Temp drop at night, is it too much?

[adeebm]

So I have a 150W Eheim jager heater in my 28g tank. I have it set to 78F and it works in the day. But at night the temp drops 1-2F. I think it's either because the ambient temp is below 60F at night or that the thermostat isn't so great. So anyway, is a 1-2F drop really bad? And if so, should I get a 200W heater or an extra 50W to supplement? And should I consider investing in a temperature controller or is that a waste of money?

 

--Adeeb

[Pickle010]

I wouldn't stress 1 - 2 degrees.

 

You could try setting it to 79 and see if it doesn't hold the temp a little tighter - but honestly - you're fine the way it is.

[tako]

Unless your lights heat the the tank too much, why not just lower the tank temperature some? The only difference you'll notice at 76 degrees is that your heater works a little less and the cost of heating the tank drops some.

[adeebm]

The lights were bringing up the temp in the summer so I had it at 78. It would probably get lower now, but it's kind of hard to test. It's funny that I'll need a chiller in the summer yet I'm having heating problems in the winter

 

--Adeeb

[GokesReef]

Turn the heater up two degrees.

[lakshwadeep]

+1 to turning it up. 76 should be the low end of the normal range (~76-83) of tropical tank temperatures, so it is more risky to have temps hover around there than keeping them closer to the middle. The easiest way to see how much the lights heat the tank is to turn off the heater and see if the temperature stays the same or decreases. Also, make sure you're setting the heater using an external thermometer, not what is listed on dial.

[Aquanist]

I wouldn't sweat over 2 degrees. My temp goes from morning 25 (celcius) to evening 27 with no ill effects. In some cases I just don't see the point in turning the heater up, as it would only increase the base temperature. For example my tank would go between 26-28 degrees if I turned my heater to 26.

[GokesReef]

I wouldn't sweat over 2 degrees. My temp goes from morning 25 (celcius) to evening 27 with no ill effects. In some cases I just don't see the point in turning the heater up, as it would only increase the base temperature. For example my tank would go between 26-28 degrees if I turned my heater to 26.

 

That's actually not (necessarily) correct.

 

If external factors are making your temp swing to 27 (your heater is probably set ~24), then turning up the heater to be set at 27 would keep it there. The external heat source isn't going to magically increase due to your heater getting turned up, but the swing would go away because the heater wouldn't let it drop that low.

 

Think of it this way.. if you have a 50* bucket of water in an 80* room, the water will warm up to 80*.

 

If you have an 80* bucket of water in an 80* room, the water will stay the same. Not go to 110*.