Heating

[Marto666]

Right, first question as a tropical fish tank owner.

How do the heaters work (the long stick type)? Are they thermostat controlled or is there a possibility that they can heat the tank too much if not monitored?

Mine seems to just have a power scale on the side. Is it a case of trial and error to get the temp right?

Thanks

 

[Tizer]

Thermostat is normally in the top where the dial is, make sure its in the water. No its not on constantly, just when it needs to.

Remember some heaters can be submersed in the water, some cant. In all honesty i would recommend a brand new one, 2nd hand electrical gear isnt always wise. If it breaks on you and you dont spot it, you could lose all your fish. Also in a tank that size, many people use two heaters set to the same temperature, one either side of the tank. I highly recommend doing the same.

With your tank, being 350 litres, once you have added substrate, plants, wood its going to be in the region of 300-320 so a 300 Watt heater would be best and indeed minimum. Think of it as 1 Watt per Litre.

I would also suggest a temperature of 25 degrees to be safe, then google away your current fish, write down their ideal environment temperature and find the best average.

 

[micko]

Firstly did you buy the whole thing brand new from a shop all included with the tank or did you buy it separately?

If the lot come with the tank then its fine for the tank. I'm not sure about yours but I've never seen any other type other than a thermostat built in. (There could be variations). Depending on what fish you have or want to get will vary the temperature you should have your heater.

There is (on any I have ever seen) a control on it to state what temperature you want it to be at. If you had a 400ltr tank and a 100w heater this really wouldn't be good enough, you'd need a bigger heater.

 

[KittyKat]

I also recommend the 1 Watt per litre rule.

Which brand in the heater? Normally, the scale bar on the side, with the moving thing is approximate temperature in F, C or both.

 

[Marto666]

Hi Tizer, Micko and Kitty Kat.

The tank was supplied with 4 heaters however I don’t know how to test them with out trying to heat the tank and I’m not sure that brands they are. I think I will take your advice with purchasing a new heater(s) as it the only safe option – what brands would you advise?

Should I go for a 300w heater (going by the watt a litre rule) or should I go for a 150w + 150w and have 2 in the tank?

Cheers

 

[Noahs ark6]

Hi Tizer, Micko and Kitty Kat.

The tank was supplied with 4 heaters however I don’t know how to test them with out trying to heat the tank and I’m not sure that brands they are. I think I will take your advice with purchasing a new heater(s) as it the only safe option – what brands would you advise?

Should I go for a 300w heater (going by the watt a litre rule) or should I go for a 150w + 150w and have 2 in the tank?

Cheers

Considering how large your tsnk is i would go for the two 150w, this way if one heater breaks, you still have another heater to slow down the cooling of the water. good look.

 

[Athena]

There's usually a knob at the top of the heater to adjust the settings. Some of them clearly state the temp settings to choose but others have simply + or - signs.

Do you also have a thermometer in your tank? You need to have a one so that once the heater has been on for a few days you can check the thermometer to see if the heater needs to be adjusted up or down. There is usually a "safe temperature" marking on the aquarium thermometer (it's green), and as a guide that is where your temp should sit at. If it drops below the green area then you know you need to increase your heater setting up a bit. If it goes above the green level then turn it down a bit.

The markings on a heater are only as a guide so don't take their word for it when you set it as they are not 100% reliable. Always go by what your thermometer tells you.

If at any time you notice the temperature has dropped and you want to check that the heater is working properly, turn the heater up to the fullest it will go and see if the light comes on. If it doesn't switch on, then check the plug fuse. If it still doesn't work after that, then the heater is faulty and needs replacing asap.

Regards, Athena

 

[Tizer]

You should get 2 x 300W heaters. If ever you go away on holiday and leave someone else in charge, then you know one heater breaking isnt going to cause any problems. You will also find that with 2 x 300W that they boost the temp up very quickly should it drop and are on for less time than 2x150W would be. I suppose somewhere there could be an argument for the less wattage heaters being able to run twice as long at the same cost but feh, you dont go out and buy a slow boil kettle to save money do you. When you want a cuppa, you want it NOW. o

I use "Interpet Aquatic Heater - 300W Deltatherm Heater"

They are on Amazon for £18 and have been very reliable and accurate for me.

 

[Marto666]

Hi Noah and Athena

2 heaters do sound more safe so will prob take that route.

I have a temperature marking on the aquarium thermometer (green for safe). Unfortunately on the heaters I currently have there is no temp, just a plus and minus. I guess its trial and error to get the tank temp right by monitoring and adjusting them.

Thanks for the advice on testing the heater, I was not aware it could be done this way.

Cheers

 

[Athena]

Hi - yes, I have one like that in my Juwel tank. Thought it was very odd at first but you soon get the hang of it. Halfway is about 50 degrees, so if you then tweek it towards the + sign that is a good starting point and from there you can monitor it over the next few days increasing up when necessary until you reach the temp that is just right for your fish.

Regards, Athena

 

[Marto666]

Hi tizer

I see what you are saying, at that price I may aswell get a pair. I guess a pair would heat the tank up much quicker. Do you think the cost to run would be particularly noticeable on the next electric bill or are we just talking pence?

Thanks for researching that for me.

 

[KittyKat]

I would go for 1* 150W and 1* 200W or 150W. Heaters most often break in the "on" position, which means they try to boil the water: a 150W will take double the time (or 200W will take 2/3 longer) to get the water to a dangerous temperature than a 300W heater.

 

[Tizer]

Many heaters come with an elastic strip switch as common practice now. It expands when it gets too hot and/or overheats cuting off the circuit. I've heard of the odd horror story about heaters breaking and boiling fishies but taken them with a pinch of salt I suppose if you wanted to play safe with conflicting advice a couple of 200W's would suffice

Cost wise, its quite hard to monitor really, lets say you got 2x200, thats 400W, that could effectively light a standard 3 bed house upstairs and downstairs. But you have to remember they are not on very much once the water has reached its ideal temerature. With a lid on the tank, it actually takes quite a long time for the water to cool down, unlike your bath water.

I use an app on my iphone for recording electricty readings and gas readings and to be honest i've not seen a huge difference in cost, thats taking the tank lighting into account too, which i now have on for 6 hours a day.

 

[Marto666]

That’s the sort of story that would worry me! Good job I’ve not heard them.

They don’t sound expensive to run then and as you said, they are not on all the time. I was surprised how much heat the lid does keep in as there’s always a rush of warm air when I open it up. Do the lights also contribute to heating the water?

I was also wondering (probably a stupid question) but how does the water get oxygenated?

Cheers

 

[Tizer]

Diffusion

The greater the surface area of your tank the more oxygen can get into the tank and by rippling the surface using the filter outlet you allow even more to enter the water (in simple terms, coz im simple)

This is why i personally avoid narrow tall tanks.

(no you dont need an airpump if you dont want one, they are noisey anyway)