Tank running warm

[Jon]

My tank has been running pretty warm lately (83 degrees) which I find pretty odd. I have a 58 gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump. The equipment I have running in the tank is as follows: 250 watt heater (which is turned all the way down), 2 Hydor Koralia #2 powerheads, Tunze 9010 protein skimmer, Mag 9 return pump, Tek T5 light 234 total watts (which is on for 8 hours a day and is suspended about 6 inches over the tank) Coralife 18 watt light for sump (stays on 24 hours a day). My house temperature is set at 70 degrees and does not really flucuate.

To help cool things down I have ordered a fan to put on the sump which should help. My real concern is that the summer will not be too far away and I do not want anything bad to happen. I don't have much space for a chiller under my tank and was wondering if I have any other options. Also if anyone could explain to me why my tank is running so warm I would appericiate it. I don't think I have an excessive amount of equipment in my tank to raise the temperature so high.

As always thanks for your input - Jon

 

[REEFLECTIONS]

lots of maybes
1) is thermometer is wrong,
2) issue with pump, causeing it to run hot
3) issue with thermostat in heater making it kick on?

 

[cmsurfr22]

sometimes heaters get stuck in the on position regardless of where the thermostat is set to. try unplugging the heater completely and see if your tank temp goes down.

 

[redfishbluefish]

If your heater is at the lowest setting….New heater time. General rule of thumb…2 – 3 watts per gallon. I’d look at trying a 200W heater.

 

[saltwaterguy112]

but wouldnt you have noticed the light on in the heater. That is one you might want to look into i was thinking maybe the pump running hot. Anyhow an issue you need to address for that temp being so high in the winter.

 

[calaxa]

Verify the heater is working properly and not stuck ON. This is pretty common. Lose the heater for a day and see what happens.

Verify the powerheads are not jammed and mag pump is not obstructed. Is the mag submerged? If possible, make it external.

Nothing else would generate this type of heat unless it was functioning improperly.

My 58 is running very similar (2 Tunzes 7200 PH, Outer Orbit 2x150MH/4x39W, Mag 9 for skimmer, 2x Mag 7 for returns). Tank runs at 77 lights (ambient 72) off and 80 lights on.

 

[calaxa]

REEFLECTIONS,

It didn't even occur to me about therm being wrong because I actually use 2 therms (1 in tank and 1 portable) to check my temp but that's probably the first thing Jon should look at.

 

[REEFLECTIONS]

no need for caps, this is an informal board....lol

 

[adesimone1]

When we ran our 70 tech with the T5's our tank always ran warmer we also have mag 9.5 for the return. When we switched the tank over to the 90 bow we are running 2 175 MH's and the same return we have no issues with heat. We do not run a heater at all and our tank stays right around 78 degrees. I would run a fan between the light and the tank or run a small fan in the cabinet over your sump that's what we did and it worked vewry well

 

[Jon]

So I have been following everyones advice and am trying to determine what piece of equipment is making my tank run warm. Yesterday I unplugged my thermometer and my two power heads. I let the tank sit for 24 hours and the temperature dropped from 83.3to 82.4 degrees. So this means that either my protein skimmer or my return pump is this culprit.

To be honest I think it is a mixture of both. I have changed my sump over the past week and when doing so I have seen the temperature drop atleast a couple of degrees when I disconnect the protein skimmer and or use my other quite one return pump. Unfortunately, not using the protein skimmer is not an option for me. I just purchased a Tunze 9010 and can not go out and get another skimmer or sell it for a fraction of what it is worth for a skimmer that is not as dependable. I also like using the mag 9 return pump because it gives my tank great water flow. I am going to monitor my temperature closely and am hoping that it will continue to drop. If not than we will see what results I get with my fan for the sump once it arrives. If the temperature does not drop significantally with the fan than I will look into using my Quite One 3000 return pump.

The thing that gets me is that I am not 100% sure that using a new pump is the correct thing to do. As another member already stated on this thread he too had a similar tank and it ran very warm without a thermometer and with similar equipment that I am using. Could it be a common problem for Oceanic tanks of this size to run relatively warm???
Jon

 

[REEFLECTIONS]

the brand wouldn't determine the teperature it ran at, the combination of equipment would, i think it was calaxa thar recommended running the return pump externally, a hot pump in the sump would act as a heater

 

[magic]

Jon

How about a Coolworks Ice Probe Chiller. Not sure how well the work but they are small and relatvely cheap. There's one for sale in the forsale forum, $70 (demon16v). Hopefully someone will chime in with more info.

Bob

 

[calaxa]

I did say to run return pump externally but it sounds like it's not an option for Jon. One of your pumps is not working correctly. Have you disassembled and checked impellers? Make sure o-rings inside are still good. Give it a nice vinegar bath or clean out calcium deposits. I have 3 mags all submerged and MH lights and still not as hot as your tank with same ambient temp. You verified that your therm reads temps correctly? You did check the heater?

 

[Jon]

I have taken the heater out of the tank.

The thermometer is working correctly. It is obvious by touch that the water is warmer than needed.

How would I run a mag 9 pump externally without drilling holes in my sump? Can I place it over the water somehow and connect a tube on it leading to the water?

 

[calaxa]

Drill hole in sump is ideal.

You should be able to put a tube on the inlet, submerge the pump to prime it, then remove the pump keeping the tube in the water (I have not tried this but the principle is correct). Of course, if you lose power, you will need to reprime the pump.

Why not get another mag pump to verify? It's always good to have a backup pump just in case.

 

[Jon]

Drilling the sump is not an option for me.

I will try cleaning the pump out first. I do not have the cash to buy a new pump and my back up is the quite one 3000.

Jon

 

[Jon]

I just switched out the pumps and my tank is now reading 82.6 degrees with the quiet one 3000 running. I have cleaned out the Mag 9 and it had alot of calcium build up on the impeller. The pump is sitting in some Trader Joes white balsamic vinegar to help cleanse it. I will give you a follow up tomorrow to see how much the temperature drops (if any) and we will go from there.
Jon

 

[REEFLECTIONS]

put the pump on the ground, use a tee with a plug on it to bridge over the rim of the tank, then to prime couldn't you remove the plug and manually fill with water, and put the plug back in?

 

[calaxa]

I just switched out the pumps and my tank is now reading 82.6 degrees with the quiet one 3000 running. I have cleaned out the Mag 9 and it had alot of calcium build up on the impeller. The pump is sitting in some Trader Joes white balsamic vinegar to help cleanse it. I will give you a follow up tomorrow to see how much the temperature drops (if any) and we will go from there.
Jon

Actually use white distilled vinegar. It's better and cheaper. Why you wasting your expensive Trader Joe's stuff? Save that for the salad

Distilled vinegar is like $2.50 for a gallon and a half or something like that.

Think reeflections way to prime works as well. You would need to experiment if that is case but it sounds like that pump might be the problem. It can't be right you run at least 1 less pump than me and less heat from lights and still be 3 degrees hotter.

 

[Jon]

Today my tank temperature is reading 81.0 degrees and I think it will continue to drop. Since I have switched out the pumps it has dropped 1.6 degrees which is good but not what I expected. I am going to let the tank be another 24 hours to monitor the temperature.
Jon