treesprite May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 That stupid heat yesterday..... all of my corals are starting to bleach out . I was at work yesterday and didn't know it was going to be THAT hot, so I didn't bother adding a second fan (tank got too cold when I had 2 before). Stupid apartment management is not going to turn on the main AC switch for like another week, so I'm going out in a bit to get a second fan. I did a 20% water change at like 2 AM hoping somehow that it would help (water was cooler than tank water), but I really don;t think it was much help. I hope everything doesn't die on me :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 Sorry to hear of the difficulties, Forrest. You can bring the temperature down in your tank (do it slowly, though), by setting water frozen in a milk jug (or some other sealed container) to your sump. You have to watch it, though, to make sure that things don't cool too quickly or too much. You've made sure the lights are off, though, haven't you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 (edited) How hot did it get? You might want to invest in a controller that would turn your lights or fans on and off as needed. It could even send a text when the tank gets to hot or cold. When you think about how much money we spend on livestock a controller is well worth it. Even a simple Ranco for about $50 would help you out. Edited May 3, 2010 by Coral Hind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite May 3, 2010 Author Share May 3, 2010 (edited) Sorry to hear of the difficulties, Forrest. You can bring the temperature down in your tank (do it slowly, though), by setting water frozen in a milk jug (or some other sealed container) to your sump. You have to watch it, though, to make sure that things don't cool too quickly or too much. You've made sure the lights are off, though, haven't you? I definately am not turning the lights on! I tried putting ice cubes in a bag in my sump - they melted super fast and no more ice cubes. I had one of those lunch box freezer things already in the freezer, so I put that in a doubled bag and tossed that in the sump, but it wasn't enough to bring the temp down. I thought about putting a jug of water in, but it would have taken a long time to freeze. I'm about to go get another fan - I was planning to go early as soon as the store opened at 6 am, but was too sleepy to drive safely (learned my lesson on 495 in the rain around a curve....!) I didn't realize there were controllers out there that cheap, but doesn't a person have to have it hooked into a computer with continuous internet connection? Edited May 3, 2010 by treesprite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocko918 May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 how hot did the tank get. Mine has been up over 86 and i did not lose anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 I didn't realize there were controllers out there that cheap, but doesn't a person have to have it hooked into a computer with continuous internet connection? Most controllers do not have to be used with a computer. The computer just makes things programming easier and additional options like remote access and email notifications possible. A Reefkeeper Lite would be a good option for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabrego May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 are you sure it is the temp that is causing this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 Forrest, the ice will work but when it's a battle between nearly 100 gallons of warm water and a few ice cubes, the balance is decidedly in favor of the warm water. It'll just take a lot of ice and patience. You may have to buy a bag of ice at the grocery. Evaporation works great, though, but I don't know the magnitude of your problem. What is the temperature of the tank now? Where did it peak? I assume that it's coming down since it's a good 10 degrees cooler than yesterday? Be careful about trying to cool things too quickly - especially if your tank temp is below 84-85 degrees now. If you're below this, I'd take it easy and stick with the evaporative cooling track that you're already taking. Also, how warm is your apartment now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite May 3, 2010 Author Share May 3, 2010 (edited) are you sure it is the temp that is causing this? Absolutely! My tank temp increased by almost 10 degrees in like half a day, and there were no other changes - no new lights, no chemicals added, no new livestock, no foreign objects, nothing sprayed into the air, no dead animals detected. I'm sure by now the heat has caused some parameter changes - I know it affects Ph and oxygen, and if anything has died from the temp that would possibly cause changes. I think I should do another water change. Yesterday was probably not the best day to bring home a pair of firefish - I have to watch the QT temp extra carefully. I was in AC yesterday from morning until evening, not noticing how hot the middle of the day was. I don't know how the maintenance guys who live on-site can put up with the heat when they could so easily just flip some switches. I was really tempted to try a DIY chiller with my mini fridge yesterday, in spite of a recent thread of people saying it doesn't work very well... even a couple of degrees would have made a difference though, I think. Forrest, the ice will work but when it's a battle between nearly 100 gallons of warm water and a few ice cubes, the balance is decidedly in favor of the warm water. It'll just take a lot of ice and patience. You may have to buy a bag of ice at the