Heater recommendedations. HELP!

[Guppylover3x]

I need recommendations for a 10 gallon (38 litre fish tank) I have a small marina one at the moment which seems to be extremely overheating my tank. I can’t unplug it sometimes but I can’t always be around to keep doing this. Any recommendations will be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Byron]

First on the present heater you have, does it have a temperature adjustment knob? Many heaters are not all that accurate keeping the water at the same temp as the setting; I have some that maintain the water at 76 if they are set on 70 for example.

As for a new heater, I would not get a wattage below 100w though, as the lower wattage heaters tend to malfunction more in my experience. I have a 100w heater in my 10g that has been running in this tank for over a decade with never a fault. I haven't seen the brand locally, so last time I needed a new heater for another tank I bought an Eheim Jager which is one of the reliable brands. There are inevitably others that members will suggest.

 

[Guppylover3x]

First on the present heater you have, does it have a temperature adjustment knob? Many heaters are not all that accurate keeping the water at the same temp as the setting; I have some that maintain the water at 76 if they are set on 70 for example.

As for a new heater, I would not get a wattage below 100w though, as the lower wattage heaters tend to malfunction more in my experience. I have a 100w heater in my 10g that has been running in this tank for over a decade with never a fault. I haven't seen the brand locally, so last time I needed a new heater for another tank I bought an Eheim Jager which is one of the reliable brands. There are inevitably others that members will suggest.

Many thanks for the reply. I haven’t tried adjusting the temperature but I will do it could be set a bit lower. I have found the major problem with this heater is that there’s no indicator of what temperature you’re setting it to because it’s not numbered. This leaves you to guessing on adjusting to the correct setting. The heater also isn’t fully submersible as stated on the packaging so I do think this heater is damaged anyway. I’m fed up of not being able to fill my tank properly. I do want a digital one but I’ve no idea how these are rated. The digital ones also aren’t very small. Would a 100w not overheat the tank? I think it really depends on the heater itself. Mines current a 50w. Thank you for your help.

 

[Colin_T]

You should have a floating glass thermometer in the aquarium to monitor the water temperature.

When you buy thermometers from the pet shop, take a number of them off the shelf and check the temperatures of them. Sometimes you get thermometers that are inaccurate and these will be a few degrees lower or higher than most of the others. Do not buy the thermometers that have a different temperature to most of the others. Get one that has the same temp as most of the others.

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Heaters don't need much adjustment to change the temperature. Adjust it a small amount and monitor the temperature over the next 24 hours. Adjust it a bit more if needed until you get the correct temperature for the fish in the tank.

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I agree with Byron on heater size. 100 watt heaters seem to be more reliable and more accurate than 25 and 50 watt heaters. However, it depends on brands but in my experience, I have found 100 watt heaters to last longer than their lower wattage counterparts.

A 100 watt heater is fine in a 10 gallon tank.

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If you want to reduce the amount of time an aquarium heater is running, you can insulate the aquarium with polystyrene foam, the same stuff they put under aquariums to cushion the bottom. I used 10mm thick polystyrene foam and sticky tape it to the back and sides of the tank (on the outside of the glass). And have a coverglass on top of the tank. Get a 4, 5 or 6mm thick coverglass because they don't chip or crack as readily as the 3mm thick covers do.

 

[Guppylover3x]

You should have a floating glass thermometer in the aquarium to monitor the water temperature.

When you buy thermometers from the pet shop, take a number of them off the shelf and check the temperatures of them. Sometimes you get thermometers that are inaccurate and these will be a few degrees lower or higher than most of the others. Do not buy the thermometers that have a different temperature to most of the others. Get one that has the same temp as most of the others.

---------------------
Heaters don't need much adjustment to change the temperature. Adjust it a small amount and monitor the temperature over the next 24 hours. Adjust it a bit more if needed until you get the correct temperature for the fish in the tank.

---------------------
I agree with Byron on heater size. 100 watt heaters seem to be more reliable and more accurate than 25 and 50 watt heaters. However, it depends on brands but in my experience, I have found 100 watt heaters to last longer than their lower wattage counterparts.

A 100 watt heater is fine in a 10 gallon tank.

---------------------
If you want to reduce the amount of time an aquarium heater is running, you can insulate the aquarium with polystyrene foam, the same stuff they put under aquariums to cushion the bottom. I used 10mm thick polystyrene foam and sticky tape it to the back and sides of the tank (on the outside of the glass). And have a coverglass on top of the tank. Get a 4, 5 or 6mm thick coverglass because they don't chip or crack as readily as the 3mm thick covers do.

