Heater Going Nuts!

[fishwatcher]

I had a 20gal tank that I swapped over to a 30-gal 2 nights ago. (What a job!)
Anyway, I unplugged the heater and let it cool, then took it out of the 20. When the 30 was set-up I put it in there and turned it on. The problem is that now it will not go off! I have set it down to 72 and it's 81 in the tank and still it will not go off! I have taken to just unplugging it/plugging it back in every so often, trying to get back to about 76-78. Is it broken or can I somehow reset it? It's fairly new, too. Only about 4 months old. Oh, and it's a Aqua-something submersible. Not sure what the wattage is, but it was rated for at least 20 gallons (figured I might have to get a new one for the 30 but wanted to try it first, then add it back to the 20 when I get it set up again).
Any ideas what happened or what I can to fix it? I really don't have the money for a new one, as I just bought 2 new tanks/hoods/stands, so I'd like to fix it if possible.
Thanks!

 

[smmetz]

When heaters go, it is typically the built in thermostat. This causes them to stay on all the time, or off all the time. There is pretty much no way to fix them. The plug/unplug idea might get your fish by for a couple days til you can get a new heater, but the temperature fluctuations are probably going to be stressfull for the fish.

I recommend you get a new heater as soon as you can. Sorry about the cost, hopefully you can find one for cheap somewhere.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yeah broken, they break pretty easily, often they're faulty from when you first get them, keep monitoring and turning it on/off for now to keep a reasonable temp and get a new heater asap

 

[fishwatcher]

Ah, well... the cost of keeping fish! Gotta just suck it up though... they're worth it!
Thanks for the help!

 

[DarkEntity]

lots of people now have 2 heaters in a tank, one at each end, that way if one dies the other will continue.

 

[Dave1]

lots of people now have 2 heaters in a tank, one at each end, that way if one dies the other will continue.

yup, like me, i have a heater for 30-60 gal, and 15-30 gal... (tank is 29gal)

i got both because one wasnt enough to keep the temp steady... my house is normally low to mid 60ºF and both heaters turned up all the way alone made the tank 70º-72° and now its 76º-80º with both

 

[smmetz]

Wow, unless you have no cover on your tank, I'm realy surprised it took 2 heaters, even with air temps in the low-mid 60s.

I have read about people using 2 heaters, with each being a bit under-powered to heat the tank alone. That way, if one of them decides to go on all the time, the fish wont get killed by the heat. Similarly, if one refuses to turn on anymore, the other one will pick up the slack well enough to have time to replace the broken heater.

 

[TerraDreamer]

Oh, and it's a Aqua-something submersible.

Aquatic Gardens? They're junk! I've replaced mine twice over the course of 45 days. I ended up switching to another brand.