grocery. Evaporation works great, though, but I don't know the magnitude of your problem. What is the temperature of the tank now? Where did it peak? I assume that it's coming down since it's a good 10 degrees cooler than yesterday? Be careful about trying to cool things too quickly - especially if your tank temp is below 84-85 degrees now. If you're below this, I'd take it easy and stick with the evaporative cooling track that you're already taking. Also, how warm is your apartment now? Thankfully the tank, sump, and fuge are all uncovered! I have a de-humidifier in the room - not sure if that helps or hurts... trying to keep humidity below moderate because the tanks were turning the apt into a sauna. Temp is now about 84 f, went down on it's own because at 6 am it was still about 90 even after the ice melted and there was nothing frozen to put in the tank. I need to get my butt to the store for a fan now.... Edited May 3, 2010 by treesprite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mando77 May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 I think with all the money and time envolved in reef tanks its worth getting a chiller. my tank was up to 84 the other day. Its not even summer yet. I didn't want to worry about this over the summer so I got a chiller. there are some pretty good deals out there right now. I got my chiller on pet mountain and saved about $70. They are expensive, but I don't have to worry much anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novi May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 I think with all the money and time envolved in reef tanks its worth getting a chiller. my tank was up to 84 the other day. Its not even summer yet. I didn't want to worry about this over the summer so I got a chiller. there are some pretty good deals out there right now. I got my chiller on pet mountain and saved about $70. They are expensive, but I don't have to worry much anymore. Does running a chiller completely wreck your Elec. Bill though? Thats the only thing I am worried about is having a stooopid bill every month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 The dehumidifier will add heat to the room. I have a pretty large one - and it adds a LOT of heat. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 My good friend forest THATS terrible news! I'm so sorry and I feel for you.... before you invest in a chiller try and reduce lighting/add a fan.... or do what I did and go LED my tank is soo cold I was thinking about a heater... my mom doesn't turn on the ac very often so reducing the light heat was my only option.... anyway I to tried the mini fridge idea... bought the fridge and did some logical reading.... the fridge is designed in a way that its compressor kicks on to chill and then it insulates as soon as you drill it you loose insulation the compressor won't be able to keep up with the load... my advice leds/chiller is the way you need to go ...but if its not in the budget try adding a fan and minimizing your light time... additionally something that kicks off your lighting if the tank over heat is a good safty feature... as always I would buy used unless your buying a chiller! CHILLERS can burn out... make sure its rated for your tank before you buy... a cheap 50 gallon chilller will be over loaded... as for engry consumtptoin my old tank was a energy sink.... 350 watts and a chiller made the electric bill sore if you want to come check out the power of the new leds give me a pm and you and your son are welcome to visit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite May 3, 2010 Author Share May 3, 2010 The dehumidifier will add heat to the room. I have a pretty large one - and it adds a LOT of heat. bob Now there's a good point I hadn't considered - I'll turn it off till the AC is on. Geez, in the 3 hours I was out to get a fan and grocery shop, the tank temp jumped from 84 to 88! I have never needed a chiller before, because the single fan has always been enough. I called weather and it said something about the temp reaching a record high at the airports. I also picked up 3 little battery operated fans for 6 bucks each (can also use an adapter). Put one on the firefish QT - it's just a 3g Eclipse so the fan should help. I will mention that while the main system is boiling, the clownfish tank has not topped 82f - it's a 40 hex with 1 fan only halfway over the water, and the tank top is 2/3rd covered - the tank is next to an opened window with the blinds closed - maybe there's some cool air around the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lazar May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 Fans work great through evaporative cooling. I have two 4-inch fans blowing air into my hood and a Wal Mart fan blowing at the water's surface. One 4-inch fan comes on whenever the metal halides are on, regardless of tank temp. The second 4-inch fan and the Wal Mart fan come on when the tank starts to get too warm. In the summer the fans work hard, but they keep the tank between 79-81 degrees despite 800w of metal halides and another 150W of T5s. We usually set the AC thermostat to 78 or 79 degrees in the summer, and seldom go cooler than that. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 If you are running a few powerheads you may want to cut some off. They add a good deal of heat to a tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind May 3, 2010 Share May 3, 2010 Double check to make sure the heater isn't miss-adjusted. I doubt it but I have seen it happen before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris- May 4, 2010 Share May 4, 2010 Clown tank 82 and the main tank 90? I detect something amiss!