Temperature problem in Evo 13.5

[David Mason]

I’m just setting up a new Evo 13.5, have put everything together and am waiting for the cycle to start. The temp was ok for the first day or so at about 77.5f, but since I’ve had the lights on for the last couple of days (10hrs/day) the temperature is peaking at about 81.5f by 10pm. It’s in a heated kitchen/dining room which is about 22f to 24f. The tank has a Fluval 50w heater installed as well as the regular filter pump and an extra Fluval Sea circulation pump in the tank. 

 

I presume the extra heat is coming from the lights and I wonder if anyone else is having a similar problem, and do people think this temperature swing will cause a problem when I start stocking? 

 

 

[chawalte-qcvux5]

3 hours ago, David Mason said:

I’m just setting up a new Evo 13.5, have put everything together and am waiting for the cycle to start. The temp was ok for the first day or so at about 77.5f, but since I’ve had the lights on for the last couple of days (10hrs/day) the temperature is peaking at about 81.5f by 10pm. It’s in a heated kitchen/dining room which is about 22f to 24f. The tank has a Fluval 50w heater installed as well as the regular filter pump and an extra Fluval Sea circulation pump in the tank. 

 

I presume the extra heat is coming from the lights and I wonder if anyone else is having a similar problem, and do people think this temperature swing will cause a problem when I start stocking? 

 

 

A lot of people are having trouble with temps on the Evos when you use the stock lid.

 

Exact problem I had in mine. I took the skimmer "pop out" out of the back cover (I use a media basket in that chamber, no skimmer) and set my heater to 80 to combat the temp swings. My temp now stays constant at 79.9 with lights off and 80.5 to 81 with lights on. Room temp between 70-74. Removing that back pop out really made a difference. It was creeping to 82-83 beforehand.

 

Common misconception I've seen is that higher heater temp will cause the temp of the tank to rise more with lights. In reality the lights only warm to a certain point, and in my evo I was able to find the balance.

 

Now.. is running at 80-81 recommended? Usually not, but, I've had good results and I think a slightly higher temp is much better than a huge temp swing from day/night.

 

 

[Clown79]

80-81 isn't a buggy if its consistent.

 

Its large swings that's a concern.

 

Lids on tanks usually cause the heat issue.

If there is any feeding doors etc that can be opened, that will help 

[chawalte-qcvux5]

2 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

80-81 isn't a buggy if its consistent.

 

Its large swings that's a concern.

 

Lids on tanks usually cause the heat issue.

If there is any feeding doors etc that can be opened, that will help 

I didn't think 80/81 was too much of an issue. I just know most keep them cooler for various reasons.

[David Mason]

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like consistency is a bit more important than the higher temp (with reason)!

[Garf]

That's odd, I have had the hood, stock light with two additional Truelumen strip lights, and never have had temp problems. Of course, my ambient has been 70F most of that time. I let temp get to 72 on one of the nice days last week, and tank remained steady. I have my 50w heater set to 80, and my Inkbird temp controller set to 79. With the 1degree differential, my tank theoretically will stay between 78-80. In practice this spring, it has steadily been 78-79. 

 

I am not running stock light anymore, I now have 4 Truelumen strips, 36.4W compared to the 16W stock lighting. I am not running at 100%, with ramp up times, morning to midday are like 18-26W. I run an eFlux powerhead on a wave setting, that might be adding 3w, comparable to your powerhead. 

 

I do not yet have a cooling fan set on the cooling channel of my controller, but plan on doing something similar with the skimmer cutout. I will try to make a removable fan solution, so I can pop the cutout back on to keep evap down. 

 

 

[David Mason]

Temp seems to have stabilised a bit since turning the heater down to 23c (I'm in the UK so that's about 73.5f I think) on the dial. Tank now 79f. 

