Lizzietheloach Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 I had a Fluval M 100 Watt Submersible Heater for about 8 months and the heat seemed to be climbing up to uncomfortable levels, so I ran out to get a replacement before it cooked my fish. My LFS has a very limited number of options, so I ended up getting the same one. I set it to around 76-77, which I figured would be warm enough for my kuhli loaches and cool enough for my zebra danios, but after 24 hours my thermometer say 78.9. Okay, I moved it one click down. Still 78 two days later. Moved it another click down. Still 78 another two days later... Is this some sort of user error? Did I get two defective heaters? What am I doing wrong here? I didn't find anything in the directions about calibrating, otherwise I would have been happy to do that. If this is a silly thing I'm missing, please be kind... Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jovius Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 How are you confirming the temp and how big is the tank? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 How warm is it in the room where the tanks are? are the heaters running in the on stage? Ie is there an indicator light? I find my tanks run warmer in the summer since the room is warmer. Dont forget, any lights, pumps filters etc are little heaters in their own right adding heat to the tank. A At 70 degree room temp, the heaters need to run to keep the tank 76. At 74 degree room temp the heater doesnt run but the tank temp is above 76 due to heating from canister filter and light. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzietheloach Posted July 31 Author Share Posted July 31 Tank is 32g long. I run the lights for about 4-6 hours per day because I have all low light plants and I don't want to freak out the loaches. We usually set the air to about 73-74, depending on how we feel. That said, we're in Florida and it's hellish outside right now. The tank isn't in a window, but there are windows relatively nearby. I have a thermometer in the tank at all times lately just so I can glance at it periodically when I'm in the room. I looked and didn't see an indicator light on the heater, but I might have missed it. If this is just the temperature it is because of being in Florida, I'm fine with that, and my danios will have to be too. I just wanted to make sure my heater wasn't doing something it wasn't supposed to. A heater failing and cooking my fish is one of my bigger aquarium fears. Thank you for responding! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 On 7/31/2024 at 3:33 PM, Lizzietheloach said: I looked and didn't see an indicator light on the heater, but I might have missed it. If this is just the temperature it is because of being in Florida, I'm fine with that, and my danios will have to be too. You could unplug your heater for 24 hours and see what the tank temp does. do yourself a favor though and put an alarm on the phone to check in 24 hours so you dont forget to plug it back in… 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 On 7/31/2024 at 11:55 AM, Lizzietheloach said: I had a Fluval M 100 Watt Submersible Heater for about 8 months and the heat seemed to be climbing up to uncomfortable levels, so I ran out to get a replacement before it cooked my fish. My LFS has a very limited number of options, so I ended up getting the same one. I set it to around 76-77, which I figured would be warm enough for my kuhli loaches and cool enough for my zebra danios, but after 24 hours my thermometer say 78.9. Okay, I moved it one click down. Still 78 two days later. Moved it another click down. Still 78 another two days later... Is this some sort of user error? Did I get two defective heaters? What am I doing wrong here? I didn't find anything in the directions about calibrating, otherwise I would have been happy to do that. If this is a silly thing I'm missing, please be kind... Thank you! There's a few major things going on. One of the easiest ways I can explain it is to explain a few technical terms and break down some more specific issues related to what wee deal with in the aquarium. First off, danios don't like it too hot, and I cannot confirm what the loaches prefer. Most cypranidae enjoy it a bit cooler, which simply means please be sure to find a reliable source and verify what your optimal temp would be for the species in the tank. If you need to setup a second tank that is slightly cooler, aw shucks! 🙂 Cooking a tank is a mix of a multitude of issues. First of which is going to purely be tied to circulation. If the heat is stuck in one spot and not able to move around entirely, effectively then you cook the electronics. That also means that you have a hotspot in the water column. If you are running only an airstone or air powered filtration on a tank that is longer, this could be an issue. The solution would be to add a circulation pump, add more air stones to increase circulation, or place the heater properly to increase flow across the element. The other main issue that you would be dealing with here is calibration and (what's the term....) resolution/precision of your heater. Cheaper models you're looking at a variance of +/- 2 degrees. In other cases you have the "next tier up" which gives you a variance of +/- 1 degree. The next tier is +/- 0.5 degrees. Finally, the last tier is +/- 0.1 degrees. What this means is that if you have a heater, set it to "78" let's say that the calibration is worst case set to +2 degrees. Now we are at ~80 degrees instead of 78. On top of that we have the issue of the heater "cooking" itself so even though it says 78 on the thermometer, and it's actually at 80, the heater might actually be having a hotspot of 82-84 degrees if the circulation is poor. This is why I have used and recommend the heater with some sort of a flow control sensor to monitor "cooking" and overheating the electronics. These would be the Fluval E-Series heaters. Secondarily, you can place your heater anywhere as low as a 45 degree angle up to a 90 degree angle optimally. You want the water to pass along the element, positioned as such that the water can flow from left to right and push the heat around the tank. Finally, have two ways of measuring temperature, not just one (and I am not talking about your heater itself). Have 2-3 of the same cheap glass thermometers if that's what you prefer, but just have a way to verify and double check what your tank is really running at. When you need to measure, double check, and then you'll be a lot more confident in your values. On 7/31/2024 at 12:33 PM, Lizzietheloach said: Tank is 32g long How is your filtration setup? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMC Posted July 31 Share Posted July 31 If you are very concerned about the heaters cooking your fish I’d get a temperature controller like an Ink Bird (I’ve also used 2 of the BN-LINK T7E(H) for 3.5 years with no issues). 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzietheloach Posted August 1 Author Share Posted August 1 Thanks for responding, everyone. I have a Fluval Flex 32.5, so all the filtration is in a set of rear chambers, and I put the heater in the back middle compartment next to the circulation pump. There's not a ton of room back there, so it's positioned upright. I also have an airstone in the main part of the tank for extra circulation. I checked my temperature with multiple thermometers, just to make sure the one I was using wasn't a bad read. They both had the same temp. If you guys think the heater would do better in a different place, please let me know. I'll check out the Fluval E-Series and the Ink Bird. With regard to optimal temperatures for my fish, it's tricky because different sources say different things, although most agree that 78 is on the high side for zebra danios, which is why I kept trying to lower the heat, to no avail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quikv6 Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 Inkbird, Inkbird, Inkbird. Your concerns will ease almost instantly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzietheloach Posted August 1 Author Share Posted August 1 Update! My husband turned the air down lower than normal this evening, and when I came downstairs the thermometer said 77, which is the first time it's been lower than 78 in days. We're going to keep the A/C a little lower to see what happens. I guess we're all just too hot in Florida in the summer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyxxl Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 Personally I am keeping my tank no heater. The tank and fish are doing great I keep the house lower mid 70's about 74 and the tank is staying about that. Tiger Barbs, Cherry Barb, Black Ruby Barbs and assorted kulhi loaches. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzietheloach Posted August 1 Author Share Posted August 1 On 8/1/2024 at 5:21 AM, johnnyxxl said: Personally I am keeping my tank no heater. The tank and fish are doing great I keep the house lower mid 70's about 74 and the tank is staying about that. Tiger Barbs, Cherry Barb, Black Ruby Barbs and assorted kulhi loaches. Nice! I just worry about it getting too cold in winter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMC Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 As discussed I have the Inkbird and the knock offs in my tank. The knock offs are under $20 each. I set the temperature to turn on at the low end of what I want the fish kept at. I set the heater to the high end of what I want the fish kept at. example: I want my fish to be between 74-78. I set the temp controller to 74. I set the heater to 78. Then the two are “backing each other up”. I also like the temperature controllers because when you walk by you can just glance at the controllers and in large digits it tells you the current temperature is to the tenth of a degree. Finally, there’s also a small light on the controller that tells you when the controller has the power on to the outlet that your heater is plugged into. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne 82nd Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 I like to hide my heater horizonal behind a log at the bottom of the tank so I keep my airstones under my heater. That keeps water flow on the entire heater plus my 407 keeps the water mixed up. Your heater should have a blue light that comes on when it is trying to heat and off when it is not. It in the front 2 to 3 in. below the low water maark line. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzietheloach Posted August 2 Author Share Posted August 2 If it's allowed, could I have a link or two for the temperature controllers, please? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne 82nd Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 They make several models what you get depends on your heater size and how many heaters you run. I run two but only need one the second is a backup it is set at a lower temp to come on if the primary fails https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC?th=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzietheloach Posted August 3 Author Share Posted August 3 On 8/2/2024 at 12:43 PM, Airborne 82nd said: They make several models what you get depends on your heater size and how many heaters you run. I run two but only need one the second is a backup it is set at a lower temp to come on if the primary fails https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC?th=1 Thank you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted August 3 Share Posted August 3 On 7/31/2024 at 6:42 PM, Lizzietheloach said: so all the filtration is in a set of rear chambers, and I put the heater in the back middle compartment next to the circulation pump. There's not a ton of room back there, so it's positioned upright very familiar with this. Yep! It's sort of a necessary evil of sorts. The best place for the heater is there you have the highest flow so right next to/near that pump. I can't validate it's effective, but that's just sort of how it's been designed and the goal with placement there is 50% effectiveness and 50% to hide the equipment. Make sure you keep that pump cleaned, working well, clean the impellers, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzietheloach Posted August 3 Author Share Posted August 3 On 8/3/2024 at 12:53 AM, nabokovfan87 said: very familiar with this. Yep! It's sort of a necessary evil of sorts. The best place for the heater is there you have the highest flow so right next to/near that pump. I can't validate it's effective, but that's just sort of how it's been designed and the goal with placement there is 50% effectiveness and 50% to hide the equipment. Make sure you keep that pump cleaned, working well, clean the impellers, etc. Yes! I clean it regularly. After playing with our downstairs thermostat, I've determined that the tank is warm right now because everything and everyone is warm right now in Florida haha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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