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heater malfunction 10/27/09
Hi,
<Hello,>
I've been using your site for years and love it! I am writing to you
because a few days ago, my heater malfunctioned (Freshwater tropical
setup, 29 gallon), making the tank water very hot (the stick on
thermometer must be faulty though since it still showed 78). So I'm not
sure how high the temp was but it felt like hot shower water and ice
melted immediately when we put it in the tank. Other than that, the
water parameters are fine. The temp is now back to 78 (new thermometer).
This was three days ago.
Yesterday one fish died and two more died today. The remaining fish look
bad, like almost black in color and laying at the bottom of the tank. Is
there any chance of survival for these fish?
<Yes, a good chance if they're still alive now.>
If not, I'd like to euthanize them but really don't want to if there's
hope for them still. Hope to hear from you soon,
Elizabeth
<It goes without saying you need to replace the heater. Also, buy one
just big enough for the tank, i.e., if you have a 29 gallon tank, buy
one suitable for tanks up to that size but not substantially larger.
Assuming
the room is centrally heated, a 100-150 W unit should be ample. Avoid
getting heaters that are far too big, since if these "stick" in the on
position, they'll harm the fish much more quickly than a smaller heater.
Conversely, don't get a heater that's too small for the tank. If the
heater has to stay on all the time, it's more likely to fail. To some
extent, you get what you pay for with heaters. Having got through any
number of glass
heaters in my time, I can tell you that buying the cheapest one in the
shop is rarely wise! Look for a brand you know and trust. The best glass
heaters are probably the Eheim Jager Aquarium heaters. Cheers, Neale.>
Temperature Problem, waste heat in an African
Cichlid sys. 2/13/09
Hi,
<Hello,>
I have a 178 Gallon African Cichlid tank. I'm
using the Fluval FX5 for filtration. It has been set up for
about 2 weeks now. I only have 6 very small cichlids. Last
night I noticed the temperature was around 81f which was
strange because my heater was set to 78f. Just to make sure
the heater wasn't malfunctioning I unplugged it. When I woke
up the temp was 87f!!
What is going on here?
<If
you've unplugged the heater (double check you have, and not
unplugged something else by accident) the heat is coming
from three possible sources:
Firstly, the lights. These
can run hot if you have a lot of them. Two fluorescent tubes
normally have little impact, but 4 or more will do. So check
this, and if necessary, increase ventilation inside the
hood.
Secondly, direct sunlight. This is surprisingly
good at warming up tanks, even on "cold" days. It's the
infrared that makes the difference, not the warmth of the
air. Close the curtains on windows that are allowing
sunlight to shine into the tank. Finally, central heating of
your home. If the tank
is near a heating vent or a
radiator, it will warm up substantially.>
It is very cold
outside (about 37f) and my house temp is set to 68f. I have
no idea what is happening. Could my filter be malfunctioning
and heating the water (filter seems to be running normal)?
<Unlikely. There are thermo-filters that deliberately warm
the water, but you would presumably know that you'd bought
one of these. Otherwise, no, the heater motor itself isn't
hot enough to heat a tank.>
Please help if you can. Do I
need to buy a chiller unit?
<Probably not. Do also
consider the thermometer might be broken. The sticky liquid
crystal ones in particular seem to go bad sometimes.>
It
just seems strange when it isn't even hot in here.
<Strange indeed.>
Thanks!!
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Temperature Problem 2/13/09
Thanks for
your response!
1: The tank is not in direct sunlight, plus the problem
happened overnight when it was dark.
<OK.>
2: The tank is not near a
heating vent either. the room temp is 68f.
<OK.>
3: The thermometer is not
broken, I can feel the water is warm to the touch, plus I tested it outside the
tank and its working ok.
<OK>
I was wrong I didn't unplug the heater I
just set the temp to very low. I think maybe the heater is busted and just was
pumping heat into the tank all night.
<A-ha! Heaters do "jam". Especially
common if the heater is being used in a proportionally big tank, so that the
heater is on most of the time. It's best to use two smaller heaters in big
tanks. That way, if one jams, the other is too small to boil the fish.
Conversely, if one fails, the other will at least stop the heat loss being so
rapid your fish will die. It's
good advice to get a mid-priced heater; the
cheapest ones do seem to have an unacceptably high failure rate.>
Now the
heater is completely out of the tank. I have a fan blowing on the surface of the
water and the temp is still high (84f). I'll give it some time and hopefully it
will cool off. If not I have no idea what to do.
<It will cool down. Take
care not to chill your fish though!>
Thanks!
<Cheers, Neale.>
Beginner Chiller Questions, FW,
and GF sys. 4/28/08
Hello Crew, How are you today?
<I'm fine, thanks>
I think I've come to the conclusion that I may need a chiller.
<Okay>
I currently own a 75 gallon FW tank. It houses two comet goldfish and a Pleco. I
know the comets can accept a wide range of temps, but much higher than 80 will
probably be bad for all involved.
<Mmm, not if permanently too high, or too vacillating... Let's see>
I like to keep the temperature around 73 degrees Fahrenheit/23 degrees Celsius.
This is because this is on the upper scale for the comets and the lower end for
the Pleco.
All seem happy with this temp.
<Yes>
Since I just recently upgraded to the 75 gallon (last October), I wanted to make
sure I purchased the max I could afford. I bought the glass lids instead of the
plastic hood, and I bought a triple-tube fluorescent light since I wanted to
make some algae for my Pleco (and he does a good job of keeping things clean). I
also purchased a Rena XP 4 filter. I'm looking into getting a new one, but if I
do need a chiller, I'll have to wait on that.
The lights are 32W per tube, so that's roughly 96W of heat assuming no losses (I
know, very simple assumption). I have a hang-in refugium that has a small 7W
powerhead for the Anacharis I purchased to try to help with Nitrates.
