Lights/Skimmer/Heat -- need lots of help

J

JeffJ

Premium Member
Hey Guys--

I'm having a couple of issues that I really need help with.

1) came home on Tuesday (the day it was 80 outside) and found the tank at 84 degrees. I recently upgraded to 4x39 36" T5 lighting. I was told that they run cool but they feel fairly hot to the touch...are they the culprit for the heat? I run 2 actinic and 2 wh. The AT are on from about 9:30A to 10P -- the wh run from 1P to 8:30P. The temp in the house got to about 81 when it was so warm that day.

2) I cut off my in-sump protein skimmer for a few minutes yesterday and when I tried to cut it back on, it would not run up. I just got a loud clicking sound. I waited about 30 minutes and started it up again--it seemed to run ok. Do I have a problem here? Do I need to do any type of clean up on the skimmer from time to time? Also, the water level in the skimmer has been fluctuating a lot over the last couple of days. One time the level will be low, and then the next thing I know, the cup is overflowing my collection cup and bottle. Any ideas here?

In addition to what you see in my signature, I have a Rio+ 1100 running my return and a Rio 800 to run the skimmer. I have a 300w inline heater.

If you want to see a couple of pics from underneath, you should be able to see them on this post: http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110538
I would appreciate any help you can give me!
 
Do you have a glass lid on the tank?? I am fairly new to the SW but I know even in my FW it never heats up that fast during the day and I run my T-5's on my SW tank for 10 hrsand antics for 12 hrs and it stays right around 79 in there.
 
Hey lance,

I do have glass lids that I have experimented with taking off vs. leaving on and it seems (no real scientific proof here) that it stays cooler with the lids on. The lids were actually off on the day that the temp got to 84.

Are your wh T5s warm/hot to the touch?

Thanks
 
I would be tempted to remove the Rio's as they've got a history of meltdown. could you also provide us an idea at what the temp in your home was running what cooling methods, etc you're employing as this might give is ideas of where to look to help you reduce heat.
 
Skimmer maintenance is a must for sw aquariums. You should probably check your pump - it may need a soak in vinegar if there's a whiteish crust on the inside. Fluctuating water levels could be caused by several things, but cleaning out the skimmer and pump would be a good first step.
 
I have a very similar setup to yours (tank, lights and koralia 3-4). If you do not have any ventilation in the hood, you should consider adding some. At the very least, you could prop your hood open slightly to allow some of the hot air to escape. I leave my hood partially cracked open until I get around to cutting some slits on the top of my hood and add some PC fans. You said your home was 81 and the tank was 84. A 3 degree rise above the ambient temperature does not seem too bad. So I would consider setting your thermostat a bit lower, like 76-77.
 
I'd suggest opening your canopy and/or installing a few computer fans that can be found cheap. My tank was on the brink of overheating in the summer. I removed as much top coverage of my canopy, which brought the temps down a couple of degrees. Installing just three cheap fans from Fry's got me down another 3 or so degrees. I run T5 lights that are only 2-3 inches off the water.

Peter...
 
@reefready wrote:
Hey lance said:
It's usually the other way around. With lids on, you're preventing the heat to rise and bring cooler air in, therefore it stays warmer..

What do you do before you drink a hot cup of coffee ? you blow air accross the surface right ?? same principle..

Based on your description, I would suggest looking at the pump(s) or heater(s). Heater are known to stick on when it is not supposed to. I suggest completely unplug your heater on a warmer day.

In my experience 4-5 degrees of temp increase between ambient room temp and tank temp is pretty normal. Pumps and powerheads add heat. Some will add more than others..

stan
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