Heater Question

[CBTF]

Hello there. Im a newbie to keeping tropical fish per say, so i'd like to ask this as it's been bothering me a while.

My 10G tank has been running a month with fish in it and everyone is well. I have a standard top fin heater. There is a plastic piece connected to the glass piece.. which in turn in connected to the heat dial. Got that? Good .

Now, my question is simple.. can that part go under water? Not completely, but maybe a bit of it? I try not to let it get under but it always goes.. is this hazardous? It's not completely to the dial (not even close- less than a cm of it is actually under the water.) Do I have to worry about shock or is everything fine?

Here's a pic of the area im talking about, circled in red. Please remember only a bit of it is under, not the whole area.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

yes, the whole thing can go underwater, even the cord(but not the plug). if i were you, i would get a better heater. heaters are probably the only equipment that you shouldnt cheap out on. ive heard lots of stories where people had trouble with cheap heaters. the only heaters i use are hagen thermal compacts these arent too expensive, but they are still good.

 

[CBTF]

alright thanks. i already know my heater is crap because i set it to 71 and the tanks stays at 80 usually..

when i find the cash im upgrading, just curious about the one im using now.

 

[cujoho78]

Hi. I was also reading your other post about the water being 82 F. That heater looks to me to be fully submersible, meaning that you can put the whole thing under water as said in the above post. I personally think that 82F is a little on the warm side, but if your fish are ok, then go with it. What wattage is the heater, and what temperature have you got it set at? Is it possible that you just need to turn it down? I have a 10 gal for a quarantine tank that i find is very hard to keep a consistent temperature. The heater i have for it mind you is an inexpensive hang on type that i don't trust, but i would like to mention that smaller tanks are more prone to temperature swings. Thus, the temperature of the room that the tank is in will have a bigger effect on a 10 gal than on a larger tank. If the tank gets strong sunlight also, this will drive the temperature up. It's sort of the nature of the beast really; larger bodies of water resist changes of temperature much more than do smaller bodies of water. The same goes for large aquariums vs. small aquariums. This may be part of your problem. I wouldn't write your heater off just yet. If it's fairly new, it's quite possible that there is nothing wrong with it. Also, maybe you could drop another thermometer in the tank to make sure that the one you have is reading correctly. Good luck!

 

[CBTF]

Thanks for that. Well, the temp is back to normal so im pretty sure it was the light being on all day. The thermometer is a mercury one, im not so sure they can be defective but maybe im wrong. I have the thermo set at 71.. oddly enough the heater should be the right wattage, as it came with my tank

 

[cujoho78]

Hi. Ya, the light for sure would affect the temperature as well. I forgot to mention that one. Incandescent bulbs throw quite a lot of heat. I'm glad you got it figured out!