Thermometer questions

[smyke]

I need to buy a good thermometer for my 45g and need some advice. right now I have a regular glass thermometer that floats or can be attached to the glass with the suction cup but I dont know if it is very accurate.

What kind of thermometers do you all use?

what are the good products out there?

Where do you place your thermometer to get the most reliable temp reading?

All your suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[Bk718]

The glass thermometer is your best way to get the most accurate temperature you can get.. Though I now use a coralife digital thermometer and its pretty accurate.
Best place to place the thermometer is on the far side of the tank away from the heater.

[smyke]

thanks Bk,
as far as placement goes would you place it closer to the surface, substrate or in between?
my heater is hidden behind the DIY background right next to the canister filter intake and then the water is distributed by the spray bar accross the surface.

[Mgamer20o0]

move it around to get the different temps in the tank. glass will be the best.

[Rbishop]

I prefer the glass style that have the suction cups. Two per most tanks. One near the surface as far away but in the direct path of the filter discharge. The second near the surface of the lowest flow area of that tank.

[BoredAgain]

I use glass. One on each side of the tank.

[smyke]

so it sounds like I just have to get another one. thanks all.

[Draal5]

I have 10 tanks I use the glass thermometer's at the point farthest from the heater I use this High Precision Aquarium Thermometer to get the right temp and with a grease pencil but now I use a ptouch to label the difference in temps. ie +2 degrees http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/11417/product.web

thermometer's vary in readings for many reasons the glass tube can and does move along the scale.
the digital ones IME have different readings an example I had 2 of the coralife ones on a 90 right side was always 2 degrees colder than the left sure enough I finally after days of trying to adjust the right side heater and pulling my hair out I switched the thermometers and that was the problem.

I then proceeded to do some reading on thermometers there are set standards but manufactures can disregard them. thus you have thermometers that can be 4+/- degrees off or more in the aquarium hobby.

The only way to get an accurate temp. is to buy a calibrated thermometer that is certified to meet the (I for get the acronym) standard.

only use those cheep thermometers as a guide to weather your heaters are working.

Thermometers in our hobby are as accurate as the test strips :wall:

[cweg71]

http://www.novatech-usa.com/Glass-SAMA-Thermometers/860FP10

I purchased this thermometer from novatech. It is a 12inch mercury/glass thermometer.
It is very accurate. I would also recommend the thermometer armor if using mercury thermometers. I might have paid $40 for the therm. armor and shipping. I chose a thermometer with a fairly small range. Thermometers that have a large range are less accurate over their entire range. This web site has many hundreds of thermometers for many applications, so finding what I wanted was a challenge. I chose the above linked thermometer for it realitivley narrow range (-30F to 125F) and partial immersion design.
This thermometer is very accurate using the ice water technique. Fill a container with ice, add water, add thermometer, wait 5 minutes. It should read 32F.

[jmhart]

Just to note:

In my experience the Coralife Digital Thermometers are very inaccurate. I have two: one reads 12 deg F too low, and the other one reads 2 deg F too low.


I use alcohol/glass thermometers.

[smyke]

that ice water experiment is interesting. would it be safe to try that with the glass thermometer I have? that sounds like a good way to find out if it is showing accurate temp.

[jmhart]

If it reads 32 deg F on the thermometer, it can handle it. Make it a salt solution with ice it it, that brings the water and ice into equilibrium right at 32 F.

[smyke]

thanks jm.
now, is there a "recipe" for that or can I just ballpark the amount of ice, water and salt? doest it matter?

[jmhart]

Ball park is fine. Get a glass, fill it up with ice cubes, put a tablespoon of salt in it, then fill it up with water and stir. Let it sit for a minutes, and then boom, a 32F or 0C glass of water.

[cweg71]

I add more ice than water. If you can use chipped ice and make a slushy even better. I dont have experience with the salt solution.

[smyke]

man, is this hobby complicated or what? :lipssealedsmilie:

thanks, I will try it when I get home.