what do you keep your tank temps at?

[maxdout]

i currently have mine set at 78.5. i was running it at 77.3 for the last couple of months and notice that the corals weren't growing much. I decided to up the temps and noticed more polyp extension but at the same time green bubble algae started to appear. I used to have them and did a manual removal of them at the start of the cycle 9 months ago. It is getting to the point of me having to take it out again and remove them manually. i was thinking maybe it was becuase i upped my temps that they've grown out of control. anyone with info on tank temps and bubble algae removal tips is welcomed. thanks

[Marko9]

I am running my tank at 77.5 - 80 right now. During the summer I run it from 78.5 - 81. I have no idea about bubble algae except hearing that when you pop them, they realease spores.

[shiveley]

I'm at 78.5 to 80.5...not necessarily by choice, that's just how seems to fluctuate.

[WarrenG]

Corals in the wild are almost always found at 78-84 degrees, and a big part of the South Pacific ranges from 78-81 degrees.

Hawaii, for example, each island further south has a normal temperature about 1-2 degrees warmer and the coral growth increases at each increment.

[GreshamH]

Huh, many collectors I talk to say they collect in mid 70's. Mine is kept at 75f. Higher O2 saturation point is one reason most of our tanks don't have the DO levels our corals LOVE.

[maxdout]

ok so i've got the correct temp range. i just wanted to verify thanks a bunch guys. now all i have to do is find a way to rid my system of bubble algae.

[MrMikeB]

I subscribe to a similair train of thought as Gresham and keep mine at 76 all year round.

The closer to the equater, obviously the warmer the avg temp - although I am not sure about the correlation between warmer temps and coral growth. Is this indeed a known fact? Could be a neat experiment.

[kdblove_99]

I'm 78-81 range

[WarrenG]

My example of Hawaii is clear and easy to see when you're diving there and you have a thermometer on your gauges. 2 degrees cooler (chronic) makes a noticeable difference in the reduction of corals.

My business is underwater video. I know the temps of most of the Caribbean and substantial parts of the South Pacific because I've dove there or talk at length to people who have. In places with good corals and sponges the temp is ALWAYS above 75 for most of the year. For example, Fiji is 76 at the coolest to around 81 at the warmest, with about 9 months of the year above 77. In all the times and places I've dove in the Caribbean that have good coral and sponges the coolest is around 77 and normal is 80-83. There are sources online that show water temps in these locales.

[MrMikeB]

Originally posted by WarrenG


My business is underwater video.

Wow! Now how the hell did you hook that up?! Its like you are living my dream job!

[bayareaquarist]

Emerald crabs eat Bubble algea~! Not voraciously but they have been documented to~!
-Actually I think I remember reading that they are the only invert to have the ability to consume a "bubble" without releasing the spores into the column...


Bubble algea is one of those things that when it starts its almost impossible to rid the whole system of without a complete break-down...

[jtarmitage]

Has anybody ever tried covering them with kalk paste? Seems like it kills just about everything else. I may try it on the lone bubble I've got and see if it does anything.

[WarrenG]

Originally posted by MrMikeB
Wow! Now how the hell did you hook that up?! Its like you are living my dream job!

Unfortunately I'm not making the videos so much as making the equipment so other people can make the videos. The people making the videos are either hobbyists or "professionals", but the professionals barely make a living at it. Then again, money isn't everything!

[WarrenG]

I got some Emerald Crabs recently and while they do eat some bubble algae they are very thorough about cleaning algae off the rocks-they leave it bare, and ready for more coraline.

[petes97]

77.5 to 81.5

[jtarmitage]

Yeah, and if they run out of other food sources, they may begin to take a liking to your SPS

[petes97]

Originally posted by bayareaquarist
Emerald crabs eat Bubble algea~! Not voraciously but they have been documented to~!
-Actually I think I remember reading that they are the only invert to have the ability to consume a "bubble" without releasing the spores into the column...

I watched an emerald crab at airinhere's house eat a valona bubble. Not in one piece. Just picked at it slowly and I'm sure spores went everywhere.

[airinhere]

Yeah, but there were already spores everywhere.

One of my tanks has a sizeable outbreak of the stuff. Mostly confined to the upper limits of the tank.

Odd thing is the rock in that tank is all aragocrete, so I know it had to have come in as a hitchiker.

I have 5 emerald crabs in my 90 gal tank and they are doing a miserably poor job dealing with the Valonia.

About the only effective way to get rid of the stuff is to manually scrape it off your rock and siphon the loose bubbles with a siphon hose.

(If you find something else that works, post it here.)