Temperature

FoxyFace · 03/19/2018, 08:46 AM

I've had my current setup for about two years. It's a 220 mixed reef. I am not seeing much growth. If corals grow, it's soooooo slowly. I'm looking for trouble shooting ideas. I supplement Ca and Mg. I'm wondering if the temp I keep the tank at is too low. I keep it at 78.

RobZilla04 · 03/19/2018, 09:00 AM

You could play with the temp and range from 77 to 81 but I doubt you'll find temp as the defining parameter that leads to coral growth. What type of corals are we talking about (Soft, LPS, SPS, Mixed)?

Other options include increased feeding, dosing aminos, adding to the bio load (fish and/or inverts), adjusting lighting, and nutrient adjustments.

thegrun · 03/19/2018, 09:11 AM

I let my mixed reef tank drop to 76 in the winter with little is any slow down in coral growth. There are many possible reasons why your corals are not growing faster but at 78 degrees you can rule water temperature out as one of them. If you list all your water parameters, tank size and equipment we may be able to help you better identify possible issues.

nereefpat · 03/19/2018, 10:23 AM

I agree that it's not the temp. Tell us salinity, alk, Ca, Mg. And tell us about your lighting (specific type, brand, watts).

mcgyvr · 03/19/2018, 10:40 AM

Corals on average do grow fairly slowly...
78 is totally fine..
You can always experiment and increase the temp some but I doubt you will notice much of a difference..

AlSimmons · 03/19/2018, 10:52 AM

FWIW my tank usually varies between 76-85 throughout the year and nobody seems to mind. (mixed reef)

RCS82 · 03/19/2018, 10:58 AM

How about lighting? flow? water quality? maintenance routines? I would look at those first over temperature.

BrettDS · 03/19/2018, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FoxyFace

I supplement Ca and Mg

Was this a typo or do you not supplement alkalinity? If you aren’t supplementing, then your alkalinity levels could be very low and that would definitely impact coral growth.

DesertReefT4r · 03/19/2018, 05:45 PM

I tank temps float arou d fro. 76-83° throughout the year and I never saw an issue. I abree with the other in that temp is not your growth limiting factor and that we need more i fo on you tank setup and water parameters to aid in growth.

FoxyFace · 03/19/2018, 07:34 PM

I mostly does kalk.
Ca is 400-420
Mg 1300
Alk 7-8
Mixed reef, sps, lps, zoas, bubble nem.
Fish:
4 yellow tangs
1 hippo
2 clarkki clowns
1 birdnose wrasse
1 melenarus
1 flame angel
1 blue jaw trigger
1 copperband
1 bicolor blenny
1 starry eye blenny
1 mandarin
2 lyre tail anthias

I do water changes about twice per month. 55 gallons at a time. I use Reef Crystals but just bought a bucket of a Red Sea salt.

I have a 65 gallon fuge that I added about 45 days ago.

I have a skimmer and a UV unit.

Lighting is 2 AI Hydras. I have more lights but I was melting things away so I turned them off. (3 Radions original that I might add in again just for blues)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

RCS82 · 03/20/2018, 07:09 AM

Only 2 led light fixtures over a 220 is rather minimal in my opinion. Are they 26s or 52s? Many people run multiple led fixtures, as they should for coverage, without "melting away" their corals. I think your lighting is definitely something to look into.
And do you see the flame angel pick at anything? Angels can limit coral growth as well. Although mainly just fleshy corals like lps.
How are your nitrates and phosphates? You have just added a fuge so are numbers changing a lot?

crawlerman · 03/20/2018, 07:58 AM

recommended spread on the AI 52's is 24"x24", so I would say lighting is an issue. Low nutrients could also be a contributor.

FoxyFace · 03/20/2018, 09:18 AM

I do have 5 lights above the tank. 3 Radions that I shut off and 2 AIs. The corals were burning out. I kept the AIs on over the Radions because I have the original Radions and they're a pain to control. I'll add them back in gradually. Maybe it's just time to get a few more? I got my use out of them for sure.

The report from Triton did say NO3 was too low and PO4 was too low, suggestion was to increase feeding. Both were nearly zero. I always thought I fed a lot but I guess it's not enough with the fuge.

laverda · 03/20/2018, 10:18 AM

Considering the poor quality of hobby thermometers it is possible you tank is cooler then you thing. I have seen them off by 4 degrees.
Have you checked for a magnet going bad like the ones in pumps and especially the pump mounting magnets. Check cleaner magnets as well. Sadly I have seen almost every brand of magnete fail.
Another possibility is electricity in the water. I had the same thing happen and could not figure it out for months. Then one morning I saw a flash of light in my overflow where I had a heater. I immediately pulled the heater out and just the guts came out. Is was a black corroded mess. The glass tube was full of black water. The seal had failed big time. I no longer completely submerse any heaters due to this. With in days everything looked much better, sadly by then I had lost a lot of corals and sponges.

03/19/2018, 08:46 AM	#1
FoxyFace Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 52	Temperature I've had my current setup for about two years. It's a 220 mixed reef. I am not seeing much growth. If corals grow, it's soooooo slowly. I'm looking for trouble shooting ideas. I supplement Ca and Mg. I'm wondering if the temp I keep the tank at is too low. I keep it at 78.

