Hello all, I've got a unique overheating question I haven't seen other places... I'm new to the forum, so I apologize if this isn't the appropriate place for this question
About a month ago, I got a new 90 gal (4' x 1.5' x 2') tank that I am using as FOWLR. My initial equipment (during cycling, before livestock) consisted simply of the basic overflow wet/dry sump filter, and a 300W heater. The pump is a Rio 2500 (55W). For lighting, I have a Coralife Lunar Aqualight on a timer (actinics on from noon-midnight, daylights on 3:00-9:00). The tank has a tight-fitting glass cover with small corners cut out for powerhead cords, and the light is up on "legs" about 2" to 3" up. For the first month, there was no temp problem; the heater kicked on when it needed to (desired tank temp 76F, room temp pretty constant at 70F) and the tank temp was stable.
Earlier this week, I started adding additional filtration and powerheads. I added a Coralife 18W UV ster, as well as a small (too small, probably :? ) ViaAqua PolyReactor for PhosBan and active carbon. The ViaAqua comes with its own tiny 5.5W pump that sits in the sump, pulls water into the canister, and returns the water into the sump. The UV is inline with the main return to the tank (of course). I measured the gph of the return to be ~225 gph, which "should" be pretty good for the UV sterilizer. I also added two Maxi-Jet 1200 powerheads inside the tank for circulation.
I finally noticed today that the temp is creeping upwards, despite the fact that the ambient temp in the room has stayed the same. I'm thinking it is because of the extra power consumption, but then again I didn't add THAT much to the tank, really just a 5.5W pump in the sump, two 20W powerheads, and the UV sterilizer.
So my long-winded question is (hey, I just read the "everyone read this" post and it said to be thorough with the description ), do UV sterilizers significantly increase water temperature? I'd like to avoid adding a chiller any time soon... I'll put one in after a while, but I gotta slow down my spending on the tank! Anyways, this is the first time I've ever had an overheating problem, so I have no idea what to do about it, or even what is causing it. Today I turned off the UV lamp, and have opened the glass hood and stand doors to give as much air flow as possible, and see if that pulls the temp down temporarily.
Sorry for the super-long post, and thanks for any help that anyone can offer![/i]
About a month ago, I got a new 90 gal (4' x 1.5' x 2') tank that I am using as FOWLR. My initial equipment (during cycling, before livestock) consisted simply of the basic overflow wet/dry sump filter, and a 300W heater. The pump is a Rio 2500 (55W). For lighting, I have a Coralife Lunar Aqualight on a timer (actinics on from noon-midnight, daylights on 3:00-9:00). The tank has a tight-fitting glass cover with small corners cut out for powerhead cords, and the light is up on "legs" about 2" to 3" up. For the first month, there was no temp problem; the heater kicked on when it needed to (desired tank temp 76F, room temp pretty constant at 70F) and the tank temp was stable.
Earlier this week, I started adding additional filtration and powerheads. I added a Coralife 18W UV ster, as well as a small (too small, probably :? ) ViaAqua PolyReactor for PhosBan and active carbon. The ViaAqua comes with its own tiny 5.5W pump that sits in the sump, pulls water into the canister, and returns the water into the sump. The UV is inline with the main return to the tank (of course). I measured the gph of the return to be ~225 gph, which "should" be pretty good for the UV sterilizer. I also added two Maxi-Jet 1200 powerheads inside the tank for circulation.
I finally noticed today that the temp is creeping upwards, despite the fact that the ambient temp in the room has stayed the same. I'm thinking it is because of the extra power consumption, but then again I didn't add THAT much to the tank, really just a 5.5W pump in the sump, two 20W powerheads, and the UV sterilizer.
So my long-winded question is (hey, I just read the "everyone read this" post and it said to be thorough with the description ), do UV sterilizers significantly increase water temperature? I'd like to avoid adding a chiller any time soon... I'll put one in after a while, but I gotta slow down my spending on the tank! Anyways, this is the first time I've ever had an overheating problem, so I have no idea what to do about it, or even what is causing it. Today I turned off the UV lamp, and have opened the glass hood and stand doors to give as much air flow as possible, and see if that pulls the temp down temporarily.
Sorry for the super-long post, and thanks for any help that anyone can offer![/i]