Hi,
I originally posted this in Newbie Freshwater, but I thought I'd post here too for aquatic frog people to see. Hope I'm not over stepping my bounds. I love my frogs dearly and need some help. Here's the original post:
I bought a Visi Therm Stealth heater to heat my 5 gallon hex tank. My apartment temp fluctuates between 72-80 depending on the time of the day. A couple of people recommended that I get a heater and keep it on 80 to help my slow-w-w-w-w-w-w-w cycling process perhaps speed up a bit. My concern right now is not the cycling process, but the fact that the minute I plugged in the heater my 2 ADF seemed fatally attracted to it. The both sat under it and one of them swam up and stuck his body between the glass and the heater when I turned my back for a few minutes. I had to stick my hand in the tank to get him to move (he wasn't stuck, he just wouldn't move). I caught him doing it again and again. I turned the heater off.
I'm afraid that the heater is dangerous to my poor sweet, adorable, but dumb frogs. Does anyone have any ideas/comments? I think I may have to take the heater back. If faced with the slow cycling process b/c of heat fluctuations or cooked froggies, I'll go with slow cycling.
More info:
The heater is covered in what the manufacturer calls "shatter proof thermal plastic casing".
http://www.marineland.com/products/a...rm_stealth.asp
Here's a pic:
The heater does get warm b/c I touched the bottom of it last night to check it. I have it plugged into a bucket of water now and it is hot to the touch. I can keep my hand on it for maybe 20 seconds before it gets uncomfortably hot.
Any help from "frog people" would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
I originally posted this in Newbie Freshwater, but I thought I'd post here too for aquatic frog people to see. Hope I'm not over stepping my bounds. I love my frogs dearly and need some help. Here's the original post:
I bought a Visi Therm Stealth heater to heat my 5 gallon hex tank. My apartment temp fluctuates between 72-80 depending on the time of the day. A couple of people recommended that I get a heater and keep it on 80 to help my slow-w-w-w-w-w-w-w cycling process perhaps speed up a bit. My concern right now is not the cycling process, but the fact that the minute I plugged in the heater my 2 ADF seemed fatally attracted to it. The both sat under it and one of them swam up and stuck his body between the glass and the heater when I turned my back for a few minutes. I had to stick my hand in the tank to get him to move (he wasn't stuck, he just wouldn't move). I caught him doing it again and again. I turned the heater off.
I'm afraid that the heater is dangerous to my poor sweet, adorable, but dumb frogs. Does anyone have any ideas/comments? I think I may have to take the heater back. If faced with the slow cycling process b/c of heat fluctuations or cooked froggies, I'll go with slow cycling.
More info:
The heater is covered in what the manufacturer calls "shatter proof thermal plastic casing".
http://www.marineland.com/products/a...rm_stealth.asp
Here's a pic:
The heater does get warm b/c I touched the bottom of it last night to check it. I have it plugged into a bucket of water now and it is hot to the touch. I can keep my hand on it for maybe 20 seconds before it gets uncomfortably hot.
Any help from "frog people" would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.