Room temperature and coorelation to Aquarium temperature

[JPH1970]

Is there a formula of sorts ? In other words, how can I know how my aquarium water will be affected by room temperature?

 

[ProudPapa]

I suspect there are too many variables for there to be a "one size fits all" formula.

I have a 10 gallon tank on my desk with shrimp, with the heater is set to 72°. When it gets warm my house thermostat is also set to 72°, and the tank water temperature gets up to about 74°, if that helps at all.

 

[BigManAquatics]

If your room temp is steady it shouldn't drop below that unless you are real close to a drafty window or something.

 

[SotaAquatics]

Agreed with the others, there are a lot of variables. Evaporation will typically keep your aquarium slightly cooler then room temperature - assuming you weren't running a heater in the aquarium. A good lid should keep that to a minimum though and the aquarium should be pretty spot on.

Of course, if you keep it in a spot where it is in direct sunlight, it will heat up more then the room.

 

[member136197]

I had read that aquarium water will on average be up to ten degrees Fahrenheit cooler than surrounding room temp. Will try to find article to quote.

 

[Skrabbitskrabbit]

I ran a “cold water” tank with no heater and it was at most 2-3 degrees below room temp in winter and not any higher than room temp in summer

 

[member136197]

I ran a “cold water” tank with no heater and it was at most 2-3 degrees below room temp in winter and not any higher than room temp in summer

Yes exactly up to ten degrees cooler all depending on variables like location of tank. Geographic location tank size etc.
Water transfers heat better than air because its molecules are closer together, but it requires more energy to heat because it's so much more dense.
On a per-volume basis, water requires about 400x more energy than air to heat by 1 degree Celsius. This is the scientific explanation of the concept I’m struggling to explain lol