Temperature Stability

[AMP07]

I am in the initial planning stages of my first reef aquarium, probably in the 50-75 gallon range. The intended location for the tank is our basement family room. My concern is fluctuations in the ambient room temperature and its affect on the temperature stability of the tank.

The room is heated with a gas fireplace insert. It is controlled via a thermostat and a timer. Between 7:00 am and 10:30 pm, it is heated to 67 degrees, but normally we have it set to shut off between 10:30 pm and 7:30 am. The temperature in the room normally would drop to the upper 50s to low 60s in the winter(the coldest it ever gets without heat is 52 even on the coldest days of winter).

The tank will be placed well away from the fireplace insert, but am I asking for trouble if we let the ambient temperature in the room swing like this? Can the heaters in the tank keep up with this kind of fluctuation and keep the tank at a constant temperature? Would multiple/redundant heaters help? Or do we really need to keep the room at as constant a temperature as we can?

Sorry for the basic question.

Aaron

[danceswithfish]

Asuming that you are going to be keeping your tank at around 80 degrees, a heater that is powerful enough should keep the tank around the right temp.

[tk1360]

Usually most heaters (at least the ones I have used) are only turned on when the temperature drops. I do not think there will be an issue. If the tank temperature drops then the heater turns on.. simple as that. Providing you get a strong enough heater for the job I imagine you should have no issues maintaining a sable temperature.

[papagimp]

Just remember that heaters are usually rated to raise the temp so many degrees for certain size tanks. For instance, a 300w heater may raise the temp in a 55 about 4-6 degrees above room temp. And so on and so forth, so you may need a couple good heaters and a decent controller for best results, but you should be fine. Better to keep em in a cold room than a hot room, easier to heat a tank in my opinion.

[skydvr]

Definately go with a few smaller heaters than one large one. If it fails you have a better chance for survival.
A controller might not be a bad idea.

[Deep6]

I finished my basement and put a 55g in the wall with a 20g long for a sump. So between the two tanks I have about 65g. I have a 300 watt heater, and the room temp in the winter can be as low as 62* during the day and closer to 68* when we are in there. My tank is at a constant 80.5* with very little flux.

[AMP07]

Thanks everyone!

I apprepreciate the replies. I'm glad to hear that with the right heaters, maintaining a constant temperature won't be a problem. The nice thing about the basement location is that even on the few 90 degree days we get in Central New York, the temperature in the basement barely rises above 70, so there should never be a need for a chiller.

Thanks again.

Aaron

[Dogfaced Puffer]

I agree. It's easier to maintain a tank at the right temp when the room is colder. We here in FL have to deal with fans and stuff to keep the temp down from our hood lights.