mooric Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 So I have been going through my first cycle on the new tank this last week and one night I decide to turn the tank lights(150watt MH closed canopy) on for a little while. I haven't been running them to cut down on excess algae. The tank has been stead at 78.9 - 79 degrees all week, but after about 3 hours with the lights on the temp was up to 81.6 degrees (ambient household temp was 74 degrees). Is there such a thing as an acceptable temperature swing or am I going to need a chiller? I was really surprised that the temp changed as much as it did, the canopy even has 4 built in cooling fans. Thoughts? TIA Moo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddybluewater Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Try to keep the swings under 3 deg. If you can stay under 84deg you will be fine. Is your canopy closed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzobob Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Agreed, keep your swings as small as reasonable possible. I have a chiller on one tank and use evaporative cooling on three other tanks. Either method can work well, you will just want to dial into what works best for your tank and budget. On my tanks running evaporative cooling I have fans come on when the lights do. Using this type of cooling I blow the fans directly across the water surface. (This is different than cooling intended to just keep a canopy cool) Of couse it's important to consider that the cooling you need in December may be significantly different than the cooling needed in August. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooric Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 (edited) Yes it's a closed canopy. That's a photo from the manufacture's site. Perhaps I will run the lights for a full 11hours tomorrow to see how big of a swing I actually get. Edited December 27, 2009 by mooric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayneb Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 I have the same tank, I just run a small fan across the top when the HQ1 lights are on. Keeps the temp below 81. Got the fan from Dollar General for a few bucks. wayneb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooric Posted December 28, 2009 Author Share Posted December 28, 2009 Thanks for the tip Wayne. I was at fishy business today and the owner recommended that I set my temp down to 76 so that when I get the temp increase it is still within a safe range. Moo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I am all for chillers. I have one on my 34g. They're great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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