Is 80F to 82F too warm in the summer for a reef tank?

[ytvanguy]

Hello all,

Just wanted to know if I have anything to worry about having my tank run at that temperature during the summer. I'm running a 32 gallon Fluval flex tank with Fluval AquaSky Light 750mm and Fluval Marine & Reef 500mm. Usually it is at 77F to 79F. Currently, I have an A/C running that is keeping it roughly between 80F to 81F but as soon as its off it jumps to about 82F. I also removed the heater for the summer. We do have a heatwave going on right now. The fish and corals all seem to be doing fine. But just want to make sure.

Thanks!

 

[PharmrJohn]

I would consider 82 the top end. What is most important IMO is stability. And some corals may not grow as fast at that temp. But survival should be no issue.

 

[SPS2020]

If you have a sump, you can place a USB fan such that you can get evaporative cooling. Two of them did a pretty good job for one of my tanks (60g).

As @PharmrJohn said, keep it stable if possible.

 

[Miami Reef]

I think natural reefs that grow corals get into temps around 80F to 82F.

Nevertheless, Ron Shimek has shown in a previous article that the greatest variety of corals are found in water whose average temperature is about 83-86° F.

https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/

I personally think lower temps (around 78F) is better and less stressful for some acropora, but I think 80-82 might work in some cases.

 

[ytvanguy]

Thanks for the feedback! I have been trying maintain it between 80F to 80.5F roughly and if I see it climb, I throw in an ice pack to drop it back down. Would that cause any issues for the corals?

I unfortunately don't have a sump. Should I consider one?

 

[Jmp998]

Natural reefs are often that warm. However the warmer a reef, the greater demand there is for oxygen etc from the inhabitants due to faster metabolism, oxygen saturation of water is actually slightly lower, waste is produced and builds up faster, parasites and pathogens will reproduce faster, etc. So even if you are within physiologic limits, I still think it is possible for things to go bad more quickly than at a lower temp, which may give you less time to react to a problem. In addition most of us don’t have entirely perfect artificial environments, so it is probably best to aim for the best parameters possible-e.g. maybe a temp in the 80’s is fine if everything else is perfect, but a significant added stress if your pH is also a little low, dissolved CO2 a little high, etc.

However I am sure there are many with beautiful tanks that routinely hit that temperature, and if it is one parameter that is hard for you to control maybe just monitor carefully and keep everything else as optimal as possible. And if you are going to be at the upper end of temperature on a ‘good’ day, be as prepared as possible for that ‘bad’ day when your AC goes out etc and you need to act quickly before temp gets into a dangerous range.

 

[Miami Reef]

Natural reefs are often that warm. However the warmer a reef, the greater demand there is for oxygen etc from the inhabitants due to faster metabolism, oxygen saturation of water is actually slightly lower, waste is produced and builds up faster, parasites and pathogens will reproduce faster, etc. So even if you are within physiologic limits, I still think it is possible for things to go bad more quickly than at a lower temp, which may give you less time to react to a problem. In addition most of us don’t have entirely perfect artificial environments, so it is probably best to aim for the best parameters possible-e.g. maybe a temp in the 80’s is fine if everything else is perfect, but a significant added stress if your pH is also a little low, dissolved CO2 a little high, etc.

However I am sure there are many with beautiful tanks that routinely hit that temperature, and if it is one parameter that is hard for you to control maybe just monitor carefully and keep everything else as optimal as possible. And if you are going to be at the upper end of temperature on a ‘good’ day, be as prepared as possible for that ‘bad’ day when your AC goes out etc and you need to act quickly before temp gets into a dangerous range.

I completely agree with you. That makes complete logical sense.