<Good>
They are doing well and this was only purchased to stop the fish from eating the
plants to death. It hangs just below the water line so the plants receive a
great deal of light. Also, the filter runs at 31W, so assuming 100% heat dump
from both (another simple assumption) I now have about 140W of heat dump into
the system.
<Mmm, as you say, minus losses>
Here's the problem. When I run the lights during the day and the apartment heats
up (we're talking up to 75-76 degrees F, if you call that heating up), the
aquarium can easily reach upwards of 78-79 degrees F. I tried to remedy the
situation over the past few days by raising up the lights on about a 1" shim,
putting a 12" fan running against the side and front of the aquarium, removing a
tube from the fixture to reduce heat, and then finally by raising both glass
access flaps to help aid in evaporation cooling (see, I am reading the FAQs!!!
;) ).
<Heeeee! You're ready to start writing them!>
Nothing seemed to work. Even with ambient air temperatures around 72 degrees and
all the "fixes" in place, the temp in the tank still rises to around 76-77
degrees F.
<No big deal>
So I went on to my next idea which I haven't finished yet. I plan on putting
three 120mm fans connected up to a converter that I purchased at Radio Shack,
and then implementing those into the left side of my aquarium to blow down on
the water, and on the other side put just a screen mesh so that air can get out,
but fish can't.
<Good>
But, here's the catch. I'm a meteorologist, so I know a little bit about
thermodynamics and air temperatures. I live in Philadelphia. The summers here
are pretty humid most times. Strike one on evaporation cooling.
Second, I know that even with the fans going and the humidity low, the water can
only be cooled down to ambient air temperature. The air exiting the tank
theoretically could get lower (wet bulb temp), but even then, the humidity
inside the apartment will quickly rise leaving an equilibrium of eventually air
temperature when ambient reaches wet bulb, or 100% humid. Strike two against air
cooling. Finally, when I leave my apartment, I turn the A/C up to 82F to save
energy and money. I don't like $250 electric bills, and that's what it costs
around here if I keep the A/C at a friendly 75F during the morning and night
when I'm here. I could only imagine the price if it was that temp 24/7. I also
plan to go on vacation during the summer for around 10 days, and this combined
with the thermostat at 82F will definitely not keep the tank cool, regardless if
I turn off the lights or not. Strike three, no?
<Again... I think you'll be fine...>
So I started to take another look at the chillers. Man, are they pricey. On top
of that, there is no unique guide to sizing the things. Some sites say 1/10 HP
goes up to 130 gallons, where some say only 50 gallons.
<There are differences in efficiency... and insulation...>
I have looked at the JBJ Arctica and the Current USA Prime coolers. I was
looking at the 1/10 HP models since that's what the JBJ site sized out for me.
but I wanted to ask you guys to make sure this sounds ok. I could go up to the
1/5 HP from JBJ (I want quiet, and you guys said in one of the chiller FAQs that
was high on the list) if you think that's what I need, but I'd hate to buy a V12
when a V6 can do the job more efficiently and still have room to grow if needed.
I also don't want to short-cycle the compressor or cause rapid spikes in
temperatures for the fish.
<Mmm, yes... these devices consume electricity as well...>
I wanted to do inline instead of drop-in since I read here that drop-ins are
very inefficient.
<Agreed. They're inappropriate tech. for most all applications>
I wanted to connect the chiller up right after my XP4 since then I wouldn't have
to purchase a new pump or anything. The XP4 says it has a 450GPH flow, and I bet
that's probably without any media inside. My only reservation with that was that
I didn't see any kind of flow curve or documentation on how restrictive the
chillers are. I've water-cooled computers before so reading those charts does
give an idea of flow rates and pump needs. The last thing I want to do is kill
my filter pump.
<Yes... and this may well do it. The small head magnetic drive pumps for these
filters are not meant to encounter any/much induced drag>
The JBJ says that it can handle up to 960 GPH through it - great considering I
may end up getting a second filter anyway in the long run and pairing both
filters into a Y tube that goes into the chiller, then splitting back out of a Y
tube to two outputs. That would give roughly a max 900 GPH flow through the
chiller.
<A bit less in actual practice... like half>
Anyway, sorry to make a short story long. But I hope you have some insight for
me. I'm really confused on what to do since not a whole lot of people seem to be
in my position. Most have metal halide lighting, sumps, etc. I don't. My setup
is pretty simple, and I keep it that way since I know the more complicated I
make it, the more I'm going to mess something up and potentially kill my fish
(i.e. the reason I don't have a sump is because I don't know how to keep it from
siphoning my tank out, and what happens in a power failure?!?). Maybe one day I
will start to use a sump since I do have a spare 20 gallon that I moved up from.
I'd like a de-nitrate tank and I know I could get one with either a planted sump
or a deep sand bed. just gotta figure out the whole water-draining scenarios
first.
<Neat! Sounds like a worthy project>
It scares me to get a call from apartment management telling me my 75 gallons
all drained into the apartment below and that my fish are now gone. I know they
were only 70 cent feeder fish. but I still can't fathom such an inhumane death.
Weird, I know.
Anyway, let me know if you can help, and if you can I greatly appreciate it.
And so does my wallet.
John Lindsay
<John, I would maybe shift your lighting schedule, with one or more on-off
cycles per day... have the lights come on (and maybe go off) till later in the
day, eve, when it's cooler... Is what I do for my fancy goldfish here in S. Cal.
(where it was 90 F. ayer)... Not a problem, really... In the volume you have,
the species you care for, all this will work out... Keep doing those 20-25%
water changes every week and no worries. Bob Fenner>
Re: Beginner Chiller Questions 4/29/08
Bob,
<John>
Thank you for the reply.
