Heater fail

[mhancock]

Dear all,

Last year a heater failed and I lost several fish who could not cope with the high temperatures.

It's happened again, after rescaping a tank at the weekend, today I noticed all the glowlight tetras really struggling and it was soon obvious that it was too warm, and turned out to be 33 degrees centrigrade. The poor things were beginning to turn white, some have died. I put them into separate water, and did a few water changes to reduce the temp of the big tank.

So, my questions are:

• Is there a brand or heater that is less prone to breaking?
• Is it possible that in moving things around that I broke a thermostat?
• Or is it just that heaters have a life span (if so, what?), after which they should be replaced to avoid disaster?

Thanks for your thoughts,



Mark

 

[BettaBettas]

first off I think you should obviously remove the heater, go to your local Petco and just get a REGULAR everyday none fancy brand heater, I suggest some brand like fluval

 

[Byron]

Heaters are the most important equipment in an aquarium. Lights can fail, filters can fail, and both will be seen and dealt with. But a malfunctioning heater can cook a tank of fish overnight, or the opposite. So always buy the best heater, even if it costs more. Inexpensive brands are more likely to fail.

Second, was this heater functioning correctly for a time before this happened? Hypothetical question really, as there is nothing we can do now, but I ask it because the temperature setting on many even good brand heaters is not always exact; I have heaters set at 70F/21C that maintain the tank at 76F/24C. But the heater is not malfunctioning, it keeps the tank constant. It just took a bit of trial to get the setting where it needs to be for this heater.

Third point, the lower wattage heaters tend to give oput more than higher wattage. I have had 50w heaters fail, to the extent that I won't even buy them any longer. But my 100w, 150w and 200w heaters have functioned perfectly, some of them since the late 1990's.

My latest heater purchase for a new tank was Eheim Jager, a brand I trust. I have three Fluvals, and two seem fine but one acted up so I took it out to avoid risks.

Byron.

 

[NickAu]

go to your local Petco and just get a REGULAR everyday none fancy brand heater, I suggest some brand like fluval

You get what you pay for, a $20 heater is not of the same quality as a $70 heater I only use Aquael easy heaters.
easyheater - Aquael

 

[BettaBettas]

idk dude ive always been in the 20$ range, im not rich sorry trying to give "saving money" advice.

 

[AbbeysDad]

idk dude ive always been in the 20$ range, im not rich sorry trying to give "saving money" advice.

Might be penny wise and pound foolish - how much do you save when a cheap heater fails and kills a tank of expensive pets?

I'm fond of the Aqueon Pro heaters. I over power and double up. I could use a single 150w heater in my 60g tank, but instead, I use 2 - 200w heaters set to balance the load and insure if one quits, the other will manage the temperature. I'm afraid that I don't know of a way to guard against a heater malfunction where it stays on continually.

 

[NickAu]

Fish keeping is an expensive hobby,

For example.
I pay $138 for 1 gallon of Easylife Fluid Filer media and it lasts me about 4 months.
http://www.thetechden.com.au/Easy_Life_5_liter_Aquarium_Water_Conditioner_p/el5000.htm

Heres the food my Bettas love
http://www.thetechden.com.au/Dainichi_Discus_FX_Baby_Sinking_Pellet_100g_1mm_p/101503.htm

My Clown loach food
http://www.thetechden.com.au/Xtreme_Scavenger_PeeWee_1_5mm_567g_p/xt1893.htm

 

[NickAu]

I don't know of a way to guard against a heater malfunction where it stays on continually.

I have these on my tanks,
http://thermometer.co.uk/home-therm...meter-with-max-min-and-temperature-alarm.html

 

[BettaBettas]

the heater I listed and have, has never failed me personally and its not that expensive so that's why I suggested it

 

[StevenF]

Poor quality AC power might occasionally damage equipment. replace the regular outlet with a surge suppressing outlet or get a power strip with a surge suppressor built in. That would help protect the outlet from any voltage surges.

You could also try a heater controller:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007480AP6/?tag=ff0d01-20
This device monitors the temperature of the aquarium and cuts power to the heater when the temperature is OK. If the aquarium heater is also set to slightly cooler set point then you have two devices monitoring temperature. If one fails the other would turn it off.

Third point, the lower wattage heaters tend to give oput more than higher wattage.

I have an old 25 watt heater that is in use right now The original owner purchased it in 1995. I never had a problem with it. I am not sure but the newer heaters with digital thermostats might be failing more often then the older heater with mechanical thermostats. If you look at heater reviews on amazon.com it seams like all brands and all wattage heaters are having some issues. I have not yet found a heater on amazon.com with no failures reported.

 

[AbbeysDad]

You could also try a heater controller:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007480AP6/?tag=ff0d01-20
This device monitors the temperature of the aquarium and cuts power to the heater when the temperature is OK. If the aquarium heater is also set to slightly cooler set point then you have two devices monitoring temperature. If one fails the other would turn it off.

I believe this is incorrect. These units monitor temperature with a probe and turn the power on/off to the heater. As such, the heater must be set high so it will turn on/off by the external controller. (if the heater was set low, the controller would turn the power on, but the heater would not heat).

Edit: Btw, although an added expense, I think this type of controller may offer superior protection against heater failures. Some units also have built in high/low audible alarms you can set.

 

[NickAu]

This is why I prefer a thermometer with an alarm on it, If the temperature drops bellow or climbs above the limits you set it lets out this annoying high pitched bleep bleep bleep,

 

[FroFro]

Fish keeping is an expensive hobby,

For example.
I pay $138 for 1 gallon of Easylife Fluid Filer media and it lasts me about 4 months.
http://www.thetechden.com.au/Easy_Life_5_liter_Aquarium_Water_Conditioner_p/el5000.htm

Heres the food my Bettas love
http://www.thetechden.com.au/Dainichi_Discus_FX_Baby_Sinking_Pellet_100g_1mm_p/101503.htm

My Clown loach food
http://www.thetechden.com.au/Xtreme_Scavenger_PeeWee_1_5mm_567g_p/xt1893.htm

You must have some snazzy tanks if you spend that much! :O

 

[NickAu]

Snazzy? I don't know about that, But what I do have is low tech tanks with healthy fish full of healthy plants that are virtually maintenance free, I change 50% of the water once a week, I add the appropriate amount of Easy life I feed the fish and nothing else, I do not vacuum the substrate and I might clean the front glass every few months. I also do not use any fertilizer.

Have you seen this.
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/betta-being-a-betta.442007/page-3

Or this
http://www.fishforums.net/threads/my-new-project-for-a-local-charity.437257/page-12

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I've never had a heater fail, but agree with Byron that the higher wattage seem much more reliable. I always put a bit more wattage than my tank requires and have never had a problem.

You might also want to consider investing in one of these: http://www.marinedepot.com/Lifegard...meter-Lifegard_Aquatics-RB1313-FITETH-vi.html

As Byron says, this is a silent danger. Having an alarm gives you some insurance against it becoming catastrophic.