Seasonal reef tank temps

[hurst1401]

I have a Neptune Apex with the Season table and if you use the table to manage your temps it will supposedly mimic natural reef temps throughout the year. The temps range from a low of 75 in February to a high of 80.5 in july. I like the fact that my fans will run less in the summer and my heater will run less in the winter but i am concerned the lower temp. Temperature affects the metabolic rate of every creature in our systems so i will get slower coral growth in the winter. My main concern is the immune system of my fish. I have read accounts of outbreaks of ICH due to lower system temps. I have also read that the yearly temp fluctuation will make my corals more hardy against possible temp swings, possibly saving them in the event of a power outage when the temps drop. I agree that some seasonal variation is good but i just wanted to hear what your opinions were.

Thanks,
Jason

[sirreal63]

Those temps are too low, it should be about 3 to 4 degrees higher on both the low and high point.

[hurst1401]

I think that 84.5 is too close to overheating. I like some buffer in my tanks.

[Laugh_At_Rice]

78-83 shoot for that for tropical range I think that was sirreal point. 75 is low for most reefs. If you let it fluctuate that's fine IMO but it's debatable tropical temperature range is not 78-83 will give you a buffer on either side.

[sirreal63]

A good read,
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2203610

[hurst1401]

A good read,
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2203610

Thanks I'll take a look at it.

[sirreal63]

It will lead to more reading, and hopefully understanding, which of course is a good thing. :D

[Neptune_Fan]

Reefs here in south Florida can get upwards on 84+ in July and August. As or tanks are a controlled enviornment I would be more comfortable keeping my tank at a constant level all year round. 79 works for me.

[hurst1401]

I see the benififs of a very stable temprature but what about the possible benefits of a seasonal temp cycle? Do you think corals will stress more if they ave adjusted to a rock solid temprature and then expierance a drop?

[sirreal63]

A "stable" temp is often inferred to mean one constant temp, but that is incorrect. If the tank naturally varies from 78 to 83 daily, that is also a stable temp. To answer your question directly, yes it will probably induce stress and depending on what the temp dropped to it could kill them. Forcing the tank to stay at a set temp or a minimal variation is not a good thing, eventually something will happen to change that, electrical outage, equipment malfunction, etc. When that does happen and the temp varies for than a couple of degrees from your set temp then corals will stress. Corals have evolved with having a natural temp variation and allowing that variation in your tank is an insurance policy for when something does happen to change that normal temp in your tank. Corals acclimated to a normal 5 degree variation daily are better adapted to handle temporary temps beyond the norm than corals who have no daily fluctuation. If you do an advanced search on user greenbean36191 and use temp as the search word you will gain a wealth of information from someone who has spent many years studying this in the wild. Here is one of the threads where he does an excellent job at explaining this.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1977164

There are many more from him, spend a little time reading and you will see why it is not a good idea to force a set temperature in your tank, and what the benefits are of letting them vary.

[hurst1401]

There are many more from him, spend a little time reading and you will see why it is not a good idea to force a set temperature in your tank, and what the benefits are of letting them vary.

Thanks, I this is just what I was looking for. I will be changing my temp control profile this week.

[swcc]

I would be more concerned with bacterial change from the change in temperature and how that would affect the system vs the corals and their ability to handle the temp change.

[r-balljunkie]

there's no such a thing as a seasonal temp swing in the south pacific. its pretty constant year around :).

stability would be of more benefit than mimicking a temp swing of sorts.

c