how to keep temperature constant?

[NanoPerson67]

hey guys.. well my tank tems have been dropping and raising but ever so slightly... yestready it was a lil over 82... this morning it was 81... and now it's a little less than 81 between 81 and 80.. i want to keep it at around 82.. when i plugged in my heater a few days ago my tank temp was 84-83... maybe it was just a hot day... my hneater i currently in a bucket. i am mixing new saltwater. i howerver do not have a powerhead in the bucket which i know i should. should i put the heater in my tank and take the power head out my tank and put it in the mixing water? the water i am mixing is only 1 gallon around. the powerhead i am sure i enough to add heat and keep it at 82 if i do put it in the bucket and add my heater to my tank. but my newly added corals in my tank howerver will have less flow. the only thing flowing is my aqueon filter at 100gph. whcih is the better choice? if i stick to my heater in the bucket i will need to miz with my hand and something else for like 5 mins every few hours.. that way it can mix and settle and by 24 hours it will be good rnough to add imo. like i said again it's only 1 gallon being mixed. also how would i go about keeping my temperature constant? when i am done mixing should i add my heater back in the tank and tun it on or off?? i feel like whenever i turn that heater on my water temp raises.. it's not adjustable btw... keep constant temp at 76.. and when it;s green it means its not heating or warming... it;s always green in the tank... whats ur opinion?? i currently just have my t5 lights on my filter and my powerhead and its around 80 degrees... it dropped alot since yesterday. can minor drops like 1-2 degrees effect my hardy soft corals? my leather coral is closed up due to alll the touching

SORRY FOR THE LONG POST

 

[ming]

82 is on the high side IMO. I would try to aim for 78-80F instead. A green light on a heater usually means its on. And a powerhead will warm up water a bit, especially if its only 1 gallon

 

[NanoPerson67]

82 is on the high side IMO. I would try to aim for 78-80F instead. A green light on a heater usually means its on. And a powerhead will warm up water a bit, especially if its only 1 gallon

on the box if i do recall it said if the green it's on but it wont start heating the tank unless it i below 76 degrees.. if it's red then it's heating up to 76 degrees. the heater is non adjustable... it's tetra. i currently have no heater and my tank it at 80/81 with powerheads on and lights and filter... i think when im done with the 1 gallon of water i mixed im gonna put the heater back in but not turn it on.. only on really cold winter days.. i do definetly need the power head on and it is keeping thr tank around 80 81 on a cold day like today... but yesterday it was like 82...even 83 sometimes... but now it's getting pretty cold with fall and everything... can a few drops in temp stress out your corals that greatly?? like lets say i was at 83 and now it's at 82.. or 81...

 

[NanoPerson67]

82 is on the high side IMO. I would try to aim for 78-80F instead. A green light on a heater usually means its on. And a powerhead will warm up water a bit, especially if its only 1 gallon

o forgot to ask... is 1.025 too high for a reef tank with fish also??? my lfs used a refractometer and it turns out to be 1.025.. my hydrometer is 1.022. turns out im 3 salt levels down.. my lfs said to add 3 salt levels on your hydrometer.. so the bucket water i mixed is at 1.019. anf the tank is 1.022... so really the bucket water is 1..023 and the tank is 1.025 like the store said... in your opinion do u think 1.025 is high?? i do top off daily... around half a cup...i was told by someone else on the fourms that the salt water i am adding HAS to be the same sg as in the tank.. would i add saltwater at 1.019 (1.023) with the 3 levels added to bring it down.. or just add r/o water to bring it down... and if i want to keep it at the same sg but raise the water level should i use the same sg then add water?

 

[ming]

if you have a controller, if the tank is too hot, you can make a fan turn on to help cool off the tank. also, make sure the heater is actually turning on at the correct temperature. sometimes they may be defective and turn on at higher temperatures then expected...

 

[ming]

1.025 is perfect. I would suggest using a refractometer everytime though, and not a hydrometer.

 

[NanoPerson67]

if you have a controller, if the tank is too hot, you can make a fan turn on to help cool off the tank. also, make sure the heater is actually turning on at the correct temperature. sometimes they may be defective and turn on at higher temperatures then expected...

u know i never thought of that =).. maybe the heater is defective and i dont know and it;s turning on at like 85!!sucks that it's non adjustable... well im gonna find out tommrow when i put my water to raise my level in my tank. ill put my thermometer in it and it SHOULD be at 76.. cause it default setted to 76... also do u think that adding a lower sg into my tank will cause stress?? it's 3 levels lower... maybe i should make it the same... and if i want to lower sg just add r/o water

 

[NanoPerson67]

1.025 is perfect. I would suggest using a refractometer everytime though, and not a hydrometer.

k ill make it same sg =).. definetly gonna save up for refractometer... for now i have to add 3 salt levels to the reading i get on my hydrometer... the firl at my lfs was positive it was 1.025... she said the calibraite it and everything... and im positive the store knows what their talking about... they have great reviews..o and can u answer some of my questions on my ammonia reading thread?? im not sure what the exact readings are

 

[NanoPerson67]

1.025 is perfect. I would suggest using a refractometer everytime though, and not a hydrometer.

i think it's around 1.024 now because i remember topping it off yesterday and today... my saltgravity on my hydrometer today was 1.021... and adding 3 salt levels make it 1.024....

 

[ming]

I don't want to read an essay on the ammonia thread. if you can sum it up in 1 sentence, I'll read it.
As for the salt level, its its just a tad low like that, just let it evaporate water until its 1.025 and then maintain that level.

 

[NanoPerson67]

I don't want to read an essay on the ammonia thread. if you can sum it up in 1 sentence, I'll read it.
As for the salt level, its its just a tad low like that, just let it evaporate water until its 1.025 and then maintain that level.

lol sorry it's so long. anyway........ the main question was what do u think the ammonia reading is at? and also why my mushrrom and leather corals are shrunk and my zoanthids are fully open... my mushrrom is now a little more open

 

[ming]

Staying on topic, Here's my temp readings for the past week. The cool things you can do with a controller

 

[NanoPerson67]

Staying on topic, Here's my temp readings for the past week. The cool things you can do with a controller

thanks so much =).. now i know minor lil changes are natural

 

[tentacles]

ming, what type of controller do you have? I rather like the idea of recording data throughout the day

 

[ming]

AquaController Apex System
http://www.neptunesys.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=43&Itemid=40