Let`s talk temp swing

I use to keep mine real tight. Then i read on reef central that that can be bad because if there is a larger swing for whatever reason it could cause a crash. So the reasoning was that it is better if they are use to a larger swing so if some unforseen event happens they are already use to a swing therfor will be more likely to be uneffected. So now I let it swing from 79 to 82.

 

Mine goes from 77 to 80 and i haven't seen any problems. I wish i could keep it more stable but with 400 watt mh and no chiller it's hard to do. I just keep my ac on.

 

That's a good way to look at it! I've never really thought about that that way before! Learn something new every day on here...

 

Mine swings 3-4 degrees without issues.

 

Posted By AJ on 09/20/2010 10:02 PM
When I had a problem with my heater getting stuck on (pre-controller), I had large temp swings that caused RTN...and I can see how cascading RTN could crash a tank for sure.. It didn't happen all at once, but over a period of days where it was getting into the mid 80s consistently.
--AJ
Yea I would think mid 80s would be a problem. I have a chiller and have it set so it will never go over 82.

 

I cant remember the speaker,

But I listened to a talk one time and he said he was diving somewhere in the Orient. One day he dove & the water temp was 78, the very next day in the same spot it was 73. He said the corals looked as happy as could be.

I think the rule of thumb though is SPS, the tighter the better, everything else is fairly tolerant.

 

I used to have pretty wild temp swings on my old tank because of the excess light and the fact we didn't run AC all the time. During the summer I would get 6+ degree swings anywhere from 78-84 and never had any issues with SPS.

In my biocube I can keep the temp between 79.5-80 all year long with the chiller and ACIII.

I would think stable temps would be more ideal just because if another issue like wacky water paramters came into play, you now have two sources of "stress" which would multiply the chances of having problems.

Good question though.

 

This time of year is always a problem. AC on one day. Heat another day. Makes me crazy as I have all my heaters set to the same temp but they never seem to keep up either way. I like either AC summer or Heat Winter once it is either or on a regular daiily basis.
Biocube went from 75 to 84 in one day.  Insane but everything seems ok.  I just hate that much of a swing.

 

Just thinking about temperature swings in the wild, I really don't think a temp. swing can be that bad (so long as it isn't on the cold side). I think it is far worse to have a super rapid temp swing than one over, say, an 8-12 hour period of time. I think there are plenty of things in this hobby that tend to get over exaggerated. I can guarantee that the temps in the waters that our specimens are native to are not the exact same day/night, rain/shine, 24/7.

 

As I have been snorkeling here in the Red Sea, on a day to day basis, there is considerable difference in water temp.  I am unsure what it is because I don't have a thermometer stuck in the water.  It could be 80 degrees one day and the very next 75.  Everything is happy here.  We are FINALLY starting to cool off around here though so the water temp will continue to drop. 

 

If you think about it in the wild there are warm and cold currents so I would think there can also be some sudden changes there.

 

I don't think swings are a big deal within reason, I'm more worried about the high temp which can invite trouble... Anymore I run 80 and if a tank is over 84 I feel it doesn't take much to bleach or stress.

 

Way back in the day when I first got into the hobby I ran my tank at 76. I only had pc lights at the time so it was easy o maintain that temp. I had mainly softies and a few lps at the time and they did thrive in the tank. As far as sps and lower temp I have no experence.

 

I think most don't run their tanks as cool as 74 simply because it would be cost prohibitive. I think one would almost definitely need a chiller to achieve temps that low, at least in the summer.

 

I think the real point here is consistency, swing or no swing, as long as it is consistant day to day things should be ok. I have read a few different write ups on this, but I have read more times than not, that you do not want to swing more than a degree or two. My two cents...

 

I had swings of 78.4 to 80.7 but now with the Apex and running the fan on my furnace all the time ( half of one vent blows into my canopy ) to keep the temps in the house the same it runs 77 to 78.3. I have the Apex programed to 77 to 77.6 with it does nicely in tell my lights come on then it slowly gos up to 78.3 like clock work. I don't know how big a swing is ok but looks like some let it swing. As far as how high I thought higher temps meant lower dissolved oxygen? So is that a factor in?