Here’s what Randy said from the article I posted earlier:

Reef aquaria do, however, have limitations that may make their optimal temperature somewhat lower. During normal functioning of a reef aquarium, the oxygen level and the metabolic rate of the aquarium inhabitants are not often important issues. During a crisis such as a power failure, however, the dissolved oxygen can be rapidly used up. Lower temperatures not only allow a higher oxygen level before an emergency, but will also slow the consumption of that oxygen by slowing the metabolism of the aquarium's inhabitants. The production of ammonia as organisms begin to die may also be slower at lower temperatures. For reasons such as this, one may choose to strike a practical balance between temperatures that are too high (even if corals normally thrive in the ocean at those temperatures), and those that are too low. Although average reef temperatures in maximal diversity areas (i.e. coral triangle centered Indonesia,) these areas are also often subject to significant mixing. In fact, the cooler reefs, ( i..e. open Pacific reefs) are often more stable at lower temperatures due to oceanic exchange but are less tolerant to bleaching and other temperature related perturbations.

 

[soreefed]

My tank will get up to 81-82 without any cooling. Sometimes I find my corals looking extra plump in the warmer water, but I never intentionally let it get that high.

I’ll use a fan in summer to keep the tank at 78 consistently, but sometimes I think I don’t need it and the tank gets up to 81 and everything still looks good. I mainly get worried about fish dying in water above 81

 

[bobnicaragua]

I still have halides above my SPS tank and run a couple fans in the canopy. My tank runs 79-81 on a regular basis. 83 is as high as I remember hitting. Nothing seems to mind.

 

[ca1ore]

82 is fine. I routinely kept my prior SPS tank at 82 as the top end. I actually think temperature stability is overrated as long as changes are not massive and happen over a period of hours not minutes. Because I now have a much smaller tank, I keep it at a high of 80, but on the occasional colder night it is not unusual for it to drop below 77. Then it climbs back up over the course of the day. No problem.

 

[Luigi Reefs]

If you can, get yourself an Inkbird controller. Have a heater and fan plugged in. Then set the controller to the temperature you want. For example, I have my controller sent to 78. When the tank gets to 77 the heater turns on. When it hits 79 the fan turns on to evaporate the water, and thus cool down the tank.

Now this may not cool it down ALL the way in a heatwave with no AC, but it can help.

 

[Enderg60]

I consider 84 the top limit for corals long term, I ran tanks at that temp throughout summer for years.

My current coral QT is set at 82, fish QT is at 86. I run my display at 78-80 for stability and because I have a chiller now.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello all,

Just wanted to know if I have anything to worry about having my tank run at that temperature during the summer. I'm running a 32 gallon Fluval flex tank with Fluval AquaSky Light 750mm and Fluval Marine & Reef 500mm. Usually it is at 77F to 79F. Currently, I have an A/C running that is keeping it roughly between 80F to 81F but as soon as its off it jumps to about 82F. I also removed the heater for the summer. We do have a heatwave going on right now. The fish and corals all seem to be doing fine. But just want to make sure.

Thanks!

maximum ranges but assure added air via air stone is provided. Often when temperature increases, oxygen levels decrease a little

 

[DIYreefer]

I still have halides above my SPS tank and run a couple fans in the canopy. My tank runs 79-81 on a regular basis. 83 is as high as I remember hitting. Nothing seems to mind.

Same.. all of it.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

My tank temperature will get around 80 sometimes, but I haven't had issues with it.

 

[Dom]

Hello all,

Just wanted to know if I have anything to worry about having my tank run at that temperature during the summer. I'm running a 32 gallon Fluval flex tank with Fluval AquaSky Light 750mm and Fluval Marine & Reef 500mm. Usually it is at 77F to 79F. Currently, I have an A/C running that is keeping it roughly between 80F to 81F but as soon as its off it jumps to about 82F. I also removed the heater for the summer. We do have a heatwave going on right now. The fish and corals all seem to be doing fine. But just want to make sure.

Thanks!

Place a fan and allow it to blow across the top of the tank. This will help accelerate evaporation and help cool the tank.

 

[Reefing102]

I still have halides above my SPS tank and run a couple fans in the canopy. My tank runs 79-81 on a regular basis. 83 is as high as I remember hitting. Nothing seems to mind.

Same here. I have my halides set to turn off at 82.1 but it’s gotten as high as 83.4 before with no issues