stabilizing temp. without a controller?

T

TexasDude

since the weather has been cold at night and in the 70s during the day, we have been having a hard time getting the temp to stabilize. it could be 78-79 during the day and at night drop down to 75-76. not a good drop. any of u pros have any tricks to help control this fluctuation other than buying an expensive temp controller? if that is the only route, where can i get one at a decent price and what exactly do i need? i turn the a/c on during the day and heater on at night so the ambient temp is always between 71-75 or so. thx!
 
I'm getting ready to just put my heater on a timer to come on at night to keep the temp up. When my lights are on, I don't need it but late at night it drops too. I'm just going to buy a cheap dial timer.
 
I will be doing this as long as my temp keeps dropping at night. I don't remember the exact heater specs, but the total water volume is around 150 gallons. My 2-400w metal halides keep the temp at 80 when they are on.
 
my halides run about 8 hours. yes the heater does cut off, but since I don't need it during the day I'm going to make sure that it doesn't come on at all. I don't trust heaters. I'll probably end up getting a controller later, but for now, I'm going to experiment with this method
 
Sometimes I wonder about that also. During the night my tank will drop to about 77 and then up to about 79-80 with the lights on. I know it's just like any other water perimeter the less fluctuation the better.

Thanks, Rob
 
i have been told that 2 degree fluctuation during the day is fine but any more than that it can cause stress.. but a friend of mine said they he has seen up to a 5 degree fluctuation and had no problems. i'm assuming as long as most of what u have is hardy than temp fluctuations shouldn't be that big of a deal as long as its not very extreme. i have had 2 tangs get ich from the temp fluctuations i have recently had and i dont think 1 of them is going to make it.. he's in QT now but not looking really good. he eats like a horse but is very pale and not acting right..
 
Are you already soaking its food in something like Reef Plus, or ZOE, I think it is called, for extra nutrition? I have heard that some treat their fish like that. I saw about 20 tiny black specks on my yellow tang the other day, and so I soaked brine shrimp in Reef Plus, and fed my fish a little extra that day, and the next day no more black specks. I have been in the habit of doing that anyway every 2 or 3 days. But every day if I think maybe a fish is not feeling good. It only takes 1/4 teaspoon to soak the daily feeding, so it can last a long time.

David
 
yes i use Zoe and i feed him spirulina flakes with garlic. he seems to do good and then looks horrible. its a smaller Sailfin tang. one minute he will have nice black stripes and then he's really pale and u can see black specks on him. lastnight i thought he wasnt going to make it till this morning but he seems to be doing well right now.
 
Sounds like you know the basics but this is a good read on heaters.

http://www.beananimal.com/articles/aquarium-heaters-what-you-need-to-know!.aspx

I too wanted the least expensive controller and so this is what I did.

Got one of these from eBay

http://cgi.ebay.com/RANCO-ETC-111000-DIGITAL-TEMPERATURE-CONTROL-120-240V-/120586443603?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c13831b53

And a heavy duty 6 foot extention cord with 3 out lets. cut the casing and put one wire inline with the controller and it has worked great for several years.

Not too difficult. Here is a good post on how to wire.

http://www.rcreptiles.com/blog/index.php/2007/05/11/how_to_wire_a_ranco_etc_111000_thermosta


There is also a 2 stage available but it is a bit more expensive. Look for it on eBay and there are wiring instuctions out there.

So I would get one set it at the upper limit, say 78 or 80 and then just keep it stable at the upper end of the range.

I know you wanted a controllerlese solution but I hope that helps. Not much more than a good digital timer.
 
I have a 40 gallon breeder and my temp fluxs between 77 at night and right before the lights go off can be anywhere between a 80 and 82. I have had no problems thus far (knock on wood) and have LPS, SPS, Softies, etc and fish include tangs, wrasses and 2 breeding black and white clownfish and none have suffered.
 
@chubble wrote:
I have a 40 gallon breeder and my temp fluxs between 77 at night and right before the lights go off can be anywhere between a 80 and 82. I have had no problems thus far (knock on wood) and have LPS said:
You could try using some fans while the lights are on to keep it from flucuating as much...on a timer. Otherwise i wouldnt worry much about it everybodies flucuates a few degree's usually
Click to expand...
 
@bigrobbutler wrote:
Sometimes I wonder about that also. During the night my tank will drop to about 77 and then up to about 79-80 with the lights on. I know it's just like any other water perimeter the less fluctuation the better. Thanks said:
Thats just fine...not too worry
Click to expand...
 
If you all want to keep your tank temps stable you have to keep the temp in your house stable as well....thats important and helps alot
 
You could try using some fans while the lights are on to keep it from flucuating as much...on a timer. Otherwise i wouldnt worry much about it everybodies flucuates a few degree's usually said:
I have two fans pulling air out of the canopy but i could use one to pull cooling room air into the canopy but it works so what the hey. Why fix what ain't broken.
Click to expand...
 
In my opinion the best route to go would be to purchase the reef keeper lite. They are $99 and can control way more than just the heater. I have mine controlling my 2 halides, a fan, a koralia, and the heaters. Not too mention you can also add logic to further control the temps. This has been the best money that I have spent on equipment for the tank. There are also plenty of add ons you can purchase if you want additional features.
 
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