Chiller really necessary?

The temp in my 422 is always ard 29-30deg. Must I get a chiller to bring down the temp if I wanna go serious with plants?

Right now my plants are not really growing and looks unhealthy. Did water parmeters check all seems ok. In previous posts some bros tell me it could be the light wattage not enough. Am going to get 4tubes of PL lights soon and sell off the current FL and TFT lights I have (save space).

But back to the main question... is lowering the temp (to about 26 or 27??) one of the important parts in keeping a planted tank? Mine is a big tank so def need something like the Resun CL650 and its a bit ex for me now. Best i found while scouting was $390 w 1 mth warranty only.

U can try to use fan to lower the temp. If u can afford for a chiller why not. For lighting it is defintely not enough. Try to use metal halide instead of pl as mh pentration is deeper. I think 2 150w mh is ideal for ur tank.

MH is very expensive and must hang from the ceiling, right?

I wanted to use a fan but was adviced that a fan is not enough for my tank and need to top up water very often

[cheetf]

Maybe you want to try using a fan first? Be ready to top up water every other day though. My tank now seems like a constant 26 degrees after using a fan. Used to be at the 29-30 range last time.

However the temperature never really seemed to be a obstacle to plant growth in my tank. I have a 3 ft X 1.5ft X 1.5 ft tank with 144w pl lights and CO2.

Part of your problem could be that your tank is 2 ft deep. Light might not be reaching your plants.

I suggest using MH lighting too. They provide a nice effect anyway! There are some setups that don't require hanging from the ceiling.

Temperature helps a lot imho.

[ecoquest]

For your 2ft depth, fluorescent lights should suffice. The ideal temperatures for plants differe according to the type of plants you keep, but in general, bringing down your tank temperature to about 27.5-28C should help the plants do better.

If you're keeping the 'cooler' plants like Magadascar lace for example, then a cooler temperature of 26.5-27C will be much better.

Try using a fan like most have suggested. You definitely need to top up the water more frequently as the fan will accelerate the evaporation, but it's cheaper to run and initial setup is also relatively cheaper compared to a chiller.

But if you have the space and happen to find a good chiller at a good price, then use a chiller as it'll give you a more constant temperature. Fans can only bring down the temperatures, but cannot maintain a set temperature.

Hope this helps.

[AhMiao]

Originally Posted by moo2

The temp in my 422 is always ard 29-30deg. Must I get a chiller to bring down the temp if I wanna go serious with plants?

Right now my plants are not really growing and looks unhealthy. Did water parmeters check all seems ok. In previous posts some bros tell me it could be the light wattage not enough. Am going to get 4tubes of PL lights soon and sell off the current FL and TFT lights I have (save space).

But back to the main question... is lowering the temp (to about 26 or 27??) one of the important parts in keeping a planted tank? Mine is a big tank so def need something like the Resun CL650 and its a bit ex for me now. Best i found while scouting was $390 w 1 mth warranty only.

bro can sharee where to get the chiller CL650 for $390??i need 1.

[Royston]

It actually depends how far you want to go as most more "difficult" plant need lower temp + for light MH is quite a over kill for a 2ft. I'm kind also having a 2ft("any difficult plants" can grow so far tank) running only with 2x PL tube & a chiller keeping it at 24+-0.5 dC. One more important point to remember is the fertilizing regime. Are you ready for daily fertilizing(or once every 2 days) + checking of the tank's perimeter almost evey even days of the week?

[Ingwe]

how to estimate size of fan needed for a tank? e.g. wattage/size/number of fans

Moo2,

It really depends on what plants you will be keeping. For a 4x2x2 ft. I have tried PL and FL. Both works well. Most important for the light source is the reflector. If your reflector is good, even FL can support a 4x2x2 ft.

More lights or higher power lights are great, however, do take note that with higher amount of light (more watts) more precise control over the tank parameters is required. MH over a tank will most likely require chiller (due to the heat generated). Do think over what you wish to run your tank with. Always buy a chiller 1 model higher than required.