View Full Version : how reliable are these stick on thermometers ????
i have a 100 gallon plexiglass tank, i have my cannister filter intake right next to the heater so the heated water outflows to the opposite side of the tank where it then mixes with the power head/foam filter and the powerhead flows it back to the other side. I bought 2 of those small tetra stick on thermometers one for each side and they read exactly the same, the blue and orange lines hover around 78- 80 degrees and at night with our house heater off they both drop to around 75-76 degrees. i bought another thermometer that goes INSIDE the tank and it reads a constant 80 degrees, i checked IT with room temp. according to the house thermostadt and also in running water warm and cold. so i know it works, which thermometer should i trust ? the 2 stick ons, or the one that is IN the water there is almost a 5 degree difference. Are those stick ons influenced by OUTSIDE temps. ???
thanks in advance.
aquariumfishguy
11-22-2003, 9:34 AM
I dont like stick on heaters as I find they fluctuate too much for me to trust and rely on...
...that being said, I use heaters in the inside of my tank which have suction cups on them and I place them in the corner of my tanks. They get replaced every 10 years or so. :D
thanks for the reply, i just can't help thinking that the stick ons being on the outside of the tank are influenced by the air temps in the room. i am going over to check out you www site.
Bert
My stick-on thermometers have the same exact problem - I have one on either end of my 40 gal., one on the top corner, the other on the bottom, and neither read the same, and don't change much, except during the day/night transition. I've tested inside the tank and a standard thermometer reads different, and I know the standard works. I've read the stick-ons have a tendency to "go bad", so I've been tempted to just take them off and stop using them altogether.
yeah, i think i will ignore them, wish i would have kept the packaging so i could return them to the store and exchange them for something else. the drop in suction cup one only cost 3 bucks and i don't see how it could read wrong so i will depend on IT plus get a second one to check the temp. of my water change water.
aquariumfishguy
11-22-2003, 1:31 PM
Sorry, in my last post instead of saying "heater" it should have said "Thermometer"...:D
And yes, stick on thermometers go bad faster than the submersable ones.
Hope my www helps you in any way possible ;)
yes it did ! i registered there too, thanks !:D
NJ Devils Fan
11-22-2003, 3:33 PM
Yes, the stick on ones are inaccurate. I had one on my old 10g tank and I found an old "in tank" heater in my attic from a few years ago and there was a 3 degree difference. I didn't know which would be right, so I got my mom's cooking thermometer and it was the same as the "in tank" one.
Prometheus
11-22-2003, 8:20 PM
Originally posted by bert
yeah, i think i will ignore them, wish i would have kept the packaging so i could return them to the store and exchange them for something else. the drop in suction cup one only cost 3 bucks and i don't see how it could read wrong so i will depend on IT plus get a second one to check the temp. of my water change water.
The drop in w/ suction cup therms are 1.19 at wally world, I have two on opposit ends of the tank. Cheap and effective!
Just make sure when you buy the ones at wally world that they match up with the temps on all the others, I saw one on the hook that read 110+, the other all read the same...