New lights!! Tanks overheating HELP!!

clos10

clos10

jrwarrior23
Feb 6, 2006
84
0
0
Rohnert Park, CA
Ok so I finally upgraded the lights on my reef to metal halides. I have 2 250 watt HQI's and 4x 65 watt power compacts. Everything is great EXCEPT!! I checked the temperature on my tank and it was at 84 degrees YIKESS!! My lights have a built in fan but its obviously not working. I turned off one of the HQI's and the temperature is now around 82 BUT my corals don't seem to happy with the new higher temperature. The temperature in my tank used to be around 77 maybe 80 during the hottest days. Any suggestions , other than maybe placing a bigger fan close to the tank.
 
I believe that the fans are for your lights, keeping them at a reasonable temp and their housing. You could put the small fans....computer case type fans blowing over the water surface and that brings the temp down quite a bit. I put a fan in my stand over the sump and that helps as well.

Do you have a controller? If you have one - like an Aquacontroller Jr or so you can program it so that the lights go off when the temp gets too high till you get things sorted out. Our just a regular light timer - on 2 hrs off 1 hr on 2 hrs, etc - cycle the light to reduce the heat.

The fans really do help, short of getting a chiller.
 
Well a couple of things, I have heard people running fans across the top of the tank that will help dissipate the heat, also you can bag up ice and put into your sump but that will work temporally unless you keep adding ice, (note) do not put the ice directly into the water it will dilute salinity always put it into a bag. The other way is to buy a chiller they can be expensive but it the best way and you can control your temp, some have a place to put a heater and control but from 1 unit.
 
Do you have any kind of top on the tank? Glass or canopy? If a canopy is it vented in any way? Is there a sump?

I have (2) 250 watt MHs on my 55g and I keep it cool with a vented canopy, 2 computer fans blowing across the top and an emergency fan over the sump although I've not needed it. Oh..and I don't have a glass top.
 
No I dont have a canopy!! I just have hte lights right over the tank....I guess I could go to radioshack and buy one of those big computer fans or maybe a couple.
 
84F isn't that bad. Reefs in the wild see temps in that range quite frequently.
 
Be careful with the MH's as they can shock the corals, I lost a couple just by changing bulbs. Raise the lights, and slowly lower them over a couple of weeks. The fact that you corals are not happy may not be the heat at all.
 
I use A couple of $6.00 dollar Wal-Mart fans on my MH lights. Don't know if you can, but I have mine attached to the wall behind the hood blowing across the lights and the top of the water. Also have one blowing inside the stand to keep the ballast cool. Tank stays around 78-79 degrees..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom