Warmer Weather
May 16, 2008
In my neck of the woods its been a glorious day, sun shining and warm. Work has been going on in the garden after I’d finished my aquarium maintenance (I start that job early so I don’t miss out on the good weather).
Later in the afternoon I walked by the aquarium and noticed that the heater controller (I have an external controller with probe controlling two heaters) indicator was not flashing at all. This didn’t cause any alarm as I assumed it was caused by the increased air temperature. A check was made though and this proved to be the case.
Now there are those aquarists who have mainly blue skies and warm - or hot - weather all the time. Then there are others like myself who have seasons, these being spring, summer, autumn and winter of course.
Those with continuous warm or hot weather could find it best to invest in a chiller (seawater cooler). Though these are not cheap, they are very worthwhile to protect the reef (or fish) from unwanted excessive temperature increases. The device should be sized to suit the aquarium, and the pump used should be in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, to ensure that the seawater has sufficient contact or cooling time. They are easy to set, the heaters (if any) are set to the design temperature and the chiller to 2 degrees F higher. Again, the manufacturer’s instructions should be followed.
For other aquarists such as myself the increase in temperature because of the season may be insufficient or over too short a period to justify the cost of a chiller. There are other ways to cool an aquarium.
I have a 12″ electric room fan on a small pedestal. The fan will oscillate if required but I keep it fixed. The fan is directed across the front glass of the aquarium so that the air flow runs along it. The flow of air is surprisingly cool. This air flow causes the aquarium to act like a radiator and it spills heat. Sometimes I leave it running all day, switching it off in the evening when I notice that the heater controller indicator has started to flash - that is, the seawater is cooling sufficiently to need heat.
Another way of cooling an aquarium, and it is more effective, is to blow air across the top of the seawater. This can be done with small 4″ to 6″ fans, one or more as required. The fans are fixed to the end panels of the aquarium. The potential problem with this is electricity: the fans must be stable and secure and there must be no way whatsoever for seawater to splash the fans or it could be dangerous.
A much better way is to use a room fan such as I do - 12″ or so - but buy one mounted on a taller adjustable pedestal. This means the fan can be adjusted to blow across the seawater surface but is safer as it is not near the seawater, but standing away from the aquarium.
Using fans to blow air across the seawater surface is a good cooling method, but does increase evaporation.
Any aquarist who uses a hood for the lighting system should consider the heat that could be getting into the aquarium. This applies to metal halide bulbs, and also to T5 fluorescent tubes. An array of T5’s can give off a surprising amount of heat. The output from the lighting can increase the seawater temperature on its own, but allied with warm air in the room the temperature could rise excessively.
It is not difficult to vent a lighting hood in most cases. The use of computer type fans can be of use. Need depends to an extent on the size of the hood and the number of bulbs or tubes in it. Some aquarists use two fans, one at each end. One is set to suck and one to blow, creating a continuous cooling flow of air which moves the heat out of the hood.
Another way is to put a fan (or more depending on need) in the upper surface of the hood. The fan is set to blow air out of the hood, that is upwards. Therefore air is drawn in from underneath, or vents in the ends, and the heat is blown up away from the seawater.
Of course, depending on the amount of heat being extracted from the hood, this could have an effect on the room air temperature. If the air temperature rises, it can increase the seawater temperature. In this case if air conditioning is in use then that will deal with the air temperature but will have an impact, probably not particularly significant, on the running cost. Or maybe an extractor fan can be used in the room. Or maybe just leaving a window or two open will be sufficient.
Whatever the aquarist decides, the usually simple operation will avoid the stress caused by temperature increase. A large enough increase can be a disaster.
(Note: electricity and seawater can be a lethal combination. Electricity on its own can be dangerous. If the aquarist is not totally confident in his/her knowledge and ability, then it is important to seek qualified advice.)
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Tags: Aquarium Chiller, Aquarium Maintenance, aquarium-temperature, CareMarine Aquarium Temperature
February 20, 2008
Aquarists keeping cold water systems very often employ chillers (coolers) to prevent the seawater warming up excessively. Warm water systems that are in naturally warm areas may well need to do the same to prevent overheating.