 

The other issue now is that I can't see any sign of a cycle starting. I set the tank up 6 days ago with about an inch of live sand and a single large lump of what was sold to me as mature live rock (it was second hand - traded in at the shop). So far zero ammonia so I think I'll have to wait a bit longer. Its tempting to try to hut it along but I've been banned from dropping in a frozen shrimp as we're away this weekend and my wife thinks it might stink the house out! Might try it next week if still nothing happening. Any other suggestions gratefully received!

[Clown79]

20 hours ago, David Mason said:

Temp seems to have stabilised a bit since turning the heater down to 23c (I'm in the UK so that's about 73.5f I think) on the dial. Tank now 79f. 

 

The other issue now is that I can't see any sign of a cycle starting. I set the tank up 6 days ago with about an inch of live sand and a single large lump of what was sold to me as mature live rock (it was second hand - traded in at the shop). So far zero ammonia so I think I'll have to wait a bit longer. Its tempting to try to hut it along but I've been banned from dropping in a frozen shrimp as we're away this weekend and my wife thinks it might stink the house out! Might try it next week if still nothing happening. Any other suggestions gratefully received!

How much rock do you have in there? In a 13.5 7-8lbs is needed.

 

If it was wet established liverock, there will be no cycle because its already cycled. 

[David Mason]

Thanks. That would probably explain it but I’ll check with the store. I’ve got about 7.5lb of rock - one large lump. Presumably if that’s the case I can introduce a few creatures and see what happens? 

[Coinee]

19 minutes ago, David Mason said:

Thanks. That would probably explain it but I’ll check with the store. I’ve got about 7.5lb of rock - one large lump. Presumably if that’s the case I can introduce a few creatures and see what happens? 

If you were sold live rock that already has the beneficial bacteria, you can start to stock your aquarium. Stock with your clean up crew then some fish.

 

Also, don't just throw in a bunch of things at once (clean up crew is fine), since that can shock the system and potentially cause a crash or mini-cycle. 

 

Maybe tell us what your stocking idea was for this tank and we can give you a better set of directions. 

[Garf]

 

David, I had my room at 24C the other day, and had no issue with the temp. What are you using to monitor the temperature? How is the Fluval heater temperature set? Is it accurate? It may not be an issue now, but when it gets cooler, I wouldn't want the tank to get 23C before my heater kicked on.  

 

I would just wait out the cycle. Don't worry about it or force the issue (shrimp, ugh).  If your live sand was fresh (did it have a date, and hopefully there wasn't any green algae in the bag), it should be fine. You may not get any spike, or test any measurable ammonia. Wait a while (few weeks if you can), then dose 1ppm ammonia, test in 24hours to see if your tank was able to convert that amount of ammonia. I wouldn't rush to add in livestock, as this will reduce your ability to deal with any pests your established liverock may have come with.

 

I'd also add a few smaller pieces dry rock to the tank (if you have the room), to serve as little islands to plant some corals on. One large rock may limit your corals. Plus, watching how these color up will give you an idea on how your tank is doing. 

 

I started much like you, live sand and established live rock, plus a few pounds of live sand from my already established tank. I bit over two weeks I was able to move in my two clownfish. I kinda wish I would have waited a while longer, as working around the clowns was a bit of a pain, the male bites my wrist everytime my hand goes in as I was moving my rocks around. Plus, I was unable to test ammonia conversion, and had to assume my tank was cycled. In the end, it probably needed at least another week, as I got diatom bloom as soon as I put in some livestock.

 

[David Mason]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I’ve emailed the store owner just to check exactly what rock he sold me. The live sand was in date so shouldn’t be a problem. I’m away this weekend so can’t do much anyway but will probably start with a couple of critters next weekend if nothing happens and tests are still ok. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Regarding the temp ... I started with an electronic probe, then used an infra red gun which measured a couple of Fahrenheit higher and then put a conventional thermometer in the tank which measures a couple of F lower!!! I’m not sure which to trust (if any) so am working on the middle measurement which seems ok now. It seems to rise a couple of degrees F over the 10 hrs the lights are on which I hope is ok?

Thanks again.