Another Question...thermometer Question

[LionessN3cubs]

Common sense tells me that Im right on something but Im just clearing it with those in the know.


I have a heater in the tank, set at 82. My thermometer is one of those stick on the glass thingies. After I cleaned the tank tonight, (about 25-30%) I glanced at the therm to see how close I got to the temp it should have been..only to have a heart attack. The therm says its 86 in there! However, the heater clicked on when I added the water so I dont think that is right. I do have a lamp (with a shade) sitting beside the tank...on the same side as the therm is stuck to...are those thermometers sensitive enough to pick up the additional temp of the lamp? is my heater more likely to be faulty?

Geez I really hope they aren't frying in there or anything. They are acting fine...when I was peering in the glass at them to snap pictures, they were all thinking they were getting fed again and were majorly showing off..very actively swimming and such. now I am not up to the tank they are back to their normal behavior...that should mean they are okay right?

 

[quaver]

If they are swimming around fine, then all should be good. Just turn off the heater for a while, and let things settle down. I have a personal opinion on those sticky thermometers. I think it actually adds the temperature of the glass to the temperature of the water. The only way to be sure that you are measuring the water temperature is to have a thermometer dipped in the water. Also, I have known of heaters going faulty, so your thermom may be reading correct, but the thermostat in your heater may have gone faulty

Holly

 

[Corleone]

By "stick on glass" do you mean the external liquid crystal ones? I've found them to be a bit off, myself. Get a cheap glass thermometer and put it inside the tank. It'll give you the most accurate reading, and they're pretty much foolproof and dirt cheap (safe, too - modern thermometers have a nontoxic red oil inside instead of mercury). If that says 86, turn the heater down a bit. Once you get the temperature where you want it, turn the heater up so it turns on, then gradually turn it down until it just turns off.

Don't trust the numbers on the heater if they disagree with the glass thermometer. Just because it says 82 doesn't mean it's heating to 82. Many models don't even bother having numbers on there. Mine is set to below 70 right now, and it heats to 78.

One last thing, what temperature is the room? Generally, the tank will never be cooler than the room.

 

[vinylman]

I've never been keen on the stick-on types; if you have a warmish room, they're bound to be affected by the external temperature of the glass.

 

[waterdrop]

I learned years ago to get the cheap glass tube floater thermometers, the ones weighted by little shot beads in the bottom and with a red-oil themometer in the middle.

The only problem I have is that the white plastic suction cup that's supposed to hold my thermometer whereever I want on an inside tank wall doesn't want to stay stuck anymore, even when I clean it and that glass and press it on firmly. The suction cup materia seems harder than the suction cups that hold my filter spray bar.

Anybody have any tricks for rejuvenating thermometer suction cups?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yup, get the little glass tube ones,. they're much more reliable. always trust the thermometer over the heater.

 

[vinylman]

I learned years ago to get the cheap glass tube floater thermometers, the ones weighted by little shot beads in the bottom and with a red-oil themometer in the middle.

The only problem I have is that the white plastic suction cup that's supposed to hold my thermometer whereever I want on an inside tank wall doesn't want to stay stuck anymore, even when I clean it and that glass and press it on firmly. The suction cup materia seems harder than the suction cups that hold my filter spray bar.

Anybody have any tricks for rejuvenating thermometer suction cups?

~~waterdrop~~

I know this won't be much help to you, W, but I was looking at a UK website the other day and I saw rubber thermometer holders for sale. If it comes back to me, I'll let you know where it was.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Anybody have any tricks for rejuvenating thermometer suction cups?

we just leave them floating

 

[vinylman]

Waterdrop,
Google the phrase 'aquarium thermometer holders' then click on the link to 'Fish And Fins' UK; that'll take you to the page for all spare suction cups/holders.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, good points V & MW,

I only mentioned it because mine always wants to go find a particularly difficult corner to pull it out of ( ) (sorta like a fish when you put in the net!), so I kinda liked having the suction cup and I liked keeping the thermometer in a consistent position in the tank so the log entries will be consistent.. and having it far from the spray bar where the warm water comes in.

I was thinking maybe some guru would come along and say "just wipe it with alcohol like you do your automobile windshield wipers".. or some such nice hint. (I'll still hold out hope that such a tip will be forthcoming!)

Probably vinyl's suggestion is the best though, it wouldn't be a bad thing to figure out a source for good suction cups as they are useful in so many ways in an aquarium. I really like the synthetic rubber type ones that came with my eheim, they seem really reliable and just right for aquarium use, so seem like the type of material to be on the watch for.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Miss Wiggle]

what you really need is a stufel-heifen box (should be pronounced in a german accent) . Ian has one, it's full of random filter spares, clips and suction cups. Just loads of random things for bodging fish tank stuff together!

 

[Spishkey]

what you really need is a stufel-heifen box (should be pronounced in a german accent) . Ian has one, it's full of random filter spares, clips and suction cups. Just loads of random things for bodging fish tank stuff together!

lol i have one of those! if i see something that *could* become useful for the aquarium, i throw it in the box!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

what you really need is a stufel-heifen box (should be pronounced in a german accent) . Ian has one, it's full of random filter spares, clips and suction cups. Just loads of random things for bodging fish tank stuff together!

lol i have one of those! if i see something that *could* become useful for the aquarium, i throw it in the box!

yup, as my other halfs a builder we basically have a cellar full of 'useful' stuff.

 

[waterdrop]

what you really need is a stufel-heifen box (should be pronounced in a german accent) . Ian has one, it's full of random filter spares, clips and suction cups. Just loads of random things for bodging fish tank stuff together!

ok