Cold nights, spotty heating

[outofwater]

So last night I had to wrap the tank with towels because the apt heat was spotty and the tank heater was on nonstop. Thankfully it kept up, didn't let the temp drop below 74 in the tank. The maintenance people seem to have fixed the heat issue in the building today.

I have a silicone rubber mat under the tank, and appreciate having found the info here about wrapping the tank to conserve heat.

I'm going to take some foam packaging home from work today, tk be ready in case another emergency presents itself.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

I never use my central heating even when the temp inside my flat is close to zero or lower but the heater in my aquarium is a preset Eheim and it manages perfectly fine without wrapping the aquarium up, only drops half a degree at the most and is not heating up constantly.

Sometimes it is better to go up a wattage from the recommended for your aquarium size as the heater can generally handle any serious drop in room temperature without struggling or staying on too long or often. My Eheim is rated upto a max of 400 litres and is in my 200 litre aquarium.

 

[outofwater]

I don't know the brand of this heater, but I've learned it came as part of a package tank, apparently sold by Walmart a while back. From what I've seen the components were rather decent. So far I have no issues with any of them (heater or hob filter). I got this setup second hand, and from what I've seen so far, it's a sturdy setup.

I've heard the eheim name thrown a lot in the forum and when I need to replace or add heaters (because MTS will kick in) I'll go with that brand.

That being said, the apt where I live includes heat in the rent, so it's expected to work no matter what.
I try not to crank it up too much, nor have my apt feel like it living in a walk-in freezer.

I also keep a pet rabbit, and yesterday I'm sure he felt grateful for its heating mat, which he seldom uses, but it's always connected, just in case.

I never use my central heating even when the temp inside my flat is close to zero or lower but the heater in my aquarium is a preset Eheim and it manages perfectly fine without wrapping the aquarium up, only drops half a degree at the most and is not heating up constantly.

Sometimes it is better to go up a wattage from the recommended for your aquarium size as the heater can generally handle any serious drop in room temperature without struggling or staying on too long or often. My Eheim is rated upto a max of 400 litres and is in my 200 litre aquarium.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

How old is the heater?

You say that it is a secondhand setup, you might be well advised to buy a new heater that is higher wattage than the one that came with the aquarium. Heaters can be a little tempermental as they get older. I personally replace mine every 2-3 years, thats not a requirement but over the years I have experienced heaters falter on their ability to reach and, importantly, keep temperature as they age....especially the cheaper ones on the market. If your heater is not performing as it should, then there is a potential for it to fail without warning. A newer one with a higher wattage would be something to seriously consider if your heater is even slightly playing up.

 

[outofwater]

Setup is a ouple of years old, per previous owner.

I'll start looking into this. I already feel symptoms of MTS, so I'm already hunting for another tank, and components

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Personally if it was my setup I would replace the heater since you don't really know how old it is and thermostats tend to fail over time. The last thing you want is to wake up and find it has failed overnight.

Wattage wise, in my old 60 litre/16 gallon aquariums they came with Aquael & Ciano 50w heaters...I replaced those with JBL S Pro 100w. The setup I have now is 200 litre bare aquarium and I have the Eheim 200w that is for a 3-400 litre which is holding temp perfectly.

Try to go for the best that you can afford in heater as the cheap/cheerful can be short lived and have fluctuations on their temp keeping ability.

 

[Colin_T]

If you tape 1-2 inch thick polystyrene foam to the back and sides of the tank, the heater won't have to work as hard and you will save power and money. You can also put a 1-2 inch thick sheet of foam under the tank for insulation purposes.

If you have a coverglass on the tank, it also reduces heat loss. Use 4, 5, or 6mm thick coverglass because it holds heat better and is less likely to chip or crack compared to thinner 2-3mm glass.