Red sea max C250 heating issues

nd200

nd200

Member
So I recently just purchased a new Red sea max c250. Its a wonderful tank. But the issue I am having is the temperature. it stays at 81-81 degrees. I have an eheim canister filter and tunze ato. So I went out to the store and picked up a chiller. well when i got home i had turned the heater off earlier and noticed it had dropped to 80.5. So i waited and it didn't drop any more so i returned the chiller, (because it cost a lot of money.) then i lowered the temp on the heater to 65 and turned it back on. The light didn't go on so i left it on and after about an hour it was back to 82 from 80.4 I have the lights on about 10 hours a day. all the fans are on. What should I do? should i just go back and buy the chiller again.
 
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DaveK

Well-Known Member
Add a chiller only if there is no other way. They are 3expensive to buy and to run.

Here are a few things to check.

Do you really need or want an eheim canister filter on a reef system? You might gain something in the way of temp by removing it.

Consider a shorter photo period. That can also reduce temps a bit.

Consider a fan over the surface of the water for evaporative cooling.

Do you have any powerheads in the tank? They can add to temp. If you do, perhaps you can get away with less.

Are you using the stock lighting? you might be able to upgrade to LEDs and also gain a lower temp.

You only need to get the tank dow a few degrees. With a little luck you should be able to get there with out a chiller.
 
Adrienne

Adrienne

Well-Known Member
I have a chiller - its the only way to keep the tank temp down in spring, summer and autumn. Do you have your rear fans turned on during the day while your lights are on - I did see you said you have but am just checking. I found running mine 24/7 helped but it did increase the evaporation to around 4-5 litres (umm around 1 gallon?) per day. Every additional power head etc adds to the heating within your tank.
 
ziggy

ziggy

Active Member
nd200 said:
So I recently just purchased a new Red sea max c250. Its a wonderful tank. But the issue I am having is the temperature. it stays at 81-81 degrees. I have an eheim canister filter and tunze ato. So I went out to the store and picked up a chiller. well when i got home i had turned the heater off earlier and noticed it had dropped to 80.5. So i waited and it didn't drop any more so i returned the chiller, (because it cost a lot of money.) then i lowered the temp on the heater to 65 and turned it back on. The light didn't go on so i left it on and after about an hour it was back to 82 from 80.4 I have the lights on about 10 hours a day. all the fans are on. What should I do? should i just go back and buy the chiller again.
Click to expand...
what is the temp in the room? any sun or heating vent blowing on the DT?
 
nd200

nd200

Member
Adrienne said:
I have a chiller - its the only way to keep the tank temp down in spring, summer and autumn. Do you have your rear fans turned on during the day while your lights are on - I did see you said you have but am just checking. I found running mine 24/7 helped but it did increase the evaporation to around 4-5 litres (umm around 1 gallon?) per day. Every additional power head etc adds to the heating within your tank.
Click to expand...
Yes I do have the fans on 24/7. the room temp isnt that high. maybe 76 at hottest in the summer.
 
nd200

nd200

Member
First off, thanks for all the replies! Second... I noticed that after i turned the heater back on the temp went back up. So i turned it off before i went to bed and in the morning it was at 80.2 So i turned the heater back on and it went up to 81.6. I then turned it off AGAIN and it went back down. (during day with lights on.) Do you think my heater could be broken. I also will have a wood fire running in the winter to keep it warm and the temperature will get hot during that time so i don't know if it is worth dust buying the chiller to be safe. I am trying not to buy one since it will cost about 1,000$ to buy after i get a pump that can deal with a 10 floor head pressure.(since it has to go through the floor)
 
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mike1970

Active Member
wow 10 floors that's crazy:apologetic: maybe we are not talking about the same thing. why would you need to pump salt water 10 floors on an all in one tank? . most people just put the chiller in the right compartment with a Eheim Compact+ Pump and call it a day at least that's what I did:bigbounce:
 
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nd200

nd200

Member
mike1970 said:
wow 10 floors that's crazy:apologetic: maybe we are not talking about the same thing. why would you need to pump salt water 10 floors on an all in one tank? . most people just put the chiller in the right compartment with a Eheim Compact+ Pump and call it a day at least that's what I did:bigbounce:
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Ha! I meant 10 foot head pressure. the tank fits in a section of wall so there is not room for a chiller. I just put a shelf up in my basement to hold it below to floor and after going through the floor and up the tank its about 10 feet.
 
nd200

nd200

Member
Danreef said:
So it is inside the wall and not over the tank furniture ?

Click to expand...
well i figured out what the issue was. I had just recently put in a canister filter but the way the water comes out is through small oles in the tube. Well one of those holes was positioned right at the thermometer thing on the heater. So it made the water seem colder therefore it wouldn't shut off. All I had to do was move the heater on the side wall and now it is at a solid 78.6-78.9
 
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