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What's your target aquarium temperature?


holy carp

What's your target reef tank temperature?  

73 members have voted

  1. 1. I try to keep my temperature at:

    • <76°F (<25°C)
      0
    • 76.0-77.9°F (25°C)
      12
    • 78.0-79.9°F (26°C)
      42
    • 80.0-81.9°F (27°C)
      17
    • 82.0-83.9°F (28°C)
      2
    • >84°F (29+°C)
      0


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holy carp

I've come across a number of (admittedly older) articles about temperatures in the oceans and in reef tanks and how they affects coral growth rates and health. Of course, temperature also affects a host of other factors such as metabolic rates of fish, corals, inverts, and even bacteria, their immune systems, photosynthesis, dissolved O2 and CO2 and resulting pH swings, Alkalinity consumption, algal growth rates, evaporation, electric bills...  seemingly everything...

 

From an article by Ronald Shimek:

The average annual temperature of most coral reefs is around 82 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit (27 to 28 degrees Celsius), which seems to be the optimum for coral growth.

 

The most diverse coral reefs are found in a band running from Palau in the Western Caroline Islands through Indonesia (Veron 1986). In this area the atoll water temperature averages around 84 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius) and probably never gets as low as 80 degrees (around 27 degrees Celsius) and the salinity on the reef faces generally is in excess of 35 parts per thousands (ppt) (Sverdrup et al. 1942, Brandon 1973). Most of our corals and the associated fauna, including fish, will live best at these conditions (Weber and White 1976).

 

Additionally many of these areas have summer avg temperatures in the mid-to-high 80's with peaks sometimes exceeding 90°.  However most people (myself included) keep their aquariums way below this range, and most programmed thermometers/thermostats seem to target 78°F by default.  Many of us even employ chillers to actively prevent temperatures from ever reaching these ranges identified as 'optimum' for corals.

 

So what temperature do you target?  And if you've contemplated the reason, why?

  • Like 1
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Mariaface

I average somewhere between 80 and 81 - basically for the metabolic reasoning, and nitrifying bacteria growth which seems to peak around 86F. On the other hand, sometimes I get the impression I'm not compensating for the temperature with abundant nutrient import and export :P 

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Derrick1980

I did keep my temp at 80-81 f, but after reading that most fish prefer 78-79, I have my Inkbird set to 78, and the temp actually fluctuates +/- a degree.

  • Like 2
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I have mine set at 78. I can give no reason why other than that is the temperature recommended in most books/forums/sites I read around the time I started my tank up. 

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  • 1 month later...
Nixperience

I do 78.5.  In the event of a power outage I have about 2 degrees of time to resolve things. Same thing in the event of a heatwave. Good middle point. 

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