I'm stumped

[jokersplayground]

For some reason ever sense I added on the sump I can not get my temp up to 78 degrees. I have a eheim Jager 150w heater on the tank. I have the heater in between the baffles so there is plenty of flow going over it. It's on cause it hot to touch. I had it set at 81 but I just set it to 83 to try to get it to 78. At night my temp drops to 77 during the day it's at 78.3 I think that's only cause I run halides over my tank. What am I missing?

 

[Reefless me]

What is the ambient temperature where the aquarium located? That has a lot to do with the heaters efficiency. Like an air conditioner they are only rated to alter the temp so many degrees above the ambient room temperature. So if your trying to heat more than sixteen degrees above ambient it is probably too much for that wattage heater to handle.

Barring all that the heater could just be a dinger. Try a different unit to see if that at be the issue.

Hope this helps,
Ken B

 

[jokersplayground]

Yea my wife told me to turn up the heat in the house and that worked now it's at 78.9 while lights are off. I have alot of surface movement to and I was thinking maybe that's why at first but I guess I was wrong lol.

 

[jokersplayground]

I guess the saying that goes, if it's not warm enough where you can wear shorts and a tee it's not warm enough for the fish, is true hahaha.

 

[JohnK]

How fast is the flow through the sump?

Have you checked the temp in both the sump and the display? If yes, is there much difference?

 

[s_kelley]

I was thinking the same as John, make sure theres enough flow getting the heated water to the display otherwise your gonna have a 85+ degree sump
But yes the temp of the room the tank is in has alot to do with your issue

 

[jokersplayground]

The sump and tank is roughly the same temp it's on .3 difference. There is roughly 300 gph going through the sump.

 

[afboundguy]

How big is the display tank and the sump together? My first thought was you might need a second heater. It's good to have two anyways as a backup if one fails and also so they don't have to work as hard...

I think I have a 150W for my 25 gallon tank. I know when I had my 55 gallon + 10-15 gallon sump I had two heaters each being big enough for the whole amount of water by themselves...

 

[jokersplayground]

It's a 40 breeder with a 20 long sump.

 

[Cpage101]

I am going to do a 200watt and a 150 watt backup in my same style setup I am building It is same tanks sizes as yours jokersplayground. I like the backup idea because if one fails and you do not realize it you still have a heater. I may have a bit more gph than yours. I figure 500-600 gph based on a total of 50-60 gallons x 10. My setup will be in a basement room which gets cool at night and may need additional heat to maintain the temp in the winter months. What is the worst that can happen they will just run less. I have a 250watt and a 150 watt backup in my 55g sumpless dt. Temp sits at a steady 78 at all times.

 

[Owen386]

Yeah my house heat went off last Sunday night the tank was at like 76.5 when u woke up!!!!

What are you checking temp with? Use multiple sources

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk

 

[Cpage101]

I have old fashioned aquarium suction cup glass thermometers myself.

 

[jokersplayground]

I have a digital thermometer thats brand new

 

[Steviereefs]

Hi Joshua I don't think you should be concerned with a temp fluctuations of a degree, if anything a little temp fluctuation is better because corals will adapt. We all want perfect parameter but when you boil it down to the basics the two things that are variables in a natural reef are temperature and light, those are the constant only two parameters that at any given time and often can change. You have a cloudy day (less light) you get a ton of rain or a burst of cold current and the temp drops, it's natural man. On the other hand if you had perfect stability for a year (temp wise) and all the sudden you get a power outage and your temp crashes five degrees or more, how do you think the coral will react verses the adapted.

 

[jokersplayground]

Hi Joshua I don't think you should be concerned with a temp fluctuations of a degree, if anything a little temp fluctuation is better because corals will adapt. We all want perfect parameter but when you boil it down to the basics the two things that are variables in a natural reef are temperature and light, those are the constant only two parameters that at any given time and often can change. You have a cloudy day (less light) you get a ton of rain or a burst of cold current and the temp drops, it's natural man. On the other hand if you had perfect stability for a year (temp wise) and all the sudden you get a power outage and your temp crashes five degrees or more, how do you think the coral will react verses the adapted.

Thats true. I was just worried cause it was at 77 most of the time.

 

[JohnK]

77 is nothing to worry about. Remember our captive reefs tend to run warmer than the natural ones. Nothing wrong with being a little closer to nature.

 

[jokersplayground]

Ok thats good to know.

 

[mpsteve]

I run my reef at 76

 

[this is me]

Where is the temperature probe?
Before the heater or after the heater?