Caroleinwv Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 Greetings I have a boring topic - heaters. I know you would rather talk about the rare varieties of African Ciclids or Rainbow fish but I am pondering heaters. I have a variety of tank sizes. My house is cool. Regardless of tank size, is it better to go with higher watt heaters? OR - is tank size a limiting factor? What are reliable brands. Haha, maybe better to learn to live in 80 degree house! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenFins Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 As much as many people not agree with me on this, I like the tetra preset heaters. I haven't had a problem with them, their cheap, only problem is it will only heat it to 76 degrees. So its good for the mid tempeture fish but for the fish that like warmer water its not so good. I have had two for several years and no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Billy Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 You can run an overpowered heater, but there are a few things to consider. Water heaters are the most likely piece of equipment to fail / break. When they do they usually crack, or sometimes explode (mostly older models), which generally is a result from not turning them off during water change, if not from a manufacturing defect. However there have been instances of heaters running off the rails and super heating your water. For this reason i like to stick close to what you need rather than having an overpowered one. Plus smaller heaters are cheaper than big ones, and usually fail at about the same rate. Here is a link to help you determine what you need. https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/how-to-choose-the-right-aquarium-heater Ive been looking at the AQQA brand submersible heater with led display. It seems to have the best reviews on amazon. If you get one before i do let me know what you think and vice versa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT_ Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 I don't know how universal it is, but before I added my own controller my heater had quite a bit of hysteresis. An over sized heater will cool at the same rate but when it turns back on it will ramp the heat back up faster. I'm not sure how fast and how big of a swing is bad but personally I'd prefer a gentle increase over a rapid one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 I've made my decision on this. When I get my 50 gallon tank, I'm getting two 100watt heaters. If it's not enough, I'll add the 50watt heater that I already have. If that's not enough, I'll get another 100watt heater. I don't trust them. If one fails. The temperature won't go nuts on me. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 (edited) 13 hours ago, Caroleinwv said: I have a variety of tank sizes. My house is cool. Regardless of tank size, is it better to go with higher watt heaters? OR - is tank size a limiting factor? What are reliable brands. Haha, maybe better to learn to live in 80 degree house In my opinion, quality of engineering & manufacturing is more important than over-compensation in terms of single heater wattage. Eheim Jager makes a very good heater, at different wattages. we place our heater low, sideways, parallel to the tank bottom in the back so that when we water change we don’t accidentally forget and break them by heater exposure to air. Many aquarists use two heaters (e.g. two 100w) on a 55 gal. so that if one breaks, the other holds things together for awhile. How cold is your house / room / fishroom? Have you ever considered keeping fish that prefer the cold, and going no heaters? Photos here are of three species we keep that love cold water! Edited January 21, 2021 by Fish Folk Added photos 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroleinwv Posted January 21, 2021 Author Share Posted January 21, 2021 Thank you! Great information. My house is around 65 F/ 18 C in winter. I find I breath better if it is cool. I have many Angels/ Guppies/ Betta/ Apistos but your cool water suggestions look great. A tank or two of them is worth considering! I have a Discus tank planned and yes. Two heaters would be a must! Lovely fish! What are they? Shiners? I would like Fancy Gold fish but may do them outdoors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 65 degrees Fahrenheit is an excellent temperature for all the three species I added photos of, and more: (1) Notropis chrosomus - Rainbow shiners. Native to southeast USA, shallow streams & rivers. Very popular in Europe. (2) Xenotoca doadrioi - Redtail Goodeids. Endangered in wild. Native to San Marcos Mexico. Livebearers. Very personable, and fun to watch. Drop fry every 60 days. (3) Etheostoma caeruleum - Rainbow Darters. Native Midwestern USA fish. Small. Males color up seasonally and in cold water. They stay in lower third of tank, like gudgeons, but are in the perch family. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 Discus must be kept very warm. 87-degrees is what we keep ours at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroleinwv Posted January 21, 2021 Author Share Posted January 21, 2021 Yes- That is certainly a tank that I will have backup heaters in! . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroleinwv Posted January 21, 2021 Author Share Posted January 21, 2021 I am building a pasture pond and a garden waterscape. Hmmm. I may be too far north ( Northern WV) to do these outside but a nice unheated scape inside would be fun and I am keen to help endangered. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 32 minutes ago, Caroleinwv said: I may be too far north ( Northern WV) We’re over near Cumberland MD. Not sure how far that us from you, but if climate questions come up, we’re glad to exchange info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroleinwv Posted January 21, 2021 Author Share Posted January 21, 2021 I am building a pasture pond and a garden waterscape. Hmmm. I may be too far north ( Northern WV) to do these outside but a nice unheated scape inside would be fun and I am keen to help endangered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroleinwv Posted January 21, 2021 Author Share Posted January 21, 2021 I am about an hour SW of Pittsburgh. Maybe 4 hours from you? Today it is sunny and will be in the forties. Breezy. Yesterday 28 and windy. I need a little dry up to finish pond and dig garden pool/ pond. May do some tubs this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 7 minutes ago, Caroleinwv said: need a little dry up to finish pond and dig garden pool/ pond. May do some tubs this year. Interesting! Looks beautiful. We do mini-tubs on back porch for guppies. Our LFS will buy them all once summer ends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroleinwv Posted January 21, 2021 Author Share Posted January 21, 2021 Wow! Healthy guppies! I am actually 10 miles North of Wheeling. Do you have a good source for some of the fish you mentioned? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 (edited) 18 hours ago, Caroleinwv said: Greetings I have a boring topic - heaters. I know you would rather talk about the rare varieties of African Ciclids or Rainbow fish but I am pondering heaters. I have a variety of tank sizes. My house is cool. Regardless of tank size, is it better to go with higher watt heaters? OR - is tank size a limiting factor? What are reliable brands. Haha, maybe better to learn to live in 80 degree house! I am a big fan of one or two under sized heaters rather than big ones, and I place them horizontally at the gravel level, so that even in a big water change they are always submerged. I buy cheap ones off amazon but then use a digital (cheap) thermometer to keep an eye on the temp, especially as seasons change. My house is realtively warm in the summer, and cooler in winter, and the cheap heaters need a little tinkering to get them set just right. But as @Frank said, if one fails you still have some heat. If one get's stuck "on" you still can't cook your fish. I currently have 2 50w heaters in my 40g, and I like that best but I think I could have done 25w heaters because my house isn't so cold and the particular fish are not so fragile. I have one, more expensive heater (slightly, it is "vivosun" also off amazon) that is oversized at 200w in a 29g. It features a digital controller that is reliable and really easy to set and it is made of titanium instead of glass. I like the controller a lot. If I were doing it again I would choose 2 50w of that brand though. EDIT--or just one, again, I don't think I needed as much power as I have. Edited January 21, 2021 by Brandy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 28 minutes ago, Caroleinwv said: Do you have a good source for some of the fish you mentioned? Pretty country out near Wheeling, WV. Yes, here are a few tips: Always check out Aqua Huna, since they are affiliated with Aquarium Co-Op: https://aquahuna.com Jonah’s Aquarium is good for native US fish: http://jonahsaquarium.com Greg Sage at Select Aquatics is awesome: http://selectaquatics.com 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroleinwv Posted January 21, 2021 Author Share Posted January 21, 2021 3 hours ago, Fish Folk said: Thank you VERY much! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Billy Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 I took the plunge and bought 2 undersized AQQA 100W heaters for my 55 gallon to replace my old one that was about to go out. I strategically placed them under the hob filter outtake and beside the filter intake for (in theory) best water flow. Here are some pics. I agree with the undersized method for the sake of redundancy (in case one fails) and if i have a runaway heater it wont cook all my fish. I will post again later to see how well they perform over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceanTruth Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 @Will Billy Woah, that's a cool looking heater. I like that type that has the controller and display outside the tank. Hope it lasts a good long time for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toothy Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 I use one of these to control my heaters https://www.grainger.com/product/RANCO-Electronic-Temperature-Control-3ZP81?internalSearchTerm=Electronic+Temperature+Control%2C+SPDT%2C+-30°+to+220°F%2C+NEMA+4X+Enclosure+Type&suggestConfigId=8 I don't trust the ones built into the heaters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now