Is It Ok To Have An Unstable Temperature?

I keep my water at 78F, since it is hot in Arizona the temp goes above 78F sometimes and so I use a fan to cool the water down, but sometimes the fan cools the water too fast bringing the temp below 78 making my heater work too much, so I turn off the fan, this is the cycle that happens:
1. Water gets to 79F, I turn fan on.
2. Fan makes water go below 78F, making the heater overwork.
3. I turn fan off but water goes back to 79F.
4. I turn fan back on
5. Repeat

Is a 1 degree fluctuation in temperature ok?

 

I would say it is, it's not a huge fluctuation.

Do you have a lid on the tank? Maybe remove that at least partially and see if you can maintain a more stable temperature by adjusting how much of the surface is exposed to air?

 

I would say it is, it's not a huge fluctuation.

Do you have a lid on the tank? Maybe remove that at least partially and see if you can maintain a more stable temperature by adjusting how much of the surface is exposed to air?

I do have a lid, but the problem is when I remove it the water evaporates so I would have to add water every 2-3 days

 

Maybe don't remove it fully? Having to add a little water isn't so bad, is it?

 

One degree is nothing. I have three tub ponds on the porch this year and I am getting a lesson in temp swings. It just has to be somewhat gradual like it would be in the wild. I see five degree swings everyday, considerably more than that throughout a week. The fish do not appear the least bit bothered. They look good, are active, and they eat and breed. Long-term I believe a fish should be kept in it's proper temp range.

 

I keep my water at 78F, since it is hot in Arizona the temp goes above 78F sometimes and so I use a fan to cool the water down, but sometimes the fan cools the water too fast bringing the temp below 78 making my heater work too much, so I turn off the fan, this is the cycle that happens:
1. Water gets to 79F, I turn fan on.
2. Fan makes water go below 78F, making the heater overwork.
3. I turn fan off but water goes back to 79F.
4. I turn fan back on
5. Repeat

Is a 1 degree fluctuation in temperature ok?

I wouldn't worry about the temperature fluctuation as long as the temperature doesn't change more than 1 degree per hour and doesn't stray farther than 2 degrees from 78. Good luck!

 

This is absolutely fine, a degree, even if you think its pretty rapid, won't bother anyone really as long as it is not something like 3-4 degree swings in either direction. If you wanted to minimize the disruption add a power head or something else to increase circulation maybe? What size tank is this?

 

I keep my water at 78F, since it is hot in Arizona the temp goes above 78F sometimes and so I use a fan to cool the water down, but sometimes the fan cools the water too fast bringing the temp below 78 making my heater work too much, so I turn off the fan, this is the cycle that happens:
1. Water gets to 79F, I turn fan on.
2. Fan makes water go below 78F, making the heater overwork.
3. I turn fan off but water goes back to 79F.
4. I turn fan back on
5. Repeat

Is a 1 degree fluctuation in temperature ok?

Nah, no biggie, I'm almost always two-three degrees off when I add water back to my discus tank- its fine.

 

This is absolutely fine, a degree, even if you think its pretty rapid, won't bother anyone really as long as it is not something like 3-4 degree swings in either direction. If you wanted to minimize the disruption add a power head or something else to increase circulation maybe? What size tank is this?

It's a 29 gallon

 

Unless your house gets really cold overnight, I would just unplug the heater. Fish deal with fluctuations in temperatures that can exceed 20 degrees. Your fluctuations are not even going to be noticed by your fish.