Temperature

[Tessla]

Are they this style of screw in lightbulb? Those would be incandescents, the usual flourescent bulb is a long tube like this. I've seen hoods for ten gallons use both styles of bulb, I use the mini compact flourescents linked earlier in mine.

Since the tank is near a heating vent, I'd move it somewhere else as you'll have problems when the heater is in use. Shutting them won't keep them from heating up your tank. Is the tank near a window? That's another thing that can cause massive temperature fluctuations. Maybe even a kitchen or a hot water heater but that's a bit of a stretch.

 

[vinylman]

I'd cut down on the lighting to ten hours. What type of thermometer are you using?. The glass tube 'in-tank' ones are usually reliable, but if you use one of the stick-on strips on the outside of the tanks and the room is warm, that will affect the reading because the ambient room temperature will contribute to the heat on the outside of the tank.

 

[K.J.]

I'd cut down on the lighting to ten hours. What type of thermometer are you using?. The glass tube 'in-tank' ones are usually reliable, but if you use one of the stick-on strips on the outside of the tanks and the room is warm, that will affect the reading because the ambient room temperature will contribute to the heat on the outside of the tank.

Like I said, I use one of the cheap metal ones, but I have tested with a digital one and it reads higher. Maybe it is incandescent.. I'll look... I don't think the heater would be causing it, as it hasn't been on for several weeks and the water is still warm. I can't really move the tank due to the fact I have no where to move it. There's a kitchen in another room, and a window across the room, although I think a lot of fishkeepers would have issues with heat if they had a window in the room they keep the fish in. I've been controlling it more, the window is open a bit more and the tank lights are off for random points in the day, the water seems quite a bit cool, I'm guessing 73.. so now I have to warm it up again. Oh, lovely!