Struggling with branching SPS in 70 Gallon (1 Viewer)

[irishkiddo]

Hello all,

I'm having success with branching SPS in my 22 gallon tank. I have a ton of encrusting montis that are doing fine in both my 22 gallon and 70 gallon.

The 70 gallon is hosting 2 really big clams, anemones, 5 fish, 3 encrusting montis, and some other softies.

I went to college in Gainesville and saw Dixie dogs aquarium a few times. He told me that temp swings were fine as long as they never got too hot. I also read that heaters weren't a must for SPS.

What are your thoughts on the heater?

My 22 has a heater just because its so small. I live in an high rise and the room temperature is usually very stable.


The 70 gallon has a skimmer and way more flow. You'd think the SPS would like it better.

 

[reeftopia]

Last week my temp range was 74 to 84. Not good but doesn't seem to have effected anything.

 

[Reefahholic]

I try to keep everything as stable as possible. In the summer months you might think everything is good and the tank is 65 degrees at night like the house. eeeekk.

 

[RR-MAN]

What are the water test results?

Since it's only a 70/g stick a small heater in there - like mentioned above stability is key not just for SPS but a reef tank.

Hello all,

I'm having success with branching SPS in my 22 gallon tank. I have a ton of encrusting montis that are doing fine in both my 22 gallon and 70 gallon.

The 70 gallon is hosting 2 really big clams, anemones, 5 fish, 3 encrusting montis, and some other softies.

I went to college in Gainesville and saw Dixie dogs aquarium a few times. He told me that temp swings were fine as long as they never got too hot. I also read that heaters weren't a must for SPS.

What are your thoughts on the heater?

My 22 has a heater just because its so small. I live in an high rise and the room temperature is usually very stable.


The 70 gallon has a skimmer and way more flow. You'd think the SPS would like it better.

Hello all,

I'm having success with branching SPS in my 22 gallon tank. I have a ton of encrusting montis that are doing fine in both my 22 gallon and 70 gallon.

The 70 gallon is hosting 2 really big clams, anemones, 5 fish, 3 encrusting montis, and some other softies.

I went to college in Gainesville and saw Dixie dogs aquarium a few times. He told me that temp swings were fine as long as they never got too hot. I also read that heaters weren't a must for SPS.

What are your thoughts on the heater?

My 22 has a heater just because its so small. I live in an high rise and the room temperature is usually very stable.


The 70 gallon has a skimmer and way more flow. You'd think the SPS would like it better.

 

[PorpoiseHork]

For a 70g you will need at least a 200W heater. I personally run the Neotherm heaters as they have a digital thermostat and are able to maintain the set temp very accurately. As a fail safe I also run the Inkbird temperature controller as a means to control two separate heaters to keep the tank temp very stable. https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Itc-...id=1544803621&sr=8-3&keywords=inkbird+itc-308

How I have mine configured is the Inkbird controller listed has two power outlets, one for cooling and one for heating. I have a 100w heater on the cooling side and a 200w on the heating side. The cooling side heater set to 76F but the Inkbird is set to turn the cooling plug at 75f and it shuts off the power to the plug at 76f. The heat side is set to 77f and the 200w heater is set to 78F, and the controller shuts power off at 78f. How it works is if the main heater were to fail and stick on the power will get cut to it preventing an overheat issue. If the main heater fails and stops producing heat or is not able to keep up, the cooling side heater will kick on and either help bring the water temp back up quickly, or prevent the temp from falling too rapidly allowing me time to replace the main heater. It's confusing but it works and it was very reasonably priced.

 

[irishkiddo]

I got the SPS from reeftopia, =). Lost 3 of them so far. Been evacuating them to the smaller tank when I see them hurting.

The tank normally runs around 71 during the day. Maybe its dipping at night, would the swing down to 65F hurt the branching SPS and not he monti's?

 

[steveb]

Do you have any idea what the swing is?

My experience, if an SPS is happy and used to the tank it can withstand fairly large swings in parameters for a period of time. If those swings are frequent, very large or coral is new to the tank, its going to get reused in the calcium reactor.

All my frag tanks have two 300w heaters (except for the mini frag system. It has 2x200w.. Both are plugged into an APEX

Fallback ON
If QT_Tmp > 78.0 Then OFF
If QT_Tmp < 77.5 Then ON
Defer 004:00 Then OFF
Defer 004:00 Then ON
If QT_Tmp < 70.0 Then OFF

 

[irishkiddo]

Steve want brand heaters do you have? Those neotherms have horrible stories behind them. My small heater is a eheim

 

[irishkiddo]

My friend brought up a good point. I recently moved from a 400 watt MH to 2 narrow 360 kessils. The heat from the metal halide probably kept the average up.

 

[steveb]

Steve want brand heaters do you have? Those neotherms have horrible stories behind them. My small heater is a eheim

Finnex with analog thermostat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[TX_Punisher]

65 is too low. My tank runs a low of 77.9 at night with a 500w heater and a high of 78.4 with t5. Need to put a better ventilation system in these sealed up reefer 750s as I could then keep temp swing down to .3 degrees.