MH and Heat - turning my tank into soup cooking pot?

[andsoitgoes]

Hmm - that might be an idea. What PHs do you have? I wonder if maybe getting a few lower-power PHs would help, and again - once sump, then I have a spot for my UV and the powerhead for that..

Thanks!

[Chad]

My tank stays at around 80 - 82 with a dual stage Ranco temp controller, in a blistering hot summer such as the last. All I have is 1x 10in ( I believe) clip on fan that points right down on the tank. I lose about 1/2in of water a day in my 50gal which has dual 250w MH's over it.. The lights are probably a good 14in off the top of the tank mabe a bit more.

Needless to say, if the lights were much closer it would cook easier. I'd suggest like some others have said, raise the lights. Sounds like your hood is not enclosed, so no need to vent that. but blowing some air across the water will help.. Might want a de-humidifier tho

[fkshiu]

Originally Posted by andsoitgoes

Hmm - that might be an idea. What PHs do you have? I wonder if maybe getting a few lower-power PHs would help, and again - once sump, then I have a spot for my UV and the powerhead for that..

Thanks!

One MJ900 and one MJ1200 in a softies/LPS tank.

[Chaotic Cricket]

Just a quick question regarding your heat issue. How long do you have them on for? What is the kelvin rating of the bulb. I have been told that a 10k bulb will put out more heat than a 14k and 20k will be less than both. If this this is true or not I am not sure as I have never looked into this. I run 14k Hamilton or Phoenix bulbs (aquaconnect seem nice but are pricey and the availability isn't as good as the other two). I also have 20k xm and radium bulbs somewhere. I never really checked to see if the 14k's raised the temp when i switched from the 20k's, and its so long ago i cannot even remember when the last time i had a temp swing in my tank.
As I stated I'm not sure if this information that was given to me is proven or just the opinion of the few who gave it, but if someone else might know, maybe that might help a little. Also for photo period i would have your halides on for no more that 6hours at the most. After all they are to mimic the sun at its zenith (just before and just after as well) and the sun isn't always the same for the full day, so 6 hours is really all you need.

Also remember for some odd reason in reef keeping lower temps than needed are often quoted by people when you ask. I would honestly worry about your tank if it rises in the summer, but for now I would say you are ok.

[StirCrazy]

a room AC will not be as efficient as a chiller for the tank, but it Will be cheaper and may be enough. if you buy an over sized room ac you might be able to lower the ambient temp to the point where it will help, but you will also get a dehumidifying effect which will help also.

82, is not that bad at all, but you will be looking at about 10 degrees hotter during heat waves no problem.

Steve

[andsoitgoes]

Thanks again for all the replies.

I think the photoperiod is another issue I've been running with - I know at times I was pushing way more than that, now I'm down to between 4 and 6 hours. I turned them on about 5:30 today and 1.5 hours later, the tank temp is still reasonable. Still have the fan going and the window wide open, but that's something.

I also think there's something to be said about the 10k bulbs - and seeing as I was planning on changing once this bulb goes out, which will be soon, I'll be in a much better position to see the difference.

I think AC, sump, and fans will make the difference this summer. Let's hope.

Thanks in advance for all suggestions, keep 'em coming!

[Borderjumper]

I see you run a UV sterilizer. When I run mine it brings the temp up 3-4 degrees. You might want to try running the UV just at night?
Only when the lights are off. If I run UV at night and with my 20K lights on during the day, I only have about .5 degree increase.

[andsoitgoes]

Hmm - interesting. I'll have to try that out and see, I had never even thought about that - makes sense!

[WWWD]

Sounds like your hitting the trifecta of heat contributing devises.

[andsoitgoes]

I asked myself if the molten lava I was adding as substrate could be a problem, but no - that mustn't be it

=/

I'm going to try a day without UV and see what that brings. Friday, so it shall be.