heater question...

C

chrishicks

AC Members
Jan 5, 2006
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hi everyone, new here and have a heater question. I am having trouble getting my heater to work properly after a tank switch. I have been up for hours taking water out/adding cooler water in trying to maintain my temp of 80 degrees. I put the heater in the tank and let it sit for about 20min. and then plugged it in. the light turned on and stayed on for a few minutes and then shut off. it seemed stable at around 80.3. I run 3 different thermometers in my tank(digital and regular) so I am constantly monitoring all 3. the thing is, the heater keeps turning on and keeps increasing the temp by 0.2 degrees everytime is does. if I turn the hood light on the temp just keeps going higher, just faster. the heater still turns on when the light is on. I'm thinking my heater is either dead or going that way. is there something else I should have done? when it was in my other tank I never had this problem.

I am using a Proaquatics 300w heater in a 55 gallon tank. the old tank was exactly the same. another part of my problem is that if I unplug the heater the temp will drop to below 80 degrees within an hour. I don't want my fish going through all these temp up and downs. please help.

thank you in advance.
 
Using cooler water in a waterchange is a big no no. This is the perfect recipe for disease in your fish and a big no no. A 0.2 degree shift from your set temperature is not a big problem. As long as the temperature maintains within a 2 degree range from where you want, all should be well. The heater appears to be switching off when the thermostat in it says the temperature is right. The heater coils will still remain warm for about 15 minutes after the heater switches off (one of the reasons why most manufacturers say that you must unplug the heater for at least 15 minutes before exposing it to air. This is to prevent cracking). If the heater is stuck on then we have a different story.
 
when I said it increases by 0.2 degrees I mean it continuously increases by 0.2. so say my tank is at 80.2 when the heater kicks on. the tank will heat up to say 80.5. the heater will shut off. a few minutes later the heater will turn on again while the temp is still at 80.5. it will then heat up another 0.2 degrees to 80.7. the heater will then shut off. a few minutes later it will turn on again and heat the water to 80.9 and so on and so on. it will continue like this until the tanks hits over 82 degrees then I end up unplugging it for fear of cooking my fish. I'm adding cooler water to maintain the 80.2 temp when the temp reaches over 82 degrees.
 
While I agree that the heater needs to be checked and if it continues increasing the temp you'll want to replace it, I want to say that using slightly cooler water during a water change is not a bad thing all the time, and indeed is needed to induce spawning in many species. A difference of a few degrees cooler is actually preferable to going a few degrees warmer, IME.
 
when I did the water change I used almost(as close as I could get it) the same temp the water was in the tank - 80 degrees. I actually temp checked each container before adding it to the tank. it was after I put the heater in that the temps started to rise. I only put a cup or 2 of cooler water to try and maintain the temp around 80 when the heater was running it warmer than it used to. my tank used to run at 79.x to 80.x and now it wants to run at 82.x and up. I have tried turning the heater down a few notches(it has a number temp setting that goes by every 1 degree) but it doesn't make a difference. if I have the heater set at 80 it heats like stated above. if I have it set at 70 it appears to be doing the same thing(I'm still monitoring it now)
 
Using cooler water for changes certainly is not a recipe for disease. Most fish enjoy a change with cooler water. As long as you don't drop the temp too much or too rapidly, then there's little to worry about.
 
After reading carefully I think you have a malfucntioning heater. The thermostat element fails quite often. Go out and buy a new one and set it in your tank. Remeber it may take several hours to days until your tank temp stabilizes.

Later, you can test your old heater in a water bucket and confirm is it was malfunctioning. If you realize it is wonrking properly, you can keep it as a spare heater for a hospital tank.
 
one thing i can think of is tat ur heater is a 300w tat is way too much for ur tank. mayb a 100w would b a better one. 300w heaters r for 120 gal n up
 
jasonskillz said:
one thing i can think of is tat ur heater is a 300w tat is way too much for ur tank. mayb a 100w would b a better one. 300w heaters r for 120 gal n up
Click to expand...

What is your source of info for this statement? I would consider a 300w heater to be the ideal size for a 55. I have a 300w in my 40br which is overkill, but it keeps the temp very stable. The thing to be careful of with more powerful heaters is that they can really cook a tank if the heater malfunctions. That's why many people prefer to use two heaters of lower wattage as opposed to one higher watt unit. It's good to be on the safe side since heaters can and do malfunction.
 
my friends use 100w for their 60 gals
my tank is doing fine with a 200w
i dont see y putting a 300w in a 55gal is perfect
 
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