<Welcome>
I tend to agree with you about the fact that as long as it isn't a continuous
situation, I'd be ok.
However, my idea with the fans didn't work as well as I thought. They don't fit,
and I don't have the tools necessary (I am just out of college in my first job
with an apartment - no time to have purchased the right equipment, plus the
right equipment to do so, like just a rip saw or table saw, is about at much as
a chiller) to implement the right design.
<Understood>
So, if my air temperature still stays at 82F for the week and a half I'm gone,
with the fact that no cool-down will occur at night since I won't be home to
monitor the temps, and the same for during the day when I keep the A/C on at
82F... are you recommending the chiller or not? I don't know if I got a true
answer, but perhaps you were leaving it up for me to decide since it is my
purchase!!! :)
<Am advising against such purchase, use. I don't use one...>
I know that 77 isn't a worry for temps... but the fact that when the apartment
is at 72 the temp is at 77, and when I have the apartment at 75 I know the tank
will heat up to around 79, I can only imagine when the air in the apartment is
at 82... the tank will rise to around 85+ which I know is too hot for any
fish...
<Not really... if one thinks/considers that the back-up, redundancy
processes/mechanisms on a space shuttle or submarine are impressive, they should
take a look at the capability of shifting biochemical pathways in biotic
systems... MUCH more impressive>
I'm just trying to make sure I don't come home to dinner one day.
<Not to worry, I assure you>
Thank you so much for your help. I know it has been time consuming with my last
e-mail!
John Lindsay
<A pleasure to share. BobF>
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Re: Emergency with clown
loach 01/13/2008
Hi Neale,
Thanks so much for your response. Unfortunately, Mr. Whiskers was gone this
morning. He was cocooned in a thick coat of slime from barbels to tail. I also
discovered the problem...when I reached in to get him, the water was so hot a
human would be uncomfortable in a bath of that temp. Apparently the heater
malfunctioned and super heated the water overnight.
It must have started glitching the day before when Mr. Whiskers had just a
little slime reaction; just a few degrees hot enough to affect a delicate clown
loach but not enough to tell anything was amiss. Then over last night it went
wild and...my favorite, most personable fish gone. What is so frustrating is I
always went the extra mile doing everything right for such a special
specimen...weekly changes, constant testing...but everything can be wiped away
with just a malfunctioning heater. I assume the little loach died too; I'm going
to search the tank for his body. All the cichlids and Plecos seem okay, so
far...I had unplugged the heater and threw in some ice packs. It took hours for
the temperature reader to register upper nineties, so my guess is the temp went
up past 100. A horrible way to go.
Again, thanks for your quick response, I just wish I had caught the problem
before it was too late.
Take care, Katey
<Hello Katey. A horrible story, and you have my commiserations. Let me share a
useful tip though: with valuable collections of fish (and which collection of
fish isn't valuable?) use two too-small heaters instead of one adequate one. So
suppose your tank needs 100 W of heating. Don't use a single 100 W heater but
instead two 75 W heaters. Why? Because if one heater jams, it won't have enough
power to boil your fish (at least, not quickly, giving you time to notice the
problem). Conversely, if one heater fails, the other one will still be powerful
enough to slow down the heat loss enough for you to notice the problem in time,
and the tank certainly won't get so cold the fish freeze. You still need to
check the heaters from time to time, but at least you'll have the peace of mind
of knowing that either way, your fish will be safe. Hope everyone else in the
tank settles back down, Neale.>
Heating Substrate 11/29/07
I was about to stick a reptile heating pad on the bottom of our 75 gallon
tank thinking that the water\substrate would prevent hot spots that would cause
stress cracks. Boy I’m I glad I researched your forum first. Our tank rests on
an open metal stand made of angle iron and the bottom glass is completely
exposed. That said; I'm considering the use of the heating pad on a metal plate
of some fashion under the tank. The plate would be installed in a way that
prevents contact with the tank glass but allows the heated air to circulate
around the heater\plate and warm the tank bottom. Efficiency sounds poor at best
so I would likely enclose this heating solution with foil faced Styrofoam to
improve efficiency.
<Yes, this insulation will help efficiency.>
In the end, I think all I've accomplished is placing the tank over a low
temperature oven.
I would appreciate your advice and insight towards substrate heating solutions.
I have to say that the warm water tubing may be my best choice.
<A quick internet search of substrate heaters will give you several options
here. There are several companies that make cable type heaters for just this
purpose. Best regards, Scott V.> <<Well-stated Scott. RMF>>
|
Heater &
Antibiotic... effect on bacteria 11/29/07
Hi Crew,
<Hello>
I thought of putting a heater and setting it to 32 deg. C as weather is
getting cooler. In your opinion, will this temp. setting kills off my
beneficial bacteria (in mature tank)?
<That will be too warm for about any system. What temperature does your
tank run the rest of the year? What kind of system is it ? What
livestock? It is likely you will need a heater this time of year, just
not that warm.>
I'm also thinking of dosing antibiotic into my tank for the purpose of
boosting my fishes health, is this advisable or harmful? Pls. advise.
<This will kill the beneficial bacteria you were referring to. If your
fish are otherwise healthy there will be no reason to treat them. If
they have something wrong with them it needs to be diagnosed and treated
with the appropriate medication.>
Thank you.
Regards.
Alan
<Welcome, Scott V.>
Hi Crew,
<Hello.>
Thanks. for the prompt reply. <Welcome> Further to my questions, since
32 deg. C is considered too warm, what's the more appropriate
temperature then?
<Again depends on the type of system/fish. General tropical fish require
25-27 degrees C. Fish such as goldfish require less, fish such as Discus
more.>
My main purpose is too prevent any outbreak of disease (will be away
from home for 4 days) and also one of my fish seems to have some white
dots/stuff (definitely not white spots) on its body. I'm thinking of
raising the temp. so as to kill off whatever causing this white stuff.