Whatever the warm water system, be it a fish only aquarium or a reef aquarium, the aquarium temperature needs to be kept stable, with only a small deviation from the design point. The majority of aquarists will employ heaters, and the rest chillers, or maybe both.
Modern heater units and chillers are reasonably accurate in maintaining temperature, usually with a deviation of between 0.5 to 1.5 deg F. Seawater is fairly slow to cool and warm, so these changes are acceptable. Wider changes in temperature can cause stress to livestock, the worst affected probably being corals.
On the wild reef seawater temperature is for the most part stable throughout the year. Average temperatures on these reefs are 82 deg F *. Note that this is an average, meaning that some are cooler and some warmer. It gives an idea of where the temperature in an aquarium could be set. Setting the temperature in the aquarium to 82 deg F will give a general average temperature approximation. So is that the temperature to use? As said the temperature is an average - there are variances between reefs and there will be differences at various depths.
The lowest temperature that should be used is more easy to state. Coral reefs (of the warm water kind) do not develop if the seawater temperature is 65 deg F or less. So the temperature must be higher than 65 deg F. However, this is too low for organisms to have a high enough metabolism and it is most likely they came from much warmer water, so they would decline rapidly and die. The lower water temperature acceptable is 75 deg F.
Some aquarists set a temperature at between 80 and 84 deg F. This is done because the metabolism of the whole aquarium is raised - fish, corals, shrimps and the tiny life forms in and on deep sand beds (DSB) etc. This increase in metabolism should mean faster growth. Fish will demand more food, this food will be digested and waste will be processed more quickly. So all should remain more or less in balance. Well, yes, it should. However, the aquarist is moving closer to the edge. The aquarium has a small gallonage no matter how large it is when compared to the sea. The water can heat more quickly. If the temperature is already maintained above 80 deg F, then it is a quicker journey to higher temperatures and potential trouble. What if a heater malfunctions in the ‘on’ position? What if metal halides are in use (the heaters will turn off but the water could continue to heat)? Additionally, seawater that is cold has more oxygen than warm seawater. As the temperature continues to rise oxygen continues to reduce. This could cause trouble in any system, but particularly in a heavily stocked fish only one.
In a well managed aquarium the oxygen question should not arise. A protein skimmer is no doubt in use. Also, adequate water circulation will provide efficient gas exchange maintaining oxygen levels. The point is, the potential for a problem is there.
Apart from potential problems with the example oxygen, maintaining higher temperatures is going to cost more in electricity, except for the aquarist who has to keep temperatures down with a chiller. This is, or should be, a secondary consideration of course, it is the welfare of the livestock that is being considered (and the aquarist: if livestock are healthy and vibrant then the aquarist will be happy).
So, what is the best temperature setting? Lower down, the livestock will have a slower metabolism and oxygen will be more plentiful. Higher, the opposite. It seems a compromise is in order. I would suggest a temperature setting of between 77 and 80 deg F. This is somewhere in the middle of the acceptable range and gives a reasonable safety margin should a heater malfunction etc.
I run a soft coral reef at a temperature of 77 deg F. The corals grow at a reasonable rate - they need cutting fairly regularly. The fish display good appetites, and the DSB has a high population of miniature life forms. I should mention that I have never experimented with higher temperatures - but then, why would I when all is well.
Whatever the temperature, it needs to be stable. Constantly changing the temperature setting will do no good at all. If the aquarist wishes to experiment with higher settings, then the temperature should be increased slowly over a considerable period. The same applies to temperature reduction of any amount. The aquarist who sets a high temperature needs to ensure the heater/stats in use are of high quality, and preferably there is an external heater control with an in-tank probe in use.
(* Reference: Aquarium Corals. Eric H. Borneman)
Tags: aquarium, Aquarium Heater, aquarium-temperature, Equipment, saltwater-aquarium
Why You Should Use More Than One Heater In The Home Aquarium
November 5, 2007
As with anything in the [tag-tec]saltwater home aquarium[/tag-tec] hobby one of the areas which all aquarists must attempt to maintain is stability.
The aquarium temperature is one of these factors.
Allowing the temperature in the aquarium to fluctuate cause stress on the corals, fish etc which can bring out diseases etc or at worst even death.
[Read more]
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