Well, everybody – this is a time I cannot resist stepping in – sorry!
First of all – BOTH Chuclett and Steve are ABSOLUTE correct! In their own approach to the topic.
Jesnon and Colin – this is NO harm in an argument! Jesnon, you should not feel guilty. Colin – being nice all the time can (in theory) bring more bad than good (example – if your close friend is suffering from a, say, alcohol addiction – is it better to be “nice” and pretend you don’t notice or is it better for your friend’s sake to insist they seek help?)
Now to the “core” – as far as I understand it – feel free to dismiss what I say altogether or argue it!
Let’s take the basic parameters: a house in the warm climate (it is a bungalow, is not Chuclett? – this is important for my deliberations...). So, the temperature at day time is, say, 27 degrees C and it is, say, 24 degrees C at night. The house is “modern insulated” so it does absorb whatever heat is available and does not part with this heat easily or quickly... This sort of weather stays put for some weeks... The house also has: an oven and a cooker (constantly used to make meals), a TV (also used), electric powered fans (also used in an attempt to keep cool), a fridge and a freezer (both in constant use), potential use of an iron, a hair dryer, constant use of lighting when it is dark and plus the fish tanks – with their lighting, filtration and (now not that much used if at all) heaters... Oh, yes, another thing – the people living in the said bungalow are reluctant to leave the windows open at night because of safety reasons.
So, what we have? A house which does not have an “upwards” flow of air inside ( a bungalow in comparison to a two storey house where a natural flow of a hotter air upwards and out can be achieved), a few weeks of very warm weather and a restriction on taking the cooler air in at night?
I think the answer is obvious! Although all the theoretical notions of Steve are ABSOLUTELY correct, there is a reality which steps in. Water, indeed, heats up much slower than air – equally it cools down much slower than air as well. The house is exposed to all those appliances kicking off heat and does not have a chance to cool down at night (windows closed and it is a modern insulated one as well). The aquariums within such a house will take their time to reach the “ambient” temperature but being filled with water they will be also slower to cool down... I can absolutely believe that bearing everything above in mind, the water temperature in the said tanks has reached (and probably exceeded) the ambient temperature outside at a day time! As they will be slower to cool anyway (water) evening use of lighting, cookers, etc. inside the house and the fact that the windows are all shut, will not allow the water in the fish tanks to cool during the night...
And also, by the way – a pool of 36’’ deep will NEVER heat up to the ambient temperature?! It depends... If the pool is located in, say the Azores, where the air temperature is a constant +25 all year round year after year – I am sure that a pool of ANY depth there will be about a degree or so cooler than the ambient temperature - simply because of higher density of the water. However, there will be times when this pool will be hotter than the air temperature...
Anyway, “science” aside – again: BOTH Steve and Chuclett are right. I understand that Chucklett is just trying a practical side of this trying to keep cooler and keep her tanks from overheating whilst Steve – in his usual manner – is going into a theoretical part of the question.
I don’t think anybody is upset or holding anything against each other – am I right???