Temperature Fluctuation

[Chris25]

Hi all,

I've recently purchased an Inkbird ITC-306A WiFi and think its really good, after some initial problems with continuous heating alarms going off!

You set a low temperature and a high temperature . When the temperature drops below the low setting the heaters (2x 300w) power on until it reaches the high setting. They then power off until it cools and hits the low temperature again, restarting the cycle.

After watching an aquarium co-op video on trying to reduce the number of 'cycles' a heater has to do. I currently have the low temperature at 26c and the high at 28c. It appears to cool over a 4-6 hour period, and then heat for around 6 hours.

Is this temperature fluctuation too much? I guess the fish kept could affect the answer.

Tank Details
Tank: EA 1500 Reef Pro (~530 litres)
Current stock, Angel fish, cardinal tetra, banjo catfish, twig catfish, Bristlenose plecs, Sterbai Cory, Otos and Amano shrimp.
(Wanting to get Discus at some stage in the future, so understand 28 is the low end so would probably look to change this to ~28-30c, assuming +/-2c is acceptable)

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Dadofthree]

I have my temp controllers set to +/- 1 degrees keeps very stable
Them temperatures are far too warm for some of that stock you have

 

[Wookii]

I have the same Inkbird temp controller, and my temps are very stable. The 'High Temp' and 'Low Temp' settings are just for the alarm, not for the heater operation.

That is determined by the main temperature setting value, and the 'Heating Difference Value' within the settings. If you set this 'Heating Difference Value' to the minimum of 0.3 degrees C, it should maintain your main set temperature value and not vary by more than half a degree in either direction.

 

[Chris25]

Hi,

Them temperatures are far too warm for some of that stock you have

Can you elaborate on which fish it is far too warm for...?

I have the same Inkbird temp controller, and my temps are very stable. The 'High Temp' and 'Low Temp' settings are just for the alarm, not for the heater operation.

That is determined by the main temperature setting value, and the 'Heating Difference Value' within the settings. If you set this 'Heating Difference Value' to the minimum of 0.3 degrees C, it should maintain your main set temperature value and not vary by more than half a degree in either direction.

Wookii, you must have an older version as mine there are two temps to set for it to bounce between and then another two for the high and low alarm. (I currently have the alarm settings at 25 and 31.)

I could set it at high of 28 and low of 27.9 and it'll keep it far more consistent but by doing that I would shorten the lifespan of the heaters as they'd be on and off far more frequently. I'm trying to find something where the heaters aren't on and off several times an hour and is acceptable to the fish.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Wookii]

Wookii, you must have an older version as mine there are two temps to set for it to bounce between and then another two for the high and low alarm. (I currently have the alarm settings at 25 and 31.)

I could set it at high of 28 and low of 27.9 and it'll keep it far more consistent but by doing that I would shorten the lifespan of the heaters as they'd be on and off far more frequently. I'm trying to find something where the heaters aren't on and off several times an hour and is acceptable to the fish.

Thanks,
Chris

I wouldn't have thought so Chris, mine is two months old. Can you post up a screen grab of your app settings page?

EDIT: Scratch that, sorry Chris, I just noticed your controller is the 306 - mine is the 308, which maybe accounts for the difference in operation.

 

[SRP3006]

I use the inkbird (older version) controller and have mine set as others have said, however I have mine set for 22 degrees which is slightly above the air temp, so the heater goes on very rarely. When you are trying to heat your tank to 28 degrees the heater is going to be constantly heating due to the cold air. I could be wrong but I think your heater is going to be turning on and off very often whatever route you take.