why is my tank running so hot?

[andrewkw]

I haven't been monitoring the temp since summer, I dropped my pinpoint temp monitor into the water. During the summer I battle heat issues which I combat with fans and ice. Yesterday I had someone over so I asked him to bring a thermometer. Much to my shock my display was just over 83 degrees! I turned my summer fan back on. My frag tank was a more comfortable 81.

My display is a 5 foot 112 gallon tank with a 36x16x16 sump total water volume is roughly 140 gallons. This is in the basement with only two 250 de mh pendants for lighting as well as a 65w pc bulb always on over the fuge.

I know running my return pump internally adds to temp but its an ehiem 1262 so I don't think it should be heating the water too much?

I have a 250w heater which I believe only goes on at night and for additional flow a tunze 6060, seio 1100 and Korilia 4.

In the sump I have another maxi jet 600 and 400 one feeding the phosban reactor and one feeding additional water to the fuge. Other then that my skimmer is a bubblemaster 250 with the 2 pumps. The only other equipment I have is a calcium reactor and that pump is external.

anyone got any chillerless suggestions?

[am3gross]

i see you have 2 halides... what i did was to put a fan where the lights are on top of the tank and have them come on when the lights come on. those halides are probably what is causing the temp to rise. especially if all your pumps are working properly.

[lizardarm]

I have a 250w heater which I believe only goes on at night
You might want to verify this belief, just to be sure. You might also consider spending a few dollars on an aquarium thermometer; what if your friends thermometer was incorrect?

[andrewkw]

I'm only running two, 250's over a 5 foot tank, i can't imagine what the temp would be with three 400's.

I have 2 ice cap fans on each side of the canopy one is blowing in and one is blowing out.

I do look at the heater from time to time to make sure its off. It has a light so if I don't see the light its not on. 250w is actually under sized for my water volume making it harder to raise the temps drastically..

I plan on getting a temp controller in the new year. I did ask if friends thermometer was calibrated and he said yes. I don't really trust most of those small digital ones anyway which is why I need to invest in one with a proper probe. Considering my lighting is moderate at best I'm shocked that even in the winter its this hot.

[silvers]

IME heat comes more from the pumps than lights I have a harder time keeping my 120g with two 250w MH and 3 big pumps, than my 22g nano with 1 250w MH and the only good sized pump in the tank is to the skimmer. Fans will work wonders though if fans dont help start looking at the pumps

[ricks]

Get yourself a good laboratory grade mercury thermometer.You can find them at several online distributors. They sell for somewhere around 30.00.

You can use them to calibrate your digital probe type thermometers. they only read between 74- 82 if I remember right...

It's the only type I would trust.

Happy reefing.