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astroboy May 4, 2010 Share May 4, 2010 (edited) That stupid heat yesterday..... all of my corals are starting to bleach out . I was at work yesterday and didn't know it was going to be THAT hot, so I didn't bother adding a second fan (tank got too cold when I had 2 before). Stupid apartment management is not going to turn on the main AC switch for like another week, so I'm going out in a bit to get a second fan. I did a 20% water change at like 2 AM hoping somehow that it would help (water was cooler than tank water), but I really don;t think it was much help. I hope everything doesn't die on me :( I did this with my 29 and 75. Bought (online) 6 Silent Eagle 2000 computer fans. They sell for about $18 each, but they're extremely quiet.They also seeemed to cool the tank better than the half dozen other fans I tried; I suspect they have more laminar air flow which results in greater evaporation..... I glued a strip of wood along the back of the tank and attached them there with screws so that they were blowing straight down onto the water: 4 for the 75, 2 for the 29. I had it rigged so that they either came on when the lights did, or ran 24-7. They cool the light some, but the main thing is that they bring the temperature of the water down alot. Example: if the room temperature was around 83, the water temperature would be 79-81, even with all the lights and pumps going. Without the fans, the tank would be 88-90: bad news. Its a good idea to peel back the cover of the fan's workings and cover it with silicon to avoid corrosion. You'll want to have a reliable top off system since alot of water does get evaporated that way. I found that topping off with a diluted mix of kalkwasser really worked great. I never had any luck with one large fan blowing onto the lights or water or the sump. The key seemed to be a set of these silent Eagles spaced at even intervals along the back of the tank. Edited May 4, 2010 by astroboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite May 4, 2010 Author Share May 4, 2010 Clown tank 82 and the main tank 90? I detect something amiss!? The clown tank is only a 40 hex and has the same type fan as what usually keeps the 65 (100 sys) between 78 - 81. Usually, for the hex, the fan is only on when the lights are on, but the last couple days I've had it on non-stop. Its a good idea to peel back the cover of the fan's workings and cover it with silicon to avoid corrosion. That's a good tip. I glued a strip of wood along the back of the tank and attached them there with screws so that they were blowing straight down onto the water: I'm using fans that have clips and adjustable positions, so they are directly facing the water. If I decide to use something else, that's a good idea. I actually have a couple computer fans wired together on an adapter - it works, but they aren't powerful enough to cool the tanks, though would be good enough for light cooling. I guess I could put together some more, but it would probably take a dozen of them. If you are running a few powerheads you may want to cut some off. They add a good deal of heat to a tank. I don't use powerheads in the tank, I have for flow a 1587gph rated Gen X feeding a WAV, which in the 65 is fantastic flow - those WAVS are awesome.... I can't thank Bruce enough for making them. Double check to make sure the heater isn't miss-adjusted. I doubt it but I have seen it happen before. I dont use heaters. The only time I ever needed them was when I still had 2 fans on the tank - water would get too cold with 2 fans, then the heaters would turn on.... seemed silly to risk a heater malfunction when I could just take off a fan. Troy, I would really like to see your lights. I didn't know they came in screw-in bulbs that way - that would make them really easy to use. Just a note - I have T-5s not halides. I ended up going back to the store and buying more fans, because adding a second didn't really do anything noticeable (well, was only a couple hours, but...). I spent nearly $100 on fans today, 4 clips-ons for tanks, 3 small ac/dc fans for tanks in case electric goes out in the future, and a nice 19" high velocity fan. If you have ever been in a non-air conditioned attic in summer, that's what my apt feels like. Total sweat box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite May 4, 2010 Author Share May 4, 2010 Temperature is down to 78, diffrence being the 3rd fan. I turned that one off for now. I finally turned the lights on about an hour ago and fed the fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite May 4, 2010 Author Share May 4, 2010 Maintanence came around changing people's filters today, told me they were going to turn the AC on later today THANK GOODNESS! Saw some nerite shells empty that weren't empty before. Lots of very pale corals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach May 4, 2010 Share May 4, 2010 Sending you a pm about coming to visit your son and you are always welcome and I work nights next week which should be better for you! Anyway best wishes Troy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach May 5, 2010 Share May 5, 2010 I'm in the club too my parents decided to not turn on the air and just open windows and use fans... unforntalty noone opened the widows in my room additionally my father who watchs my tank got the salinity down to 1.01 I'm raising it slowly... I lost a brain and a few snails... luckly the skimmer never shut off it was full.... anyway I hope the air goes on soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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