The Ideal Reef Tank Temperature & Why You Should Care

Reef tanks are usually filled with colorful fish and coral from around the world. What do all those animals have in common though? They're all from coral reefs from ocean waters near the equator! While those waters are warming, we don't need to let our tanks do the same - controlling temperature doesn't have to be hard! Letting your tank swing a degree or two each day is likely to be fine if your fish and coral are healthy - some wild Acropora on reefs in American Samoa see nearly a 6F degree temperature swing every day!

Your reef tank temperature should be in the upper 70s - around 77 or 78F (25C). Keeping it there doesn't need to be hard, from bags of ice cubes as a temporary measure, to fans or even chillers there are many options out there to keep your tank from exceeding those temperatures. If only wild coral reefs had the same options! Your tank's temp might seem difficult to control at first, but as you grow beyond a beginner reef tank keeper you'll find it's nothing too complicated. Just find something that works for you and your tank!

We'll avoid discussion of cold water tanks, as these have special considerations that add a lot of complication. You should avoid fish like the Catalina Goby and some other deepwater species in the average reef tank, as these fish either come from temperate water or very deep water - in both cases they need cooler water temperature than the average reef tank provides (if only a few degrees in some cases).

Reef coral survival and mortality at low temperatures in the Arabian Gulf: new species-specific lower temperature limits
Stephen L. Coles and Yusef H. Fadlallah
Coral Reefs (1991) 9:231-237

High temperatures tolerated by a diverse assemblage of shallow-water corals in American Samoa
P. Craig, C. Birkeland & S. Belliveau
http://doi.org/10.1007/s003380100159

Seasonal Changes in Zoanthus spp. in the Infra-Littoral Zone at Taisho Lava Field, Sakurajima, Kagoshima, Japan
Shusuke ONO, James Davis REIMER and Junzo TSUKAHARA
http://miseryukyu.com/MISE@University_of_the_Ryukyus/Publication_List_files/Ono%20et%20al%202002%20SPS.pdf

Coolworks Ice Probe chiller for nano reef tanks
https://pentairaes.com/coolworks-ice-probe-reg.html

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