Many thanks for the response. Due to 10 gallons not being much space at all in the first place I don’t use a glass thermometer. Instead I have a stick on LCD one that’s how I know my temperature of exceeding 82F. I am aware that guppies can only thrive in temperatures up to 80F. And even this is very high for them. Thank you for the advice I’ll see if the adjustment helps now. I did consider a fluval E50 but this is quite a large heater. Reviews seem to state it’s quite reliable though. I’d have to comprise with space a bit. Thank you for your help.

 

[Colin_T]

Guppies are fine in water with a temperature between 20 & 30C (68-86F). The main thing is to try and avoid the extremes for any length of time. So in summer the water might go up to 86F and remain there for a month or so but then it comes down. In winter it might drop to 70F and sit there for a month or so and then come back up. That is fine. Problems occur when the fish are kept at the extreme ends of their temperature range for long periods (more than a couple of months) at a time.

It's a bit like people living in hot or cold climates. We can tolerate and survive in the extreme heat or cold for a few weeks or a month before we start to get sick of it and wish for cooler or warmer weather. With fish and all animals, when they are exposed to extreme temperatures (hot or cold) for a long time, they start to suffer from stress and then they get sick and might die.

A good temperature for guppies is around 24-26C (75-79F).

 

[Guppylover3x]

Guppies are fine in water with a temperature between 20 & 30C (68-86F). The main thing is to try and avoid the extremes for any length of time. So in summer the water might go up to 86F and remain there for a month or so but then it comes down. In winter it might drop to 70F and sit there for a month or so and then come back up. That is fine. Problems occur when the fish are kept at the extreme ends of their temperature range for long periods (more than a couple of months) at a time.

It's a bit like people living in hot or cold climates. We can tolerate and survive in the extreme heat or cold for a few weeks or a month before we start to get sick of it and wish for cooler or warmer weather. With fish and all animals, when they are exposed to extreme temperatures (hot or cold) for a long time, they start to suffer from stress and then they get sick and might die.

A good temperature for guppies is around 24-26C (75-79F).

Thank you for your advice Colin. This is quite reassuring, hopefully my guppies will be ok until I figure out which heater to purchase next. Many thanks for your help.

 

[Byron]

Many thanks for the reply. I haven’t tried adjusting the temperature but I will do it could be set a bit lower. I have found the major problem with this heater is that there’s no indicator of what temperature you’re setting it to because it’s not numbered. This leaves you to guessing on adjusting to the correct setting.

Heaters I used to buy gave instructions for initial use whether there were actual degrees indicated or just dashes on the settings knob. But this is how to do it. Fill the tank with water at the desired temperature (use a reliable thermometer to make sure the water in the tank is, for example, 75 degrees F or 24 degrees C, whatever temperature you want it to be permanently. Then insert the heater into the water and position it where it will remain attached. Wait 20 minutes before plugging in the heater. Wait a few minutes, and if the indicator light (it lights when the heater is heating the water) is on, slowly turn the knob down until the indicator light goes off. If the indicator light is not on, and does not come on after a few minutes, slowly turn it up until it does. Either case, leave it for several minutes after this and proceed according to how it functions.

 

[Guppylover3x]

Heaters I used to buy gave instructions for initial use whether there were actual degrees indicated or just dashes on the settings knob. But this is how to do it. Fill the tank with water at the desired temperature (use a reliable thermometer to make sure the water in the tank is, for example, 75 degrees F or 24 degrees C, whatever temperature you want it to be permanently. Then insert the heater into the water and position it where it will remain attached. Wait 20 minutes before plugging in the heater. Wait a few minutes, and if the indicator light (it lights when the heater is heating the water) is on, slowly turn the knob down until the indicator light goes off. If the indicator light is not on, and does not come on after a few minutes, slowly turn it up until it does. Either case, leave it for several minutes after this and proceed according to how it functions.

Many thanks for your advice and information. I decided on a 100w in the end as recommended. It’s a digital one, it’s unbranded but it seems popular enough on eBay. It runs of a remote system to set the temperature. Hopefully this does the trick. I will be glad to get rid of the old one or keep it as a spare. It did however calm down once I turned the setting down but this will never fix the whole problem. The heater isn’t fully submergible. Thank you for all your help.

 

[FishGuest5123]

I have a 200W in a 5G tank. I just watched the temp a few days and adjusted as needed. As stated above, the smaller heaters just don’t do the job.

 

[Guppylover3x]

I have a 200W in a 5G tank. I just watched the temp a few days and adjusted as needed. As stated above, the smaller heaters just don’t do the job.

Many thanks for the advice