The temperature debate

Hello friends, I figured I would start an educational debate thread. I am an insomniac so this is what I do to entertain myself The point of this thread is to elicit your opinion based in your experience’s – not necessarily what you have read. There is no wrong answer here.

Some years back now Ron Shimek wrote an article about the average ocean coral reef temperature being between 82-84. The most common recommended reef tank temperature is 74-78 which is a fair amount cooler.

There has been plenty of professional opinions over the years – mostly conflicting at that. So for purposes of this *opinionated* thread….what do you say? What is the most ideal temperature for a reef tank?

And since I am really about getting us all thinking and hopefully making a great thread for future use....Have you tinkered with your temperature and what has been your personal experiences at sustained various temperatures?


http://www.ronshimek.com/salinity_temperature.html

 

i keep mine at 78 but that was just what i read over the years to be optimal?

 

Mine hovers around 78 & 79.4 I have a chiller and once I connect it, I will be running it at 79. Seems to work well, especially now with the seasons change.

 

mine stays between 76-79. seems to work for me. Crimson your right the average reef temp is in the low 80's. and the higher temps tend to harbor different types of bacteria that our "tank raised" fish/corals/inverts/etc cant withstand...the immune systems arent strong enough.
*i tried to open the link, but my work comp blocks it for some reason*

 

I have always tried to keep mine at 78, because that was the common number. However right now my nano is running at 75 and I plan on keeping it there. So I guess I will let you know what my experience is after I get some coral going in my tank.

Just a side thought: I would assume that the temp of your tank will depend on what you are keeping in it and where it is found native. I know I saw a thread a while back about a cold water tank and it having only species that were native to colder temps.

 

My FOWLR tank hovers around 79-80 during the day while my MH lights are on, and drops a few degrees during the night to around 76. My fish seem happy and healthy.

 

Mine 82-83 F. This is the problem with the JBJ 28 gal HQI. These tanks run hot secondary to the lid and metal halide placement and throw in the pumps and good luck keeping it below 80 F. I do run a chiller but for purposes of running it not continually I choose to keep the temp higher than the ideal 78-80. With this in mind I do not keep any fish or invert that is even remotely use to temperate water conditions.

I get good growth and coloration so for me it works.

 

I keep mine between 78-80. I think that the "optimal temp" is the one that is steady and consistent within a range. My personal experience has been that trouble usually starts if there are wide swings of temperatures.

 

I try to keep mine at 80. For about two weeks though here recently I had noticed my temps to rise as high as 83.8 before my MH shut off. I dont have a chiller and dont want to have to get one so I cut holes in the top of my canopy and pointed two fans up to exhaust the heat out of the top. Since, Im back around my 80 mark with a controller as my Xmas present to try to dial these in exactly. All that being said I didnt notice any adverse affects when my temps were on the high side, but its still too close for comfort for me.

 

My temp is 79.6 - 80.2
It is always in that range thanks to my controller w/ heaters and fans!