High Temperature Readings in 90 gallon

[parmoffitt]

A maintenance company upgraded my main display pump in my 90 gallon reef from a Mag 7 to Mag 9.5. He also installed a Aqua EV Protein Skimmer with a Mag 5. Now I am having temperatures ranges starting at 8l.5 with lights off going up to 86.4 with the 150 MH lights on. So far the corals and tank are o'k for now.

I am worried the high temperatures are coming from the pumps in the sump. Right now I have the cabinets open with a fan flowing against the sump and the AC window unit blowing in the room hoping to bring down the levels.

I upgraded the main pump because of dead areas but now am regretting it and now fear the protein skimmer is too much for the tank.

Any suggestions as to how you would solve the problem?

 

[drnecropolis]

Try the fan blowing across the water and see if that helps...I have had the exact same problem.. I finally had to break down and buy a chiller a few days ago... Try filling some bottle with water and freezing them.. Float them in the sump to try and slowly slowying being the key word and bring the temp. Down.. Good luck..

 

[parmoffitt]

The problem is that there is a mag 5 running a upgraded protein skimmer on top of the mag 9.5.
I hate to use a chiller and I wish I stayed with the mag 7.
I still have the old pump and may have to pay a different maintenance company to put that back in. Still there is the upgraded protein skimmer to deal with. There is no room in the sump for anything else.
Right now the temperature in the tank is 82.3 and it's come down from 82.7. I have a small fan sitting on a small stool facing the sump with the AC running in the room. This sucks.

Where did you get the fans and do they clip on?

Thanks for the help!

 

[wbholwell]

I too recommend adding a fan or two to blow air across the surface of the water of the display. It's amazing how much of a cooling effect evaporation has. If that is not adequate, I would step back down to a Mag 7 (like Dawgdude said, most of your flow should come from powerheads or a closed loop system, not your return pump.) And if that doesn't take care of it, a chiller may be in your future.

 

[parmoffitt]

Oh I forgot to answer something. There is no canopy and two small fans came with the Coralife MH light fixture.

 

[drnecropolis]

You should be able to find the fans at wally world, they are in season right now.. I took the fan I had blowing on the water (don't need it now thanks to a chiller) and have it blowing on my Ballast now.. You wouldn't believe how hot that thing gets... Hot enough to cut the halides off!

Try and find 1 or 2 8" clip on or free standing fans...
Right about the evaporation factor... Be prepared to top off more often, but atleast you won't boil your corals and have zoo stew!

 

[george]

Personally, unless you've got clogged pumps, I don't think the mag 5 (45 watts) and change from 7 to 9.5 (an additional 23 watts) is what's causing your temp spike. I was running more than that (Sedra 3500, feed pump, Mag 5) in my sump on a 25g tank with no temp problems. Unless those pumps are squeezed down to minimal out-flow, they shouldn't be adding that much heat to the water.

However, I agree with Dawg. The return pump shouldn't be a flow item, just a mechanism to return water to the tank. Flow issues should be solved with flow pumps or closed loops setups.

How long has this tank been running? Is this its first spring? The average daily temperature has risen quite a bit over the past couple weeks which makes houses get quite warm if you haven't cranked up the AC. The added rain has made for humid air which further taxes the AC system and reduces any evaporative cooling you might have been getting.

 

[parmoffitt]

Thanks so much guys. I am going straight to Walmart and I'll post an update later. I am very thankful for this board.

 

[drnecropolis]

No problem.... This is why we are all here... Well.. Its why I'm here, to help and get help..

 

[parmoffitt]

The tank is going on 3.5 years old. The pumps are wedged in the sump with no room for anything else. What do you mean squeezed down to minimal out-flow? I hope your right and this is not a upgraded pump issue. I hope this is temporary.

 

[drnecropolis]

Like restricted by a valve

 

[parmoffitt]

I found two 7" white Massey clip on fans at Walmart. I clipped one onto the center support cabinet post in the back and the top is facing downward into the sump. The temperature is now 80.5.

My Coralife MH light system sits on the top of the tank with legs. I could not get the other fan to clip onto the back but I hate to clip it onto the front of the tank. The only place I could clip it was the Coralife leg. It looks really big on the left side of the tank.

I really would rather have a smaller one for the top.

Any suggestions

 

[skriz]

Watch out for evap now. With the fans you will get a lot more water evaporating than before.

As far as smaller fans, you can use computer fans.

I like chillers. If you use a large enough chiller, it uses very little power and keeps your temps perfect.

What's the ambient temp in the room?

 

[drnecropolis]

I was worried about getting a chiller, but once it hit target temp. It comes on about once a hour for about 2 minutes.. So I am happy so far..

 

[ralph atl]

try your fans over your sump first & see if that does it. Of course, check and make sure there are no issues with the pumps, lines, etc. A good pc fan should do the trick. My tank stays at 82 24-7. Those corals don't grow in the Arctic ya know! j/k

 

[geno]

Your post sounds almost exactly like my problem. I bought fans for the sump and put 2 blowing across the top -- I don't have a canopy either.

I just bought a chiller! I could not get the temp regulated to suit me.

I did all the temporary fixes like frozen water bottles in the sump -- it just became more hassle that I thought it was worth.

I hope you have more success than I did.

-geno

 

[melissa]

Mag pumps are internal/external and produce a lot of heat. What I would do is plumb the pumps so that they can sit outside the water. Then I'd run two fans in the sump. One pushing air in the cabinet and one pulling air out. I ran two Mag 12 pumps (one for the skimmer, one return) and 2 400w halides on a 90 and was able to control the heat using only fans in the cabinet and canopy in this manner.

 

[theplatypus]

YOu could also remove the mag5 that is feeding your skimmer and and let the mag9 do both.