Djplus1 August 31, 2012 Share August 31, 2012 Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and new to the hobby. Long story short, I just bought one of the new version Coralife biocube 14g tank as a quarantine/child's room tank. I have the stock lighting and have a Koralia Nano in the corner opposite the return. I do not have a heater installed. The tank is away from any windows in a relatively cool area, actually right above a floor mounted AC vent. The problem is my tank is reading almost 85 degrees even with lights off overnight. Is there any real reason that this tank should run this hot? Is there anything I can do to cool it down, other than buying a chiller? I have a 72 gallon bowfront that is between 78-79 degrees and would like to get the Biocube to around the same temp, so I can transfer fish in and out safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin August 31, 2012 Share August 31, 2012 you may want to check the temperature using a different thermometer. unless you are running metal halides, it shouldnt get that hot. Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and new to the hobby. Long story short, I just bought one of the new version Coralife biocube 14g tank as a quarantine/child's room tank. I have the stock lighting and have a Koralia Nano in the corner opposite the return. I do not have a heater installed. The tank is away from any windows in a relatively cool area, actually right above a floor mounted AC vent. The problem is my tank is reading almost 85 degrees even with lights off overnight. Is there any real reason that this tank should run this hot? Is there anything I can do to cool it down, other than buying a chiller? I have a 72 gallon bowfront that is between 78-79 degrees and would like to get the Biocube to around the same temp, so I can transfer fish in and out safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 August 31, 2012 Author Share August 31, 2012 I actually pulled this thermometer out of the 72 gallon where it reads about 1 degree high, according to the Apex lite thermometer. The lowest I have seen the Biocube has been about 83.5 on the reading, so even if it's off, it's still at least 82 and change. It was 84.7 this morning before I turned the lights on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf August 31, 2012 Share August 31, 2012 What temperature do you keep your home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 August 31, 2012 Author Share August 31, 2012 Pretty cool actually. The thermostat is downstairs, but I set it to 72. It might be a a few degrees warmer upstairs, but I doubt it's anywhere near 80. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf August 31, 2012 Share August 31, 2012 Is the stock lighting a power compact bulb fluorescent bulb? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 August 31, 2012 Author Share August 31, 2012 According to the website: Fluorescent Lamps Included: 10,000K and Actinic It also (had) led's, but there is some defect and I am getting a new canopy in the mail soon. The fans in the canopy only work while the lights are on also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin August 31, 2012 Share August 31, 2012 that is strange. may want to check your internal fan to make sure it is on, maybe add another one if it only has one. there is nothing in there that would heat up the water to 80+ degrees. Pretty cool actually. The thermostat is downstairs, but I set it to 72. It might be a a few degrees warmer upstairs, but I doubt it's anywhere near 80. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf August 31, 2012 Share August 31, 2012 There's your heat source, those bulbs get really hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 August 31, 2012 Author Share August 31, 2012 that is strange. may want to check your internal fan to make sure it is on, maybe add another one if it only has one. there is nothing in there that would heat up the water to 80+ degrees. There are two stock fans in the unit already, but I think they only really work to keep the heat out of the splash guard and do not actually pull heat from the water's surface. How would I go about adding a fan with the canopy in place? Unfortanately, with a 3 year old in the room, I can't just open the top and blow a fan accross it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin August 31, 2012 Share August 31, 2012 fan There are two stock fans in the unit already, but I think they only really work to keep the heat out of the splash guard and do not actually pull heat from the water's surface. How would I go about adding a fan with the canopy in place? Unfortanately, with a 3 year old in the room, I can't just open the top and blow a fan accross it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin August 31, 2012 Share August 31, 2012 it looks like you can just clip it onto the black refugium wall. put some silicone around the power plug and any metal screws you see and not fill the tank all the way up to the rim and you should be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 August 31, 2012 Author Share August 31, 2012 Thanks for the tip. I think I need to do some measuring first before I start Mad Maxing out this tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 August 31, 2012 Author Share August 31, 2012 Would biting the bullet and going with an LED conversion kit help at all? Stevesleds seems to have a Coralife Biocube compatible unit. Would I still get the same light spectrum, while losing the heat? Or do LED units run hot as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin August 31, 2012 Share August 31, 2012 it depends what you want to grow. i got about 19 3w cree in my 24g aquapod and those leds get quite hot. you probably dont need that many if you are planning on keeping a fish only system or soft corals. the more leds you put under the hood, the bigger the heat sink you would need, but i am not sure that would solve yourheat problem. the leds i haveseem to generate more heat compared to 2 power compact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 August 31, 2012 Author Share August 31, 2012 Well, I guess the fan option is the way to go for now. Thanks for all of your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef August 31, 2012 Share August 31, 2012 Also another thing that can be adding heat is the internal pump...put you hand in that chamber and see if it is warmer than the