Could t 5 lighting be making tank to warm?

[luv4scjjt]

I am having a real hard time keeping the temp in my 180 down. I keep the temp in the office at a constant 67 deg's. The heaters in the tank are only set at 77 and they never seem to be on but the tank water is always at 80-81. I cant seem to bring it down. I nly have t5's on the tank. I do have a glass top on to keep my eel from getting curious about the outside world but i leave it open durring the day to let heat escape. Could the lights produce that much heat????

[bellis31]

I am having a real hard time keeping the temp in my 180 down. I keep the temp in the office at a constant 67 deg's. The heaters in the tank are only set at 77 and they never seem to be on but the tank water is always at 80-81. I cant seem to bring it down. I nly have t5's on the tank. I do have a glass top on to keep my eel from getting curious about the outside world but i leave it open durring the day to let heat escape. Could the lights produce that much heat????

Yes, depends on how many bulbs and the watts per bulb but for sure they can heat up your tank! I have a 4 bulb 156W unit and with all 4 on for 3 hrs it raises the temps 1 degree...

[ganjero]

Can you list what pumps do you use (return, circulation, skimmer if any, etc)?

[luv4scjjt]

The return pumps I am not sure they came with the tank. They look like everyday petsmart pumps (have plans on replaceing them) There are 2 of them. There are 2 circulation pumps in the disp. I cant remember the name of them but they are the ones with magnets that hold them to the glass shouldn't be much heat of those i would think. And then there's the one on the protien skimmer in the sump.

[luv4scjjt]

what are the risks to the eel if i take off the top of tank to release some heat. Are zebra eels known for jumping out? He usually only comes out to eat.

[ganjero]

Pumps are one of the major causes of heat in the tank. I would find out exactly which pumps you have and look into their specs and what kind of heat are they producing. Have you checked the temp. in you tank when the lights are out? Even if the T5’s are building up heat pumps with less heat transfer might help you with this issue.

[luv4scjjt]

I will into it. Seen as i am going to replace the return pumps anyway What pumps do u all recomend for 2 returns in a 180 with 2 circulation pumps as well?

[Chris27]

80-81 is no problem at all when it comes to temperature. If it's a bit high for you, put a small clip on fan on the sump, blowing at the water, it'll likely drop the temp 1-2 F.

[power boat jim]

81 is a perfect temp. If the tank is doing well I wouldnt mess with it. Besides its only 3 deg higher then the heaters are set. The thermostat on the heaters are probably not perfect either.

[solitude127]

what is the total temp swing?

[returnofsid]

Buy a clip on fan, blow it across the bulbs. This will help remove heat, though I highly doubt that they're contributing to the tank temperature, move than a degree. Chances are, it's your pumps.

With the eel, you probably don't want to remove the glass top, though that would cool the tank down, considerably. If you have a sump, place a clip on fan over it, as well, blowing across it's surface. This will cool the tank, but also cause a lil' more evaporation.

[luv4scjjt]

so 81 isnt bad. There is not really a swing at all in the temp. It stays consistanltly at 81. At least durring the day when im here. But i come in the office at 8 and the actinics come on at 7 and the white at 8 and the temp is 81 when i get here. If 81 is ok for the tank then ya it does stay stable at around that i just thought 78 was the good temp and 81 was to warm. It would be great if 81 was ok. The fish do seem all to be fine i was just worried about it being to warm.

[HowieB]

I have a 6 x54w ATI fixture above my 120 gallon. In the morning the tank is at 78 degrees until the lights come on at 1:00. By the time the lights go out at 9:00, the temperature has rose to between 79-79.5. I keep the house in the mid to upper 70's. I have an Eheim 1262 return pump, a Vortech MP40W and two Korallias. The few times that I kept the tank dark due to algae, the temp never rose during the day. So I can honestly say that the lights raise the temp 1 to 1.5 degrees over a 8 hour period.