03/19/2018, 09:00 AM	#2
RobZilla04 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: St. Augustine, FL Posts: 1,857	You could play with the temp and range from 77 to 81 but I doubt you'll find temp as the defining parameter that leads to coral growth. What type of corals are we talking about (Soft, LPS, SPS, Mixed)? Other options include increased feeding, dosing aminos, adding to the bio load (fish and/or inverts), adjusting lighting, and nutrient adjustments. __________________ 90g Mixed Reef

03/19/2018, 10:23 AM	#4
nereefpat Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Central Nebraska Posts: 3,190	I agree that it's not the temp. Tell us salinity, alk, Ca, Mg. And tell us about your lighting (specific type, brand, watts). __________________ Pat Current Tank Info: 125 in-wall , 40b sump. 6 bulb T5. ASM G2 skimmer. LPS and leathers

03/19/2018, 10:40 AM	#5
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	Corals on average do grow fairly slowly... 78 is totally fine.. You can always experiment and increase the temp some but I doubt you will notice much of a difference.. __________________ Who me?

03/19/2018, 10:58 AM	#7
RCS82 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Sherwood Park, AB, Canada Posts: 273	How about lighting? flow? water quality? maintenance routines? I would look at those first over temperature. __________________ After about a 16 year break from fish keeping, Wow, how things have changed. Current Tank Info: 90g, mixed reef, I hope haha

03/19/2018, 09:11 AM	#3
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	I let my mixed reef tank drop to 76 in the winter with little is any slow down in coral growth. There are many possible reasons why your corals are not growing faster but at 78 degrees you can rule water temperature out as one of them. If you list all your water parameters, tank size and equipment we may be able to help you better identify possible issues.

03/19/2018, 10:52 AM	#6
AlSimmons Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: California Posts: 2,482	FWIW my tank usually varies between 76-85 throughout the year and nobody seems to mind. (mixed reef)

03/19/2018, 05:45 PM	#9
DesertReefT4r Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Mesa Az Posts: 771	I tank temps float arou d fro. 76-83° throughout the year and I never saw an issue. I abree with the other in that temp is not your growth limiting factor and that we need more i fo on you tank setup and water parameters to aid in growth. __________________ Tank history 29g tropical ,55g cichlid tank, 20H softy reef, 29g mixed reef, 20H brackish goby & puffer tank, 55g mixed reef, 6g Nanocube softy lps reef, 40B sps reef, 75g sps reef, 75g sps reef in bu Current Tank Info: 75g sps reef build in the works.

03/19/2018, 07:34 PM	#10
FoxyFace Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 52	I mostly does kalk. Ca is 400-420 Mg 1300 Alk 7-8 Mixed reef, sps, lps, zoas, bubble nem. Fish: 4 yellow tangs 1 hippo 2 clarkki clowns 1 birdnose wrasse 1 melenarus 1 flame angel 1 blue jaw trigger 1 copperband 1 bicolor blenny 1 starry eye blenny 1 mandarin 2 lyre tail anthias I do water changes about twice per month. 55 gallons at a time. I use Reef Crystals but just bought a bucket of a Red Sea salt. I have a 65 gallon fuge that I added about 45 days ago. I have a skimmer and a UV unit. Lighting is 2 AI Hydras. I have more lights but I was melting things away so I turned them off. (3 Radions original that I might add in again just for blues) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

03/20/2018, 07:09 AM	#11
RCS82 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Sherwood Park, AB, Canada Posts: 273	Only 2 led light fixtures over a 220 is rather minimal in my opinion. Are they 26s or 52s? Many people run multiple led fixtures, as they should for coverage, without "melting away" their corals. I think your lighting is definitely something to look into. And do you see the flame angel pick at anything? Angels can limit coral growth as well. Although mainly just fleshy corals like lps. How are your nitrates and phosphates? You have just added a fuge so are numbers changing a lot? __________________ After about a 16 year break from fish keeping, Wow, how things have changed. Current Tank Info: 90g, mixed reef, I hope haha

03/20/2018, 07:58 AM	#12
crawlerman Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 503	recommended spread on the AI 52's is 24"x24", so I would say lighting is an issue. Low nutrients could also be a contributor.

03/20/2018, 09:18 AM	#13
FoxyFace Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 52	I do have 5 lights above the tank. 3 Radions that I shut off and 2 AIs. The corals were burning out. I kept the AIs on over the Radions because I have the original Radions and they're a pain to control. I'll add them back in gradually. Maybe it's just time to get a few more? I got my use out of them for sure. The report from Triton did say NO3 was too low and PO4 was too low, suggestion was to increase feeding. Both were nearly zero. I always thought I fed a lot but I guess it's not enough with the fuge.

03/20/2018, 10:18 AM	#14
laverda Registered Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 6,902	Considering the poor quality of hobby thermometers it is possible you tank is cooler then you thing. I have seen them off by 4 degrees. Have you checked for a magnet going bad like the ones in pumps and especially the pump mounting magnets. Check cleaner magnets as well. Sadly I have seen almost every brand of magnete fail. Another possibility is electricity in the water. I had the same thing happen and could not figure it out for months. Then one morning I saw a flash of light in my overflow where I had a heater. I immediately pulled the heater out and just the guts came out. Is was a black corroded mess. The glass tube was full of black water. The seal had failed big time. I no longer completely submerse any heaters due to this. With in days everything looked much better, sadly by then I had lost a lot of corals and sponges. __________________ 240G mixed reef, 29G SPS/LPS clam tank, 50G mixed reef Current Tank Info: 300g mixed reef, 50g cube