Dosing of medication into the tank is out of the question. Am I doing
enough?
<In that case you will need to set up a quarantine tank. Raising the
temperature can help, maybe to 29 deg C. The treatment again depends on
the type of fish involved. Reading through the saltwater/freshwater ich
articles/FAQs will shed some light on what you need to do next.>
Thanks in advance.
Regards.
Alan
<Welcome, good luck, Scott V.> |
Re: Fungus ? Now: Heater
Requirements – 08/11/07
Hi Chuck, thanks for your swift reply, I think ill bin the furry bit! Just a
quick one , at what temp do you think I should run my tank? its normally around
77/78 degrees is this ok? am having prob.s keeping consistent temperatures, I
run a VisiTherm 300 watt heater. Do you think I should add one more? Thanks
< The size of the heater depends on the ambient room temperature and where you
want the temperature to be. For instance. If your room was 80 F during the
summer then you don't need a heater at all. If you have an air conditioner that
keeps the room at 68 F then your heater has to raise the water temp by 10
degrees F top bring it up to 78 F. Your heater may be placed in a "dead spot". I
mean an area in the tank that doesn't get much water circulation. Place the
heater in an area where the filter forces the water over it. You should get
better hear circulation. BTW, 78 F is just fine for the fish that you
have.-Chuck>
Too much heater for the tank?
7/16/07
Hi,
First of all, great site! You guys are awesome!
<well, one tries...>
I'm setting up my first tank, a 55-gallon with Malawi cichlids - currently
cycling using 10% ammonia. I'd like to use two heaters, one at either end of the
tank, rather than one in the middle -- I have two Stealth heaters, one 200W and
one 150W. I know this is technically more heating power than I need for a
55-gal, but I'm wondering if it will do any harm to put the extra heating
capacity in there.
<Using two heaters is a very good idea. I do exactly this myself. The
traditional approach here is to use two *slightly underpowered* heaters, so that
if one "sticks" in the on position, it won't be powerful enough to boil the
fish. On the other hand, if one fails, the other will be just strong enough to
keep the temperature from plummeting too rapidly, giving you the 24 hours needed
to go buy a replacement. One factor to consider is the ambient temperature of
the room. If your home is kept constantly warm, then the heaters will probably
have very little work to do, but if you don't keep the room so hot, then the
heaters will need to work harder (i.e., need a higher wattage). Here in England
where the climate is quite mild all year round, it's actually quite easy for
tanks to be *overheated* even with the heater on its lowest setting, especially
coupled with high output lights. Thermal stratification of the water is yet
another factor. Hot lights above and inefficient size/placement of the water
pumps can let cooler water settle at the bottom. What I'm saying is that it's
all a bit trial and error. Put the heaters in the tank, turn both down to the
lowest setting, and see what you get. Move the thermometer about to check the
water is being warmed uniformly. Turn each heater up a notch and give it a day
to see what happens to the temperature in the tank. Rinse and repeat...>
Thanks,
Phil
<Cheers, Neale>
Bringing down the temperature... 5/14/07
Hi,
<Greetings.>
My tank temperature is at 80 degrees and I want to know how can I bring the
temperature down safely?
<Evaporation will help, so putting an electric fan nearby is one trick. Making
sure the tank isn't in direct sunlight makes a big difference, and best of all
put the tank somewhere shady and cool. Basements are ideal.>
Can I just add ice cubes or add cool water when doing partial water changes?
<You can add ice cubes, but here's a better approach: take an old plastic
1-litre ice-cream carton or similar. Fill with water. Put the lid on. Freeze
solid. When it's done, float the carton in the tank (ice being lighter than
water floats). This should last for several hours. When it's melted, put back in
the freezer to re-freeze. If you have two cartons, you can cycle them.>
I have a Calico Fantail goldfish and don't understand why the water temp is so
high. It's cool in the house and I don't have a heater in there.
<Sounds as if direct sunlight is to blame. Water should be close to air
temperature. Slight differences will occur because water loses/gains heat
incredibly slowly (which is actually a good thing -- I accidentally switched the
heater off one tank last night, but it was only a few degrees cooler the next
morning despite the low air temperature). So if there isn't a heater in the
tank, the water should be somewhere between minimum and maximum air temperature
at any given time. If it's warmer than the air temperature, chances are direct
sunlight is warming the tank. A good clue is the presence of algae on the glass;
algae really thrives on glass getting direct sunlight.>
Thanks, Najla
<No problems. Cheers, Neale>
Temperature fluctuations
Hi Crew,
Just a quick question for you on temperature. I have a 66 Gallon Tank with
African Cichlids. We just moved to a new house and now the fish are situated in
the basement. By the way we live in Canada so the nights get cool. In our other
house I had a Tronic 200 watt heater in the tank which seemed to nicely maintain
80 degrees. However in our new house I notice the daytime temperature of 80
degrees and when I get up in the morning I notice the temperature is around 76
or 77 degrees.
< The temperature range for Malawian cichlids is between 75 to 80 degrees so you
are still well within their range.>
I have even added another 100 watt heater. On the back of heater box it says a
200 w heater is good for 65 gallons so I figured 300 watts should do the trick.
I have the tank about 4 feet from the concrete wall. Should I add yet another
heater or is a 4 degree variance ok? Any other suggestions?
< This all depends on how "Cool" it gets. Unfortunately glass is a pretty poor
insulator. If your tank was in your home and you kept the house at 65 degrees F.
