Not very happy!

[Baker]

So im reaching out to the biocube 8 owners and the nanocube 28 hqi owners. I purchased both of these tanks off kijiji and finally got around to setting them up. I have been taking temps from both tanks. I turn the lights on in the morning before I go to work and when I get home the temp in the BC8 is 85 and the NChqi is 84. I have actually unplugged the heater in the Bc8 and temps are still getting up to 85, so i know its not a faulty heater. I cleaned the fans but i dont noticed much of anything coming out. Are these known for over heating? The temp in the apartment is 70 so i know its not that. Im at a loss. Do I need to buy new fans for both of them? I dont see why they would sell something that is reef compatable if you cant even get the temps within reef safe. Someone please help a brother out.

[Coralgurl]

What do you have reading your temps?

[Baker]

A few different things. From a float and 2 different digitals. One which I just bought today. And my digital that I use for work which I know is deadly accurate.

[Coralgurl]

I don't know a thing about the tanks you have so no help there....

what are your overnight temps running at? what equipment is actually in the water pumps, skimmer, etc. that may be throwing additional heat into the tank...

I'm noticing at even 18+ in the house, my tank is above 80. I turned off one heater, but my night temps dropped too low.

[Baker]

Night temps are dropping maybe 3-4 degrees.

[Matt@NoLongerInUse]

maybe put some kind of spacing between your lid and your tank. to let the air flow to help control your temp.
just to see if it helps.
it could be your return pump. getting old and heating up more. i would also try cleaning them to see if that helps.

[Baker]

Cleaning the pumps?

[Proteus]

These are metal halide lights correct?

[Baker]

The NC28 is.

[Proteus]

Thad be ur issue. I think.

[Baker]

Well I see what your saying but why would anyone buy anything that gets too hot to keep anything in. That just doesnt make sense. Im wondering if Matt is on to something with the pumps being old and heating up too much. The biocube doesnt have MH and its heating up too much as well.

[reefme]

Don't forget to plug your heater back for the night.

[mrhasan]

1. Metal halide
2. Pumps heating up
3. Closed canopy
4. Fans not doing its job
5. Less than adequate evaporation
6. Less surface aeration

[Baker]

Theres nothing in it yet so heat doesnt matter. Has anyone bought either of these brand new? Do they over heat right out of the box?

[FishyFishy!]

All of the biocubes that I had were just fine out of the box. I even did a MH retro into a BC29, and it was totally fine on its own.

Whats your house thermostat set at?

Two things I would do:

1. Make a small gap inbetween your canopy and tank. This allows airflow onto the surface of the water

2. Upgrade your fans

To tell you the truth, I instantly upgraded the fans when I bought my biocubes. I found them noisey anyways. Theres lots of threads on fan upgrades out there. www.nano-reef.com (http://www.nano-reef.com) has an excellent biocube resource section that you could look at as well.

[Jason McK]

Also check the direction of the fans. I believe 1 should be blowing into the tank and the other bowing out. You might want to flip them around in difference combos to see if that helps

[spit.fire]

As far as I know the nano cube hqis were designed from the factory to use a chiller. As far as the bc8 goes, I'm guessing its running pc bulbs.... They get pretty hot, running them in my bc14 I didn't need to use a heater

[PurpleMonkey]

Don't know much about the NC28 but for the BC8, try popping the back part open and leave it open. You could even add a fan there to blow extra air over water but it will increase your evap so ATO necessary.

The fans in the hood are too cool the PC bulbs, not the tank. They are noisy and if you are going to replace them, just buy the same size ones from a local computer store. Spend a buck more and get a controllable fan with actual bearings.

I would check the pumps, might just be worth swapping it out. MJ400 or 600 should probably be enough flow (I'm only running a MJ900 on my BC29) and they are relatively inexpensive.

Just my 0 cents (2 cents round down now that we don't have pennies... lol)

[Baker]

Thanks everyone. Today I got home and it was 80 in the bc8. Yesterday I swapped the stock pump out for a mj900. Seemed to do the trick.(thanks Matt) Yesterday I cleaned the fans on the nc28, but the lights werent turned on today until I got home from work. So I will be monitoring these tanks closely. If all else fails I will either find an led kit for the hoods or just take the hoods off and get aftermarket lights for them.

[lorenz0]

Had the same problem with my bc14. after a year I gave up even after switching over to LED's. couldn't get the temp under 82. switched to an innovative 16 and I had to add a heater because it wouldn't go past 71.

The closed canopy is a huge issue, really creates a little oven. Unless your willing to add a chiller, I would look into something like a AI nano or something on those lines to get rid of the canopy.

[makana]

I bought my NC28 HQI brand new and it was sold as a package with the chiller. I added a HOB skimmer and the chiller has to run throughout the night to cool off the heat added by the skimmer pump. With minimal equipment, LED lights, and a clip on fan blowing on the sump area, you might be able to keep the temps down. I would doubt you could do it with the HQI though without a chiller.