System up..not running well

[FlyinBryan]

Hey everyone! Haven't been on in a while because I've been busy working and getting my 150rr tank up and running.
Here's where I'm at. My tank overheats, arnd 80 - 81 during the day. I have evaporative conditions leading me to add water daily. This causes my protein skimmer to flip out, fill up with water, and just effervess until I get to it.
I must be doing something wrong, i think, to have all these things happen.
Temp I can handle with fans, and get it down to 76, I just don't want to run fans 24/7. Is this normal?
Fine tuning the protein skimmer I'm having a hard time with.
My blue tang does nothing but hide, and my chocolate tang, just does the same route in the tank over and over and over.
Oh, and I go out of town for work often and was hoping to have my girlfriend handle these things when she comes over, but, I was hoping that all she'd have to do is feed.
Sorry for the vent. Newbie here just a bit frustrated.
Thanks

 

[MMreef]

Hi,80-81 is a little high but not to worry about it.Do you use sump with baffles? If you do, water level in your skimmer should not fluctuate.Yes evaporation is a normal thing,you need to replace water daily.Easiest way is to install ATO.(automatic top off)

 

[ColaAddict]

80-81 is fine temp wise, don't worry about that. temp in the sea get warmer than that. Just avoid large temp swings, so you might want to adjust tank temp to a low of 78 so you don't have such huge temp swings.
Evaporation is normal, You might want to invest in an auto top off system to keep water level in sump stable, that will also keep your skimmer happy. make sure you top off with fresh water, not saltwater. I replace about 1 gal of water daily.
how long have you had your fishes? they often hide until they get comfortable in your tank. also, tangs swim alot, which explains your tangs swimming pattern.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

Let me see if I cam address a few of the issues you are having one at a time.

First of all, the overheating issue. The heat is being generated from somewehere. How many power heads do you have in the tank and what kind? Is your return pump internal or external in your sump? Are you air conditioning your place. If not, do you have a chiller? How warm is your place getting?

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[FlyinBryan]

I have 2 power heads..one is some 240 model..common model found at aquarium adventure..the other is nkt as strong.
Im running a pond pump in the sump which is a Aqueon proflex model 4.
Skimmer is a reef dynamics IS80
I keep the house arnd 74 w/ac but with fall here now i just leave windows open and it stays down arnd 70 during day.
Im feeln alot btr abt tank ok at rel elevated temps. Will def look in to auto top off.
Thanks again for responses!!

 

[Lil BamBam]

Buddy,

If you like I can swing by or you can come over. You can also see my ATO just to get an idea.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

If your place is staying that cool and you are still having heating issues to 81 I think you need to address the situation. Even though 81 is acceptable, this could pose problems if your A/C ever fails or something.

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[Tangency]

To echo what others said... I would look into an ATO or be willing to add RO water daily to keep up with evaporation. Glass tops (if you have any) will also trap heat. Running a fan will not only cool your tank but increase your evaporation rates thus raising your salinity. I have noticed that salinity fluctuations will effect both corals and fishes mood.

Try looking into a controller. They are nice because they can help automate a few aspects of your water parameters. For example you can set the temperature and it will turn off your heater once your temperature is lower than X (whatever you set), and turn on your fans if your temp goes above X (whatever you set). You can also wire your ATO to have your controller take care of it. Once your ATO float switch is triggered your controller will turn on the pump to correct your water level. You can also set up light timers and many other features depending on how fancy you want your automation to get. They certainly are not required in the hobby but they are a nice tool to help keep your parameters stable.