Then a 200 watt heater might work. If you mean down to the 50's or lower then
you heater could turn into a little night light trying to keep up with the heat
loss. Overall the temp. is fine right now. If it gets below 75 for any length of
time and there may be problems. The higher the temp . the more breeding you will
get and the better your fish will look. Two things to consider to maintain the
water temperature. Add more heat with another heater and watch your electric
bill get even higher or reduce the heat loss from the tank. Start by placing
sheets of Styrofoam insulation underneath the tank and on the back. This will
help insulate the tank without hindering viewing the fish. Keep the top tightly
sealed too. Lots of heat is lost through openings in the top.>
Also when I moved the tank I saved about 1/4 of the water and the gravel
and also the filter contents. will this be enough to get the new system
running or should I be performing more frequent water changes then normal?
< As long as the gravel remained wet there should be no problem and the bacteria
should have remained intact.-Chuck>
thx
Ron
Temperature controller - 03/06/07
Good morning crew member:
<<Hello, Sue. Crew Member Tom at your service.>>
Just a question about temperature controllers used with heaters containing
bi-metallic strips. I understand that the heater is set to a higher temperature
that keeps the unit on all the time; therefore, do the bi-metallic strips stay
in the closed, or on position continuously? In other words, does the addition of
a temperature controller prevent premature wear and tear on the bi-metallic
strips.
<<I think what you might be referring to, Sue, are temperature controllers
designed to protect the tank in the event of a failure in the bi-metallic switch
integrated into the heater. The temperature setting of the protective controller
is set above the temperature setting of the heater and, in the event that the
temperature of the heater reaches the “setpoint” of the protective device,
electrical power is shut off to the heater. The “presumption”, if you will, is
that the contacts on the bi-metal strips have welded themselves together
resulting in a “runaway” heating coil. What you’ve described would be a
“sensible”, current-limiting device that, basically, supersedes the bi-metal
switch as the temperature controller for the heater. Possible? Certainly, but
probably prohibitively expensive against the newer, digitally controlled heaters
available (though those aren’t exactly being “given away”, by any stretch). I’d
be very interested if you have an example of what you’ve described so I can
review it.>>
Thank you very much for your time. This website is the only aquarium source I
trust for advice and information.
<<I thank you for all of us, Sue.>>
Sue :)
<<Tom>>
Cheap heater mistake - 1/22/07
Dear crew,
<<Tom here with you, Celeste.>>
The LFS was closed when we needed it, and so we went ahead and bought a cheap
heater at Wal-Mart for our hospital tank.
<<Do I want to guess?>>
Honestly, we didn't know that there was such a danger with cheap heaters until
today with more research.
<<I’m getting a bad feeling…>>
However, last night the heater exploded in the tank.
<<Yep. That’s what the “feeling” was about.>>
It was the middle of the night, but thankfully, I heard the explosion and saw
the flashes. The smell was horrible and the water had an oily and black residue
floating on the top, along with black powder in the water and broken glass on
the bottom. We grabbed a Tupperware container, matched the water and scooped
the five guppies out. They were probably in the water for all of five minutes,
and they seem fine this morning, but I haven't been able to find out much about
what the black powder could be and whether we should be worried about poisoning
of the fish.
<<First, congratulations on the fast action. Well done! The black powder is
likely soot (carbon) and shouldn’t pose any problem. The heater element (wire)
drew an excessive amount of electrical current creating a large amount of heat
inside of the body of the heater surrounded by, relatively speaking, cold water.
The heater “tube” was, obviously, not heat-tempered and blew apart under the
thermal stress. (Why my Mom couldn’t move a glass cooking dish directly from the
refrigerator to the oven…in the old days, that is.) :) >>
I'm afraid I don't know the brand.
<<Wish you did, Celeste. I’d love to advertise it on our site as a brand “not to
buy”.>>
We have since returned the other cheap heater, plus the exploding one, and
bought a better quality, though still glass, heater.
<<Glass, in and of itself, isn’t the problem, Celeste. Even with a complete
failure of the heater element, the housing should never have shattered. The
manufacturer cut costs or, was forced to cut costs (are you listening, Sam
Walton? “Nah, laughin’ all the way to bank, TJ!”), by using inferior materials.
Thank God, we’re talking about five Guppies and not five human beings!>>
Thanks,
Celeste
<<Sorry for “soap-boxing”, Celeste. Hey, you started it! I’m happy that you
reacted quickly and all seems to be okay, though. Again, good job and, I’m sorry
for your experience. Best regards. Tom>>
Re: Cheap heater mistake 1/23/07
Thanks for your quick reply, Tom. I appreciate what you guys do.
<<You're welcome, Celeste. And we all appreciate your gratitude.>>
When I came home from work, they were all fine, but about an hour or two later,
one was floating. The explosion took place in a hospital tank and I wonder if
it stressed the fish out further and she succumbed.
<<Hard to know for sure on this one, Celeste. A pretty violent accident by Guppy
standards and one that would have stressed me more than a bit as well.>>
We're keeping a close eye on the rest. (They're back in a cleaned out tank with
a new heater [not from Wal-Mart], a filter and cycled water.)
<<Sounds good.>>
The brand that exploded was a Tetra Whisper for 2-15 gallons. I thought Tetra
was a good brand. I've heard of other good brands making products for Wal-Mart
that are of cheaper quality then the ones they sell with their names at other
stores. Would that have happened here, or am I mistaken in that they're a good
name?
<<Tetra does have a reputable name in the hobby/industry, Celeste. In all
fairness, this may have been a "fluke". A flaw in the housing may have led to a
material weakness that allowed the glass to shatter as it did. Coupled, however,
with the failure of the heating control and/or heating element, I'm feeling a
bit restrained in my effort to be "fair" here. You're quite correct in
suggesting that Wal-Mart markets cheaper quality products from brand-name
distributors. Not unknown elsewhere but Wal-Mart is notorious for ruthlessly
pressing their suppliers for cheaper pricing. Results, all too frequently, in
inferior products being marketed to the consumers who mistakenly believe they're
getting a quality product based on a company's good name/reputation.>>
We don't much care for supporting Wal-Mart, and we would never, ever by live
fish there, but they are cheaper and open 24 hours....it's a shame that they're
like they are. But I digress...my soap box....the evils of Wal-Mart are
something I could go on and on about, but I'm still guilty of shopping there.
