Heater vs. Lights vs. Temp

[rookie96]

Hello all,

I have 100 gallon reef - up and running for approximately 1 year. Everything is doing great , but I would like to get the water temp a little more consistent and below 80F. Currently have the heaters set at 79F and the tank starts every day at around 79.1 F. When the 4 54w T5's come on, the temp increases to 81.5F-82.5F (depending on room temp)

That is a little more variation than is preferred. Here's the question:

Do lights automatically add a finite amount to the temp - in my case approximately 2F? If so, can I set the temp at 77F for an expected temp (with lights on) of 79F? This will keep my max below a more desirable 80F.

Or.....

Is there a tank operating temp and no matter what I set the heaters at, will the lights always bring the temp to 81.5-82.5?

Thanks in advance!



:rollface:

[BurntOutReefer]

hmmm....interesting question.....do the lights only heat the water 2degrees or do they heat the water to 82.5.......


try a clip on fan that starts at the same time as your lights....to bring your temp down.....should help.

[rookie96]

I would love to reduce the heaters to 76-77F, but I'm concerned with a large 4-5F fluctuation everyday if the lights do indeed heat the tank to 81.5-82.5.

I did use fans in the sump previously (pre-air conditioning days when the house would get up in the mid to high 80's) and it did reduce tank temp to 83-84F with a couple 85F spikes. Scary, but everything came out fine. But with A/C I am able to maintain a more consistent room temp of approximately 72-75F.

Thoughts?

[zoomfish1]

Fans will bring the temp down 2 degrees with no problem. It's the light causing the increase. I have 2 fans in the hood, 1 blowing in and 1 blowing out and a clip on fan over the sump. I only have to run the sump fan for a few hours at the end of the day to bring down the temp 1 or 2 points.

Unless you want to spend $600 for a chiller, I really would do the fans.