When did the proper temp for SPS become 82 degrees?

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acroholic

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So I am on Reef Central and couple of the "Team RC" members start talking about how 78 degrees is on the cold side to keep SPS corals....what the heck? Did something change while I was sleeping?

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) lists SPS growth temperature ranges between 73-84, so 78-79 would be in the middle, a logical point not far from either extreme of cold or hot. Since when is it "good" to keep SPS at 82-84 degrees as a normal temperature range. Makes no sense to me.

a>
 
There are a couple of new "Team RC"ers whose expertise I question regularly.
 
Is that why my green stylo is turning white from the bottom up?
Recently bought a chiller to sit between 77-78 when I was previously around 82 with my MHs running.
 
According to the study I read the average temp of the world's reefs is 82 degrees F.

According to the same study the metabolic rate of corals drops significantly in lower temps.

The only evidence I have found supporting lower temps is highly anecdotal.
 
I find my happiest inhabitants at 74-78 tops, albeit back in the day, I thought different...Oh well!
 
http://www.ronshimek.com/salinity_temperature.html">http://www.ronshimek.com/salinity_temperature.html</a>

I need to go back and read the whole thing again and now is not a good time for me to do that.

I think an important point is that usually the ideal parameters for different livestock varies significantly by region. When you have a tank full of species from across the world it would be hard to determine the ideal temperature. Some species occur at different depths as well. So there's actually a lot more factoring in to ideal temps.
 
I keep my tanks at 79-82. Works for me.

I don't have a bunch of SPS corals though
 
JDavid;939649 wrote: I keep my tanks at 79-82. Works for me.

I don't have a bunch of SPS corals though
Click to expand...

I did that for years with SPS and fish etc...my fish, sps and almost everything else is happier in the 74-78 range...just sayin'
 
Since when did "Team RC" signify any level of expertise??

:)
 
JDavid;939647 wrote: http://www.ronshimek.com/salinity_temperature.html">http://www.ronshimek.com/salinity_temperature.html</a>

I need to go back and read the whole thing again and now is not a good time for me to do that.

I think an important point is that usually the ideal parameters for different livestock varies significantly by region. [B]When you have a tank full of species from across the world it would be hard to determine the ideal temperature. Some species occur at different depths as well. So there's actually a lot more factoring in to ideal temps.[/B][/QUOTE]

Totally agree here Josh, which is why I would think somewhere in the middle would be best. We cannot hope to give ideal temperature conditions to all corals we keep because of what you posted above, and the next best thing, and probably the only thing we can do is to provide [B]generally acceptable[/B] conditions for corals we keep from differing parts of the ocean.
Click to expand...
 
mysterybox;939663 wrote: I did that for years with SPS and fish etc...my fish, sps and almost everything else is happier in the 74-78 range...just sayin'
Click to expand...

I keep my 465 at 76 in the winter, and it hardly ever gets above 79-80 in the summer because it is in the basement. Corals seem to do well in that temp range for me. I don't think an occasional rise in temp to 81-82 will kill anything, but I am not comfortable with that as a standard.

But there are those that would call that too cool. The impression from RC I get is that keeping temps in the 76-79 F range is old school, outdated thinking.
 
Acroholic;939671 wrote: I don't think an occasional rise in temp to 81-82 will kill anything, but I am not comfortable with that as a standard.
Click to expand...
Recently caught my temp at 90 due to a stuck heater. For now I have the heater switched out but I am looking into getting a controller and a small chiller which hopefully will not have to run to often.

However- didn't lose anything.
 
Acroholic;939671 wrote: I keep my 465 at 76 in the winter, and it hardly ever gets above 79-80 in the summer because it is in the basement. Corals seem to do well in that temp range for me. I don't think an occasional rise in temp to 81-82 will kill anything, but I am not comfortable with that as a standard.

But there are those that would call that too cool. The impression from RC I get is that keeping temps in the 76-79 F range is old school, outdated thinking.
Click to expand...

mysterybox;939663 wrote: I did that for years with SPS and fish etc...my fish, sps and almost everything else is happier in the 74-78 range...just sayin'
Click to expand...

every winter I used to lower my lights an inch or 2 and extend my light time, and then in the summer raise my lights and shorten the time and I kept my temp in the 77-82 range for years...Well, last summer I forgot to raise them back and my tank looked like crap, finally figured out it was from my tank getting to 84.5 degrees in the afternoon....2.5 degrees over your range shouldn't be an issue in theory, but it was very much.

So that's when I decided to go back old school. my fish & coral have never been happier, I asked them to be sure! :fish:
 
Well Ive noticed my systems ran great in the 78-83 range and that things go really bad in the 68-72 range.
 
Not sure what "proper" sps temp is but I ran mine 82 to 84 degrees for years without issue. Not sure about the level of joy or happiness the residents experienced but everything grew well.
 
I keep mine cooler during the winter (73-74) & 78 during the summer. I like the cooler temps Better.
 
General temperature cycle of my 465 in winter is like this: lights on at 4:30 pm, tank temp is at its lowest for the day at 76 or so. Tank temp then rises slowly towards a high of 79.0-80.0 between 4:30 pm and 12:00 am (lights on), then slowly cools overnight and through the day until lights on again at 4:30. 2x 500 watt ti heaters keep the tank at 75.8-76.2 when lights are off.

In summer or warmer months, just raise the starting and ending temps by 1-1.5 degrees. Heaters hardly ever come on, but tank temp never really reaches more than 81 or so during daylight hours. A fan blowing over the sump is triggered at 80.5.

The VHO Super Actinics are a recent winter addition (660 watts total), so I have not seen what effect they will have on the temperature during summer, but their effect has been negligible in winter.

I usually also plumb a 1/2 horse chiller inline with my UV pump in summer and have it set at a failsafe type 83-84 degrees, just in case. It has not been needed so far, so I just unhook it in the winter and store it.
 
Mine stays between 80 and 81 all year long. No ill effects and seem to like it better than when I had it around 77-78..I don't change temp during summer/winter since I've read somewhere that the temp difference in the natural habitat doesn't fluctuate that much.
 
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