display side....8 had a 1w2 g and it would get significantly warner then the room since it is all sealed up when 1 of the fans wasnt working properly...if everything seems to running properly either think about the LEDs or a micro chiller...also if it has a flap in the front leave that up during the day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k September 1, 2012 Share September 1, 2012 those little nano tanks are designed to run with the stock components. when you add things like a Koralia Nano, the heat goes up. Remove the powerhead first, then see if the heat goes down. If the main return pump has flow restrictor nozzles, remove them too as they sometimes cause head pressure which in turn makes the pump work harder and adds heat. I ran an Aquapod 12g as a full blown reef for many years and had similar issues with heat. After removing the additional powerhead and flow nozzles, I was able to get the heat down into the 78-80 degree range. Since these tanks are sealed up pretty tight, there isn't any way for evaporative cooling to take place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amuze September 4, 2012 Share September 4, 2012 I use a 120watt (55x3) led light over my tank with a glass lid and don't have the heat problem. My tank stays at 79 degrees lights on or off. I have 1 powerhead in it that brought the tank up 2 degrees to 79. It was around 76 before the powerhead went it. I doubt my heater even kicks on at all. I only rn my led's at 50%, but I don't think my temp would rise at 100% seeing as I had a metal halide over it at first. My only difference was when I added the powerhead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icecool2 September 4, 2012 Share September 4, 2012 My 24g nano-cube heats up pretty good in a room that is 78. If you open the feeding door, it should help. You'll get faster evaporation, but that's easier (and cheaper) to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 September 5, 2012 Author Share September 5, 2012 Also another thing that can be adding heat is the internal pump...put you hand in that chamber and see if it is warmer than the display side....8 had a 1w2 g and it would get significantly warner then the room since it is all sealed up when 1 of the fans wasnt working properly...if everything seems to running properly either think about the LEDs or a micro chiller...also if it has a flap in the front leave that up during the day... I will have to check on the stock pump. I just picked up a Mag 1.9 as a salt mixer that may work in it's place if it fits. Do you know how difficult it is to find a pump that will fit in the 14g Biocube? Is there a list of them on this forum somewhere that will work without chopping this thing up? I just got back from Ocean City yesterday and had the flap open since Saturday morning and set the light timer to only come on for about 4 hours a day and the tank still read 83.9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 September 5, 2012 Author Share September 5, 2012 those little nano tanks are designed to run with the stock components. when you add things like a Koralia Nano, the heat goes up. Remove the powerhead first, then see if the heat goes down. If the main return pump has flow restrictor nozzles, remove them too as they sometimes cause head pressure which in turn makes the pump work harder and adds heat. I ran an Aquapod 12g as a full blown reef for many years and had similar issues with heat. After removing the additional powerhead and flow nozzles, I was able to get the heat down into the 78-80 degree range. Since these tanks are sealed up pretty tight, there isn't any way for evaporative cooling to take place. So you really think that that tiny Koralia will increase temps that high? If that's the case, can I legitimately run this tank without any additional powerheads? It's not like the Koralia puts up that much flow to begin with I guess. What do you mean by flow restrictor nozzles? I have the stock pump in the 3rd chamber with a piece of vinyl hose running to a "nozzle" I guess which spreads the flow to the tank. It's wider than the hose though, so I would think that this would not restrict any flow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef September 5, 2012 Share September 5, 2012 I truly think if you just open the feeder flap on from you should be fine.... the pump CAN put out alot of heat but again put your hand in that chamber and see if its warmer... same with the koralia... mine put out a little heat but not as much as my pump... If you need I have another little pump that will fit (had to use it for my pump when it died and then aquapod sent me a new pump....) but its not as strong as the stock pump so you would definently need to use the koralia... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 September 5, 2012 Author Share September 5, 2012 I truly think if you just open the feeder flap on from you should be fine.... the pump CAN put out alot of heat but again put your hand in that chamber and see if its warmer... same with the koralia... mine put out a little heat but not as much as my pump... If you need I have another little pump that will fit (had to use it for my pump when it died and then aquapod sent me a new pump....) but its not as strong as the stock pump so you would definently need to use the koralia... I would like to leave the door open, but the tank is in my 3 year olds room. Unless I want GI Joe's and night lights thrown in, I'm pretty sure I'll need to keep it shut for the majority of the day. Are you aware of certain pumps running cooler than others specifically? Or is it just a function of higher powered pumps running hotter? I do have a small mag 1.9 that might possibly fit, but I think that it would be a bit more GPH than stock. It just amazes me, that this thing could cost more to cool if I need to buy a chiller, than the actual tank itself did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef September 5, 2012 Share September 5, 2012 With leaving it open you could use window screen to keep things out..... like putting the screen across the tank and then close the whole lid and open the feeding part... as long as he doesnt pour anything in your fine... and at 3 im sure you can get him to understand not to put anything in the tank? or he will kill all of his favorite fishies ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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