Big_Wally_B. YOU DA MAN!!:thumb_up:

(I used to be the man...Then I got married...);D

Just in time too, tomorrow is going to be 111.
(not a typo)

 

I just got metal halides and seriously they came with legs that raise them about 6" off the tank and the tank stays cooler than what it was with the PCs over it! It's wild. I don't have a fan or anything over the tank and I am bewildered over this. Of course my apt is on the ground level with central air so the ambient temp is like 74. But still. Yea raising the lights does help a lot.

 

The best thing is to raise the lights and I also have very big success by placing a room fan next to my tank to blow the top of the water. The water stays at around 78-80 degrees. The only thing is you have to add RO water to replace the water lost by evaporation.

 

Good point about the RO water, Coral Reefer. When evaporation is your cooling mechanism, you don't want to top off the tank with seawater! Use RO fresh water. But, a problem with having a lot of evaporation is the dreaded SALT CREEP!

 

I hate it!! It can make a big mess on the floor when cleaning.

 

Yeah, I have the fan on the sump, the ceiling fan and a box fan in the room
and it is still getting up to 83.5 during the heat of the day. I am switching the lighting to come on at about 2am and go off at 2pm. This is when the tank stays it's coolest. We have a swamp cooler and I think that with the air already saturated with water it has a hard time cooling with evaporation.

My lights came with the legs too, but the are too wide for my tank. I tried turning them around but one leg won't do it. So A&W Mini mugs work great. They are about 2 1/2" tall and it drops the temp alot. Must be that frosty mug...;D

I have been adding a gallon to a gallon and a half of distilled water a day. Mostly in the mornings, which is why I think the air during the day is saturated. Don't have much Salt Creep yet. Just not that lucky I guess...Maybe someday...

 

Raising the lights helps big time.

In addition, I just pulled the lid of my tank. It hit 87 degrees (in tank!) last thursday! Luckily my fish pulled through... got some coral issues though.

 

Matt,
Keep an eye on the temp. I thought I had a problem with keeping my new lights on too much and raising the temperature. But it turned out that the thermostat in my heater broke and the heater was stuck in the "ON" position.

 

Is everything ok?

 

Yes, thanks. I figured out the problem before it was too late and replaced the heater. I think the only creature affected was my Sea Star, who eventually died from an infection. This was back in late March.

Matt, is everything OK with your "coral issues"?