Heater Question

[Twinklecaz]

How long does it take for the temperature tp stabilise? I set everything up yesterday and my heater is set to 24 but my thermometer currently says that the temp in there is 26! Is this normal or is my heater rubbish? Or maybe it's my thermometer, it's one of those LCD ones that you stick to the side?


Also my water isn't right I don't think. It's kinda cloudy. If I look very closely it has very tiny little white bits that look a bit like tiny air bubbles. is this normal or no? Shouldn't my filter have cleared the water by now?

 

[chrisbassist]

the stick on the side ones are pretty useless, and actually measure the temp of the glass, not the water, so if it's warm in the room then that may be why...

and if the temp on the heater is set by a dial, then all it takes is for them to print the numbers on in slightly the wrong place and thats wrong...

if you get yourself a thermometer for inside the tank and adjust the heater until that one reads where you want it

 

[Twinklecaz]

Thanks I will do. Would you recommend the digital ones?

 

[chrisbassist]

don't havemuch experience with them but anything that goes on the inside of the tank should be a lot better.

you could always just test the actual water temp with another thermometer, and see where your heater needs to be set from there... I tend to trust my heaters thermostat to keep temp right most of the time, I'll only pay any attention to the thermometer if thetemp doesn't seem right when i feed or clean, or wheni'm doing a water change and the water going in is cold (don't want temp changing too much)

 

[Twinklecaz]

Ok thanks. What do you make of the water situation? I have a nasty feeling that my filter might be crap. It's the Elite Stingray (came with the tank) and I've just been reading some reviews and a few people are saying that it doesn't really clean the water. It's hard to be able to tell really coz I don't know if I should wait a few days to let it settle and give it a chance or just order a better one now to save problems later

 

[chrisbassist]

if they look like air bubbles then they might be, and will clear, I've got no experience with the stingray filters though, sorry.

are you cycling at the moment? since cloudy could be bacterial bloom i think.

or, if your substrate is new, did you wash it properly before putting it in?

 

[Twinklecaz]

Yeah I washed it but I'm wondering if not enough. Not started cycling yet, I decided to leave it a few days,let everything settle and make sure the equipment works properly before starting.

I'm really thinking about just getting a Fluval Edge and be done with it.

 

[chrisbassist]

since you've set it up, if its the gravel, just do water changes til it clears, which it will eventually.

don't worry too much until you've cycled, once you've done that, you can think about getting an edge, then something bigger... and let MTS sink in properly. since once you've cycled your tank you can use media to help cycle others...

but in all honesty, you're going to have to do a few water changes through the cycle anyway so you may as well just get started.

 

[Twinklecaz]

Oh are you supposed to change the water when you're doing it? I just need to get a dropper thing tomorrow and then I can get started.

 

[chrisbassist]

not too often, but things happen, like ph crashes which are best solved with a water change to bring ph back up. so you'll end up doing a water change there, and then you'll do one at the end, so with a few major water changes, I don't think you need to worry too much, I think it's moreimportant to just get going, and things will settle down.

 

[Twinklecaz]

It's now saying it's getting towards 27. It's like it's just getting very slowly warmer and warmer. Has anyone ever heard of that before?

 

[OldMan47]

If you are relying on the temperature readings on the heater scale, stop doing that3. A heater has a setting that is the result, in most cases, of an adjustment that varies a bimetallic strip. Although the manufacturers can give a rough scale to their heater controls, the real temperature that you will achieve are better determined with a thermometer than by using those markings. I find that some manufacturers have a better scale on their heaters than others but you should view the numbers on the scale as a starting point. Once you know that a heater's scale is off by about 3 degrees, for example, you adjust the setting to be right for the temperature that you really want in the tank. So if you want 24C you adjust to 21C or 27C depending on which way it is off.

 

[Twinklecaz]

Thanks. I was just worried coz it seemed to keep going up rather than stay at any one temp but then the water I put in there (not evwn 48 hours ago) was very cold so maybe it confused it a bit. If it's still 27 when I get home later then I'll know it's about 3 degrees out. Definitely gonna get a more accurate thermometer though.

 

[OldMan47]

I find the cheap glass thermometers, the ones with a little red dyed alcohol in them, are plenty accurate for fish keepers. You may possibly be able to get slightly better accuracy with a properly calibrated digital, but how often are you going to be wiling to go get it calibrated to maintain the accuracy when all you care about is getting the temperature about right, within a degree or two.