Temperature for clowns

[ey]

Hi, I've had clowns for about 2.5 years now and was wondering if your tanks ever experienced temperature spikes during the cold winter months?

I have noticed that the temp in the tank fluctuates between 24oC to 27oC during the morning/afternoon (warmer) compared to night (coldest). Is this the case with your tanks?

I'm not sure if this is because I need to get another heater, but the one I'm using is the right size for my tank.

I have no such temp. fluctuation problems during the other seasons apart from winter.

The ideal temp for clowns is 28oC to 30oC right?

Thanks

[Marcos Mataratzis]

Hi ey,

The ideal temp for clowns is 28oC to 30oC right?

Some people prefer 27 to 29°C. Here in Rio de Janeiro I never had room temperatures as low as 24°C. So, keeping tank warm is not a problem. Problem here is opposite, during summer...

Marcos

[Gary Stanton]

I assume you live in snow country? I do and I also notice that when it's real cold outside and I let the house get cold that the right size heater can not keep up. They have a maximum output and more heat is being lost through the glass/acrylic than can be replaced by the heater. Two options, keep the house warmer or add another heater.

[Diana]

the heater I'm using is the right size for my tank

Not if it cannot handle the temperature variations you are asking about.
I would get a second heater, and put it as far away from the other as reasonable. With two heaters, spread out, they will share the job of heating the tank, and when the weather gets colder both can come on and keep the temperature more stable.

Some fish come from shallower water and do experience a significant change of temperature in a 24 hour period as well as an annual cycle. More often these are temperate water fish. Most tropical fish do not see such a big change in the water temperature. I would try to keep the change in any one day to about 2*F or 1*C maximum if you can. If the temperature is going to change more than that, make sure that the extremes are still within the tolerances for all the fish.
There are certain fish that are triggered to breed by a change in temperature. This often coincides with the rainy season up stream sending cooler water to the area where these fish live, and perhaps triggering the growth of microorganisms the fry can eat.

Things that warm the tank:
Motors of any sort. Pumps, powerheads, filters that move the water are usually water cooled, and the water that removes the heat is your aquarium water.
Air pump, pumping warm air into the tank. If you want this, then set your air pump over the light fixture or in a sunny window. If you do not want this then set the air pump away from the tank, or in the coolest place. (Be careful the water cannot siphon out through the tubing If you place the pump lower than the water)
Direct sun, or a room warmed by sunlight through a window. Sheer curtains can cut out a lot of heat from this source, and shading the window from the outside can really help, too.
Wrap the tank at night with a blanket or thick towel to conserve heat. Be careful the towel does not get wet (it could wick away a lot of water out of the tank) and is not touching anything electrical. Make sure the vents for the light fixture are not blocked.

Things that can cool a tank:
Open the lid and aim a fan across the top. The evaporation cools the tank.
More air movement in the room in general can also encourage evaporation. (Top off with RO water to avoid a build up of minerals in the tank)
Freeze 1 liter and 2 liter soda bottles ahead of time. Depending on tank size float one or more bottles during the warmer parts of the day. Monitor this, and watch for the temperature dropping too much (heater comes on)
Keep rotating the bottles in and out of the freezer as needed.
Add ice cubes to the tank. The tiny amount of chloramine added this way is nothing, but if you are worried you could use RO water or add dechlor to the water you make ice cubes from. Do not add a lot of ice at one time, it can cool the tank off too fast.
Cooler rooms. I do this by opening the windows at night and cooling the whole house off, then closing everything (windows, curtains) if the day will be too hot.
Chiller. More often thought of for use in marine tanks, but perfectly applicable to fresh water, too. Fish keepers who specialize in certain fish native to North America use them (North American Native fish prefer cooler water than most houses are kept. A chiller is used to keep the tanks in the 60s F)

Ideas applicable to both heating and cooling:
Insulating the house can keep temperature swings down.
Opening and closing curtains to use solar heat on the cool days, and minimize it on the hot days.
Overall keeping the room temperature stable makes it easier to keep the tank temperature stable.
Larger aquariums will be more stable than smaller ones.
Keep fish in one tank that have similar temperature requirements. This way if the temperature does vary in the tank all the fish can handle a similar change in temperature. Contrast this with keeping two species whose temperature preference overlaps in just a couple of degrees. If the tank is not maintained at exactly the right temperature (plus or minus one degree) then one or the other of these fish will be stressed, and could perhaps die. If you want to keep cool water species and warm water species, then set up a tank that is easily maintained at the cooler temps these fish like, and a separate tank for warm water species.
Even in the summer (in temperate zones) leave the heater plugged in. Some nights might get cooler than you really want the tank to get and the heater will come on even in the summer.