Tank overheating

[curator]

My biocube 29 keeps getting too hot, sometimes even when I leave the two lids open. I really don't want to have to get a chiller, but am hoping a fan might work. I would like to be able to get a wrasse or two, but imagine I can put some tupe of a wire screen over the openings to prevent jumping. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

John

 

[mapleredta]

What kind of light do you have over your tank? Is your heater working properly? There is a how to on a mesh net build in the DIY forum!

 

[curator]

2 36 watt Coralife bulbs...one actinic, one not. I've not needed a heater on ovet the summer. Thnaks for the heads-up on the mesh net.

 

[mapleredta]

Curator;393970 wrote: 2 36 watt Coralife bulbs...one actinic, one not. I've not needed a heater on ovet the summer. Thnaks for the heads-up on the mesh net.

Dang. what powerheads do you have in the tank? Something is putting off a lot of heat. I wouldn't think that lighting would cause a tank to run hot. Are you using a digital thermometer or what? Maybe it needs to be calibrated. Do you have the a/c on?

 

[curator]

I use two different types of thermometers, which read fairly close to each other. The powerhead is the one that came iwth the biocube.

 

[gametrackers]

what kind of temps are you getting?

 

[curator]

No heater until winter. Temps get almost to 82.

 

[elfloyd]

Check you pumps for an obstruction. Try to feel all the electrical components to see if anything feels hot.

 

[dakota9]

82 isn't bad, anything under 84 is no cause for alarm. Just crack the tank lid a little, I personally used two soda bottle caps to prop the front of the lid open, then use a clip on fan set on low to blow across the openning. Don't be shocked to see the temp drop to 78 or so.......

 

[curator]

But I thought that temperature swings were bad?

I guess I could cut two pieces of egg-crate the size of the two lids when open and place a fan to blow across. Any special recommnedations on a specific fan?

 

[dakota9]

Temp swings arent good, but you're describing a potential hig temp swing that could be fatal.

I was thinking you had a ceiling fan. Are you leaving it on? That was always enough for my tank to not over heat. If I had a cieling fan in the room my tank was in, I don't think I'd need to worry about temp swings.

Any small cheap clip-on will suffice.It only needs to operate on low and turn it off at night when the lights go out


Take care of those frags for me.......... I'll be needing them soon as most everything died that I owned because of the cracked tank.

 

[tnyga]

throw a fan on it and it will drop considerably but your evaporation will increase

 

[weaglereefer]

Target has some 4" personal fans on clearance right now for like $4 a piece. I put one on my 10 gallon tank, which has a 150w halide, and the temp drops to 79 during the day with the light on, and 80 at night with the light and fan off! I evaporate a little over a gallon per day, though. I use old vinegar jugs (from cleaning coraline off used equipment) and keep them on the bottom of a shelf next to the tank. I almost have a full week's worth. I'll top off in the morning when I wake up, and in the evening (around 4:40-5:00 after the lights been on for 4+ hours.

 

[gametrackers]

what is the room temp?

 

[weaglereefer]

My room temperature is around 79-80 right now.

 

[weaglereefer]

And it's 90 degrees in that room!

You could hook up a cathode or LED case light kit and have some moonlights.

 

[gametrackers]

Does it stay that temp through the night? If so that could be your problem and just need more water flow or air flow. Those lights should not raise the temp that much but if the air temp is the same as the water temp there is not anything to cool it down unless there is air flow. It is like setting a bottle of water outside in 80 degree weather and expecting it to be 78 degrees. Then add a light on it that produces a little bit of heat and you would expect it to raise at least 2 degrees. Water flow helps if the room temp is a little lower because it will bring more water to the surface per minute versus no water flow. You can put a fan in the room that directs air flow towards the tank and that may be enough or maybe a little clip on one that directs towards and vents in the top.

 

[weaglereefer]

I wasn't complaining. A 1 degree temp swing on a tank that small with that much light and no controller is fine with me. My 90 swings maybe .3 degrees at the end of the photo period. Can't afford to cool the house any more than I already am. Power bill this month was $391! That's a lot for a college student...(and accounts for nearly 60% of my monthly bills).

It's better since I got my new A/C unit this summer. Has a rating like 13+. My old one had a rating of 8 and my power bills were regularly above $400, and this is in a 1200sqft house with no trees for shade.


Sorry to thread-jack!

 

[gametrackers]

sorry i thought you were the original threader I am asking him what his room temp where his aquarium is