<<Nothing to feel "guilty" about here, Celeste. If everyone were dissatisfied
with their shopping experiences, Wal-Mart would close. I don't see that
happening so they're doing something right, from their perspective, anyway. Oh,
well...>>
Thanks again, and yes, thankfully it was just guppies this time.
<<Amen to that!>>
Celeste
<<Hope all continues to go well with the rest of your Guppies, Celeste. My best
to you. Tom>>
Re: Cheap heater mistake... Note re edit 1/23/07
Oh, and I found the caution about buying cheap heaters in the electrical article
rather than the heater. It might be helpful to add a caution to the heater
article, too. Just a thought.
<<And a good one! Thanks.>>
Celeste
<<Tom>>
Need help heating my tank 12/31/06
Hi,
<<Hi, Mike, and a Happy New Year to you. Tom with you.>>
I inherited a 200gal tank this summer and decided to put my two Flowerhorns in
it.
<<I should be so lucky! :) >>
Everything was fine until winter came.
<<Living in Michigan, you’re singing my song, Mike.>>
The tank is located outside the house because it was too big and it is
susceptible to temp changes outside.
<<Oh, yeah…>>
Ever since the beginning of winter and the outside temperature got cold my
fishes began to eat less, and now they are not eating at all. It’s been a
little over a week now and I’m afraid that they will starve to death. Are my
fishes sick and if so how do I cure them.
<<Well, first, I’d bet they’re freezing their little fishie buns off. That’s
going to lead to stress and, consequently, a loss of appetite. As to whether, or
not, they’re sick, I have no way of telling from what you’ve described so far.>>
I had thought they are not eating because I do not have adequate heating in the
tank and they are just cold but I read somewhere that the temperature should not
make them stop eating but just eat less.
<<Kind of subjective, Mike. Could be other things at work here.>>
Also I observed some small tiny worms swimming in the water. Some are black and
some are clear. They are about a quarter inch in length and just wiggle around
in the water. Is this some kind of parasite that is making my fishes sick.
<<Parasites infest a host to survive and propagate. If these critters are
swimming around, they’re some form of micro-worm, or the like, and are an
indication of poor water conditions. I’d guess they’re feeding on the excess
food that your Flowerhorns aren’t consuming.>>
Also, can you give me some advice in regards to heating the tank. Currently my
tank only has two small heaters suitable for maybe a 20 gal tank? I’ve been
trying to find something to show me how to heat the 200 gal tanks but nothing
too definitive.
<<Since I enjoy helping other folks spend their money, I’d recommend at least
two Eheim (formerly Ebo-Jaeger) 250W heaters, placed at opposite ends of the
tank. Depending on how cold it gets in your neck of the woods, a third heater
may even be necessary but I don’t want to get too crazy with your paycheck. You
should be able to pick these up online for about $30 each. The main thing is
that you need to get the temperature of the tank stabilized. Swings up and down
aren’t doing your fish any good whatsoever.>>
Please help. I really want to try to do this the right way.
<<The other thing you need to do right away, Mike, is to clean your tank
concentrating heavily on the substrate to get rid of excess food/detritus. Once
your conditions are back in order, your little worm buddies will be a thing of
the past.>>
Thanks
Mike
<<Hope this gets things back on track, Mike. As an aside, one important aspect
of the heaters I mentioned is that, apart from the high quality of the product,
the temperature dial can be calibrated to the exact temperature of the water. No
compensation necessary. Best of luck to you. Tom>>
Using Reptile Heaters To Heat An Aquarium - 09/13/06
Hi WWM crew. First of all, thanks to Chuck for his input and
cautions.
The advice was much appreciated, and I'm now revising my stocking
list accordingly.
I was reading a number of FAQs on WWM (and other sites) regarding
the issue of substrate heating in FW plant tanks. And was debating
whether or not it was worth it. However, the one thing that kept
popping up was people discussing how annoying they are to deal with.
At first this seemed strange to me until I realized that most of the
heat cable devices are designed to go IN the substrate. Yikes! This
was not my intention when I first read/heard about the idea. I have
a number of heating devices (heat pads, terrestrial heat cables,
etc.) left over from keeping various reptiles, and my intention was
to attach whichever one fit best on the outside of the tank
(underneath the substrate) using silicone or electrical tape. I then
planned on hooking it up to a rheostat (also left over from reptile
keeping) and tinkering with that until the substrate surface at 1.5"
read 78 degrees. These numbers are based on a water temp. of 76
degrees and a total substrate depth of 3".
Do you see anything horribly wrong with this plan? All the devices
in question are safe for use in high humidity and the tank's stand
has an open top for use with overflows and such. So the safety
issues should be covered. I'm still deciding whether or not it's
worth another outlet, but wanted to check to see if this method
would be acceptable for reaping the "benefits" of a heated substrate
or if you have to have the cables IN the substrate. If that's the
case... I might leave that idea by the roadside. Thank you all again
for your time and dedication.
-Tyler
< Check with the manufacturers of the products to see if they can be
used for this purpose. If one of these products caused a hot spot
under the aquarium it could break or crack the glass if there is too
big a temperature differential. Who is then responsible for the
damage? If it was heating the water then warmer water would rise in
the tank and be replaced with cooler water. Under the gravel you
have restricted water flow and the circulation may not be enough to
cool the glass. It would not be worth it for me and I would purchase
a high quality heater.-Chuck>
Stick On Thermometer Stuck On The Inside - 05/20/2006
Dear WWM, I just set-up a 55g tank. I put the stick-on thermometer on the
inside of the tank. I had a tank set-up this way when I was a child, which
caused me to not think anything about doing it again. After I set it up, I
noticed that I had made a mistake. Should I remove it? Will it do any harm?
