temperature

[bufu11]

wat is the"best" temp. for a reef?? thanks

[sir_dudeguy]

Most people sit around 80. Some go down to 76, and from there up to around 82.

[drummereef]

I target mine at 80F. Most important here is to limit the fluxuations between day/night.

[Henry Bowman]

Sir is correct. I believe that most of the worlds reefs are very close to 80. Thing is, the temp varies less than 1 (one) degree throughout the year.

[greenbean36191]

The average for the world's reefs is close to 83. Most stony corals reach their growth optimum somewhere close to that temp as well.

Reefs ARE NOT thermally stable! There are NO reefs that see less than one degree variation throughout the year. If they did, none of the animals on them would mature or spawn. Even the most stable see that much variation throughout the day, and even within an hour. It's not uncommon to see 5 degree variations within an hour, and some reefs see as much as 15 degree swings per day. There is no good reason to think that there is a need to keep the temperature of a reef tank stable.

[knantzy]

what about water changes? I'm about to do my first water change. 55 gal. tank, planning on swapping 5 gals. the new water is about 10 degrees colder than the tank. do I need another heater for reserve water?

[zooty]

Some will say yes, it must be the same temp.

I add water that is at room temp which is about 8 to 10 degrees cooler than the tank. Usually a 15-20% change on a 75g tank

[skippy2]

I have been doing the same as Zooty for going on 5 yrs. with the same size tank and have never had a problem.

[Monkey55]

problem is, with water 10 degrees colder, it is hard to get an accurate measurement of SG as it varies with temp. And when doing water changes, having equal SG is extremely important., this can severly shock any life in the tank

[knantzy]

Well its done now, keep your fingers crossed. I had no idea temp would affect SG. It is currently 1.021.(2 clowns, 2 chromis, 6 hermits and live rock. and lots of algae!) From what I've gathered so far, its where I want it to be. Perhaps I'll leave my reserve water in the sun from now on, that might be just enough. thanks for your help

[zooty]

The temp effect on SG isn't significant.
Its also only a 15% water change. I've never seen any adverse reaction from my fish or corals. I also add the new water to the sump right in front of the pump and in 3 gallon buckets so I'm not adding the whole 15% in on shot.

[PONCHDOG2000]

when i forgot to make my new water the same temp i saw corals and snails exhibit sign of stress. gooing and pooping. an easy way to heat your new water is in your bathtub. just passing on the tip. goodluck.