best temperture for a reef tank

What is the best temputure for my cycling reef tank. i set the heater to 79 F but the temperture is 72.5 F. I want it to be 74 F to 75F. I have 300 g heaters. One in my main tank and one in the sump.

 

For cycling your tank, slightly warmer may be better. Say mid 80s as bacteria grows faster at warmer temps (but not much, so it dosn't matter too much).


For best temp for a reef this is a debatable topic. According to here 76-83 is fine. Most people agree to be more of less in this range.
Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

I tend to think it sort of depends. IMO You want to keep it reasonably close to the ambient temperature so that the livestock does not become acclimated to a temperature range drastically different than they would experience when equipment such as heaters or chillers fail.

Also however, if the ambient temperature is out of the acceptable range then it is nice to have a buffer so that when equipment fails, it dosn't rise into the unacceptable range too fast. So, I like to keep tanks slightly cooler in the summer and slightly warmer in the winter.

 

IME..Corals tend to do better in somewhat cooler water, around 76-79 in that area. I keep mine 79-82.4