Nano Tuners 4.36 "Heat Issue"

Okay, so iv had the Nano Tuners 4.36 "144 Watt" light setup in my tank for a week now and my heat levels are now 82F. I typically keep my heater at 77F, but now the new lights are creeping the tank up to 82F.

What should I keep my heater at and should I be worried about the temp changing so drastically?

 

Beef up the fans, and turn your heater down, a 1-2 degree change is ok but you dont want a 5 degree rise, thats a little drastic, i know in my old JBJ 29 i had some large computer fans i got from radioshack when i modded my light hood and it did very well i did however have to get a new voltage converter for just the fans, which isnt a big deal

 

Thank you!! I did upgrade the fans when I did the light upgrade as well. They are running @ 12 volts.. I turned the heater down to 75, I will see what the MAX temp is when the lights are on.

Any tips on hown long I should keep the 10K lights on for each day?

 

Well, I'll go gainst the grain on this one; it shouldn't be an issue if your corals seem happy. Most people will say it's bad, but have no idea why. They think the ocean is stable and stability is key to something. Really corals are actually subject to large, quick, temperature swings in nature and can adapt to this quite well. The problem is really when they are subject stability, then they become accustomed to stability and can't handle swings. I have always allowed my tank to swing a bit. 5 degrees is probably a bit on the high side, but certainly in that range and my 75 is still running after 9.5 years with the original corals.... Lots of others have swings like this, as well if you search the web. You may want to turn up the heater a bit to stabilize things, if it makes you feel better, but the swings are unlikely to be bad, especially if your corals are opening and colorful.

Here is a quick some research on the subject.
CO2 Science

 

Keep them on like you normally do, i know my t-5s are on from 8am-5pm but my actinics are on b/f and after the 10k's so my tank is never dark, due 2 LED's on for moonlights

 

Thanks guys! I will put my heater @ 75 and let it get to "base temp" and see where I end up after the lights have been on for a day.

I just did a DIY light timer for 20.00 total at Menards.

 

Shackman, I just noticed you said to turn the heater down Seriously? You don't want it getting much lower than 77. Your corals may live, but remember most corals they come from water that is 82-84, so 75 is already 7-9 degrees below what they naturally live in. i know everyone seems to think they know better than nature, but corals are adapted to certain temperature ranges. We know they can handle swings in this range, but why on earth do you think it's good to be below this range? Turn your heater up, or turn your fans on to keep it cooler when the lights come on.

Aquarium Frontiers On-Line: November 1997: Feature

 

BTW, table1 is what I am referring to. I don't care if you believe Dr. Shimek's theories, but the fact is reefs are tropical and the temps tend to be warm. That's not really debatable...

Table I Temperatures From Selected Coral Reefs* Reef
FahrenheitCelsius Caribbean


Belize
79.2 - 87.126.2 - 30.6 x
xx Indo-Pacific


Arno Atoll
82.7 - 87.228.2 - 30.9 Bikini Atoll
81.5 - 84.527.5 - 29.0 Enewetok
80.6 - 86.027.0 - 30.0 Great Barrier Reef
77.0 - 82.425.0 - 28.0 Guam
83.328.5 Johnston Atoll
82.027.8 Kapingamarangi
84.2 - 87.829.0 - 31.0 Pt. Moresby
83.128.4 Rabaul
84.729.3 Saipan
83.328.5 Tuamotu Archipelago
85.129.5 Ontoa Atoll
73.0 - 93.022.8 - 33.9 *Data taken from various sources

 

Okay so I will put my heater @ 77 and see where it goes from there. Do I have anything to really worry about tho? My tank reaches a total of 82 currently with the heater set to 79.

 

In your first post, you said your heater was 77? and the light raises it to 82?

So, if the heater is 77, it must get down to 77? and then rise to 82?

So, if you lower it to 75, it will swing down to 75 or room temperature, whichever is warmer. This would be more of a swing, so, I have no idea why you would want to lower it?

Reefs tend to be warm. It isn't going to hurt anything to raise your heater to 80. going from 80-82 is only a 2 degree swing. Regardless of what you believe about temperature swings, I doubt anyone thinks 2 degrees is really an issue. So why not raise it a bit?

In the summer, or in warm parts of the counrty, I can see an argument for
keeping the temp lower. It allows the temp to rise more without getting into dangerous ranges. Likewise, in the winter, keeping the temp higher, allows the temp to drop more without reaching dangerous ranges.

I assume if you are using a heater, you are not in a hot climate and it is curently winter? Therefore, keeping the temp a bit higher will provide more of a buffer and is certainly still within the range of a natural reef.