Thanks! Matt
< It won't do any harm but will probably come off after few weeks.-Chuck>
No Heat For Tropical Fish 1/20/06
Please, any advice would be greatly appreciated. We had a power outage
yesterday or late the day before and my aquarium heater is plugged into a GFI
outlet. Bottom line: when the power went back on the outlet did not, until I
discovered the problem and reset it. By this time, the water temperature had
dropped to fifty eight degrees. I turned my heater up all the way and grabbed a
spare heater, put it in the tank and did the same. the temperature is gradually
rising and is now about 62.
I have a fifty five gallon tank with three giant danios, 2 white tetras (I think
that's the name. they are pinkish in color and fan like fins and tails), a
pictus cat, a Pangasius cat, and two large silver dollars. The giant danios
and tetras were still active but were not interested in eating. The catfish are
hiding and the silver dollars appear to be in a catatonic state. What else can
I do and are my fish doomed?????
< Put your heater back to its original setting. It will not heat the water up
any faster. When it does reach the temp you want it will continue to climb and
cook your fish so set it back.. Do a 20% water change with water around 80 F and
SLOWLY add it to your tank. Do create hot and cold spots so that you fish are
radically changing temps as they swim around. Do this every couple of hours.
When you get back up to temp then you may want to increase the aeration and
increase the water temp to 82 to prevent an ich outbreak. Don't try to feed you
fish until the water gets up to the low 70's.-Chuck>
Battle between 2 heated elements 9/25/05
Hi,
I Googled this site to see if you all had already answered my question, without
result, and yet I apologize if you have already answered this. I have a betta
in a 5 gallon tank. I know I need a 25 watt heater; I've also read I need one
with an automatic shut-off. My concerns are: my apartment temperature
fluctuates from freezing at night to boiling when the radiator kicks in; so I
was hoping to find a heater that would be able to adjust itself based on the
ambient temperature of the room, in addition to having an automatic shut-off.
<All do... they're thermostatic>
The only 25 watt heater I've been able to find has neither an automatic
shut-off, (unless it's outside of the water... which won't happen), nor does it
indicate that it will vary it's temperature to keep the water at a relatively
consistent temperature.
<Won't chill the water, but will turn itself off beyond the upper limit setting>
(It does allow me to adjust the temperature to one I want). I've found 50 watt
heaters that have those qualities; but no 25 watt heaters. So, I'm wondering if
I should get the 25 watt one anyway, since my tank is only 5 gallons; or if I
should get the 50 watt heater that has the automatic shut-off and ability to
alter the
amount of heat it generates to keep the water at a consistent temperature. Do
you have any suggestions, or further insights or suggestions.
BubbleMeister and I thank you in advance!
<Mmm, you could use the 50 watt unit... just needs (more) careful initial
setting... Do look into Hydor Products line as well. Bob Fenner>
Filtration for FW upgraded size system 7/24/05
As always I come to your site after I do a lot of reading and still can't
come up with a feel for what to do.
I have been in the hobby for a couple of years now, and have gone larger from 10
to 20, to 45, and now I have gotten a hold of a 150 gallon tank. Still have the
smaller tanks set up. My question is on filtration. So far all I have needed was
hang on filters. My theory has been to buy the next size up from whatever tank I
had. I have never had any problems this way.
With a 150 gallon, It seems I will need multiple filters, so I am in new
territory here. My first thought was (2) emperor 400's, since they are cheap,
and a total of 4 BioWheels should do the trick I feel. I just don't know if the
turnover will be sufficient for SA/CA cichlids that I keep (GT, JD, Firemouth,
Severum, more to be added)
I have also thought of using (1) large canister like the RENA xp3 along with an
emperor 400. This looks like enough filtration, but as with the last case, is
this sufficient turnover?
<Along with weekly water changes...>
Should I combine the 2 ideas and use 2 Emperors and the canister together?
<Even better>
I'd really appreciate any insight on heaters as well. I know that as the
cichlids get bigger they like to smash things, so If there is a way to protect
them I am all ears.
<Hide these behind rocks, submersibles stuck down along the gravel line, or in
drilled lengths of PVC pipe...>
Thanks in advance, you guys. I will be checking my e-mail like a maniac,
awaiting your answer.
<Be chatting, reading. Bob Fenner>
Re: Betta Territoriality (and now temp control)
Bob,
<David>
Thanks for the advice... got a trio of small platies yesterday, already seems to
have helped slightly reduce frequency/duration of the Betta's "hunts". This
seems to work much better than having rasboras in there, who are a lot more
jittery than the platies and seemed to only make things worse.
<Good>
I also have a question on temperature fluctuations. It's been getting quite warm
here now, getting up to 80+ degrees in the house in the afternoon. I don't have
A/C. With 2 small tanks (3g and 12g) this is becoming a problem. I have my
heaters set to 78. The 3g tank will get to about 82-84 before the house begins
to cool, the 12g will get to about 81-82. I've started turning off the lights
for a few hours in the afternoon, which obviously isn't ideal for the plants
either.
<Agreed... if the vacillation is no more than 3-5 F. in a day, the low eighties
F. are not a problem>
I could set the heater higher to minimize the temp change, but would then end up
with higher peak temp. Looking for the right balance there.
<Well-stated>
So, what's the maximum safe daily delta?
<About five degrees Fahrenheit>
And what's the hottest a tank can safely get for, say, 4-5 hours peak?
