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Aquarium running hot

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Phishin801 View Drop Down
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    Posted: April 21 2014 at 10:24am
My aquarium temp generally sits around 79 degrees, but yesterday I noticed that it reached a high of 82 degrees, and first thing this morning (before my day lights turned on) it was running at 80 degrees.  The room temperature where the aquarium is located is a pretty constant 72 degrees.  Anyone have any ideas on what could be causing the temp increase?  Also, how worried should I be about 82 degrees?  All my fish and coral look great, but I know that 82 is too high.  I'd really like to avoid buying a chiller, but I'll get one if absolutely necessary.

My tank is a 30 gallon nano cube LED intermediate.  I replaced the stock pumps several months ago, and I am currently running 2 maxi-jet 1200's and a Koralia Nano.  I have a Cobalt Neo-Therm heater, but it is currently unplugged because the tank stays hot enough without it.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Softplan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 21 2014 at 10:29am
Check your heater and make sure it isn't malfunctioning and staying on.  I personally run an inexpensive temp controller on all of my heaters.  Also I run 2 heaters and under-size them just in case there is an issue and one stays on.  It has saved my tank twice from the probe coming out of the tank because I didn't secure them properly.

Here is what I have.  I am using 2, 1 for each heater.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=23735
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Ann_A View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ann_A Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 21 2014 at 10:29am
Have you cleaned the pumps recently? If not you might try cleaning them out and inspecting the impellers. Sometimes debris can get stuck in the impeller space and cause extra friction so the pump heats up. Usually the pump is louder when this happens though. Just a thought...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Matt Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 21 2014 at 10:54am
The weather is heating up a bit and i for one havent turned on the ac yet. That may cause some heating up. Yesterday my house got up to 76 and my tank went up to 78.4. I have a lot more water and i run mps to keep the heat out. I also dont have a lid or canopy run leds i have had my sump light on 24 hours a day for a few days. I dont have a fan set up yet on my tank but will be doing that shortly. If your tank has a lid it may be inhibiting evaporation which is a cooling process. I dont know if you have space for a fan to increase evaporation but with that comes needing go top off the water more often. I had 2 windows open all night and my house dropped to 67.
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Mark Peterson View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 22 2014 at 8:42am
Originally posted by Phishin801 Phishin801 wrote:

My aquarium temp generally sits around 79 degrees
I run my tanks at 70-75 degrees, giving some safety margin for an unexpected increase. 70-80 is the range.

As the outside weather warms, aquarium temp will rise slightly, even with AC running because most tanks are next to a wall where the temperature of the wall inhibits cooling in the summer and heating in the winter.

I agree with what has been said regarding pumps and evaporation. The ocean is not closed up. Neither should our aquariums be closed up. It's remarkable how the general health of a reef aquarium increases when the top is raised up to expose the entire water surface to fresh air. Even just lifting the lid one inch can make a significant improvement in healthy pH, not to mention the cooling effect.
Otherwise, add a good fan in the lid blowing onto the water.

I too have been leaving two windows open all night. Cool fresh air - Ahhhhloha Hug
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Phishin801 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 22 2014 at 8:52am
On the new nano cubes, the back chambers are not covered by the hood and are exposed to the air.  I leave the feeding hood open in my 6 gallon cube, which definitely helps increase evaporation, but I'm concerned about leaving the hood in my 30 gallon open because I don't want my blue spotted jawfish to jump out.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 23 2014 at 3:09pm
My 3 cents:
1. Place the fan pointing directly down into the back chamber.
2. I have found that there are ways to set up a tank and to aquascape so that fish don't feel the need to leave the water or don't get frightened to where they swim fast up the glass and inadvertently leave the tank.
3. There is also an inexpensive clear screen material (~3/8" mesh) that many hobbyists here use to completely eliminate the worry.

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