Turn off heater in summer?

D

Debisbooked

AC Members
Oct 20, 2005
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Fremont Ohio
This question has bothered me the last two summers. When a fish died in my 10g tank, it was usually over the summer. (The exception has been newly purchased swordtails that died within 24 hours of coming home). I remember danios and platys dying both summers and I wonder if they got too warm. I keep the tank heater at 77 degrees but my house is not air conditioned and it can get pretty hot during July and August here in Ohio. Now my fish are all in a 75g, lighted, planted tank. Should I just unplug the heater for the summer or does the heater turn itself off when the temp gets higher than 77 degrees? (Its a Ebo-Jager brand-I no longer have the directions that came with it). On really hot days would a fan trained on the tank help? Should I keep the tank lights off too during the hottest days and will this effect the plants (mostly low light ones) adversely?

For example: today's temp is upper 80's and the tank thermometer reads 79 degrees, two degrees higher than normal.
 
Well, don't turn off the plant lights--they need the light to survive. You can try opening the top of the tank and blowing a fan over the surface of the tank to cool things down a degree or two. I've heard some people say they freeze a small sealed bottle of water and place it in the tank. I've never tried this, but it might be helpful in a temporary emergency situation.
 
the heaters won't turn on in the summer, so i usually just unplug them.
 
Not a bad idea to turn them off in the summer. My house is typically cool in the AM then heats up during the day. I wonder if the changing temperature in the tank might encourage the fish to breed as well.
 
I just unplug mine in the summer. My temps are set at 77 degrees and when the summer rolls around, like now, the water temp levels off at 78-79. When it gets into the 80's, I usually pop in a few bottles of frozen water and the temps come down.
 
I leave mine set to the same temp year round. If it is too hot they just won't turn on. If there is some sort of wierd cold snap in the summer (rare) it will turn on. Plus at night I really have no idea what they temp of the tank gets to, but at least I know how low it could possibly get if my heater is set.

Also I don't have to remember to plug it back in later.
 
Here in San Antonio we have more than enough summer heat to go around.....it's already in the high 90's and will stay that way until well into September. I started my 2 tanks this past March and heated them until late April. During a routine tank cleaning/maintenance I decided to simply unplay the heaters. Our house is air conditioned and stays around 76-77 degrees night and day. Average tank temperature seems to stay around 78, maybe 80 degrees on the tank that gets the most natural sun. On the occasion where it starts to go beyond that I open the lid and that seems to be sufficient. Ask me again in August when it gets really hot outside. :rolleyes:
 
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