<Mid eighties F.>
The problem will worsen in the summer, when it often gets to 90 in the house by
mid-afternoon. I assume I will have to do some type of DIY cooling (float ice in
bag, etc; uncovering the tank and fan cooling isn't really an option due to
jumping fish and diving cats)...
<Bingo>
Regards,
Dave
<BobF>
Tank not heating
Hello, I have a 29 gallon tank that I purchased as a kit from Petco about
three years ago. We set it up and was working great. We recently moved but took
our water and gravel with us so we wouldn't have to wait for the tank to
re-cycle.
<Good idea>
We moved from north Texas to central Arkansas. The filter is the Tetra PF150
with the built in heater (HC100). It worked fine in Texas. I set the heater at
78 degrees and the temperature was constant. After moving the heater was still
set at 78 degrees but it would only keep the temp at 72. I bought a second
thermometer (since I had broken the original during the move) but it too said
72. I have tried turning up the heater but it stays at 72. We had 6 male sailfin
mollies, a female molly, and 2 julii Cory catfish. In the beginning of January
the tank was doing good, with the female molly having babies. About two weeks
later the water temp dropped to 68 degrees. Three of the male mollies died. I
bought a new heater but it was still not getting above 72 degrees.
<Strange...>
There is a red light that comes on when the heater is on, but it only comes on
for about ten seconds after plugging it in. Room temperature varies from 70-72
degrees. I have called the manufacturer and they said I could send the heater in
to verify it is working. (Personally, I believe that two heaters can not be
doing the same exact thing when one is brand new and the other is three years
old.)
<IS odd>
The house we now live in is about eighty years old and I thought it might be
wiring but I have tried three different outlets and not luck. Do you have any
recommendations?
<I would send both these units into Tetra... a very good company... I have been
to their Blacksburg, VA plant... seen their extensive testing facilities, HUGE
warehouse... some manufacture there. They will get to the bottom of this I am
sure... You have done about what I would have thus far... and the most likely
possibility IS that both heaters have the same flaw... Likely one of those
new-fangled printed circuit board problems... I wonder on how many units!?
Yikes! Bob Fenner>
Temperature Fluctuations
Hello again! I just sent you an e-mail and I forgot to ask my most pressing
question! The temperature in 44 gallon pentagon tank tends to fluctuate about
3-5 degrees Fahrenheit from day to night. Is this acceptable?
<Mmm, three degrees is about it... five is too much>
It was getting up to 78-79 by nightfall and down to about 73-74 by morning when
the lights have been off and the heat in my house turned down for about 10
hours. I then turned the dial down a bit and the water currently gets up to
about 76 and down to about 71-72. Which temp. range is preferable?
<Of the two... the lower>
I have a 200 watt Whisper submersible heater that does not a "specific"
temperature setting (meaning it just has an up or down knob not a numerical
setting).
<I understand>
Does this mean it is less accurate?
<Not necessarily, but there are heaters that do not have this much
fluctuation... look to Eheim's Ebo Jagers...>
I have the heater at an angle (not directly horizontal or vertical) because I
read this provides more even heating. Could this effect its accuracy?
<Good question, but no, the same either orientation>
Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Walt
<If this heater is new (less than a year old) I would take it back to your
dealer... and have them exchange it... The temperature should not vacillate this
much. Bob Fenner>
Heaters rules of thumbs
Hi again...
here's another question for you about heaters, is it a rule of thumb that a
heater should be 5 watts for ever gallon of H2O in your tank...i.e.: 55 gallon
tank= a 275 watt heater??? this seems a little extreme to me but I'm new to
this world so I really don't have a clue.
< I have two 100 gallon aquariums in my house and each one has only a 150 watt
heater in each. The water is maintained at 78 to 80 degrees year round with the
lows at night reaching maybe 55 degrees. If you want to set up a tank in your
unheated garage in winter then a couple 150 watt heaters may be needed to keep
the fish warm and toasty. Everything is dependent on what is the coldest air
temperature your tank will ever be expose too? Do you live in a cold climate and
then leave your house unattended with the heater off and let the house get into
the 40's or lower? On the other hand if you lived in a warm weather climate you
may never or hardly ever need a heater.-Chuck>
thanks...Mathew
Severe Temperature Drop
<Hi, MikeD here>
I've just brought a new tank and after setting it up and introducing my fish I
thought all was well. The next day It seems the heater had been knocked off and
they temperature had been reduced from 26 to 18 degrees<I don't have a Celsius
to Fahrenheit conversion chart handy, but that looks pretty drastic>. All my
fish were looking rather dopey and sick with the guppies all hanging out at the
surface. After turning the heater back on and removing buckets of cold water and
adding warm water the temperature rose back up. But I was too slow the guppies
were pretty much dead.<Actually, just adjusting the heater and letting it warm
gradually would have been just a little better> The next day the temp is still
26 but angel fish is upside down, did the temp fluctuation do this?<Yes. Fish
are poikilothermic or cold blooded, meaning that their body temperature is the
same as the as the surrounding water.> Also I'm missing a long finned leopard
Danio cant find him anywhere? Should I be prepared to lose more or will they be
ok now?<You may well lose more, plus I'd be prepared for an outbreak of "ick"
from the sudden temperature drop. Just enter the word Ick in the google search
and you'll receive a wealth of information as it's probably the most common
problem in the hobby> I've checked the ph its 6.8 why did the angel die?<The
angelfish had an extra difficulty to deal with besides just the rapid
temperature drop which is already tough enough , that being that it's a tropical
fish that originated in one of the equatorial zones of the S. American rain
forest. Many "jungle" type animals have systems that can't tolerate cooler
temperatures, particularly cold blooded ones like fish, reptiles and amphibians,
with mere exposure to temperate climes all that's necessary to prove fatal.>
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