New heater, big problems

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PurpleSmurf

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May 4, 2005
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I just got a 50wat heater for my 10gal last night. I put it in and turned it until I felt the knob click and the orange indicator light came on. Three hours later the water is at a nice 75-78 degrees but the light is still on. I decided to give it an over night run just to see if it would turn off. Well, this morning at 6:30 the temp of the tank was about 80-83! I can't imagine why any heater would have a minimum temperature that high... and I'm un-sure of how to test it without hurting my fish as I have no other thermometers in the house.

I think I'm going to take it back to Petsmart and ask for a new one, but other than that what should I do? Will my fish be okay? They were very lively last night when it was 75ish, and they were active this morning too, but I'm worried they may have stressed out....

:(
 
im afraid with most heaters in a small tank you can push your temps up to the low 90s. You were almost right but you should turn the heater up till the light comes on and then turn it back a tiny bit till the light goes off. That should hold your current temp. If you need it to be warmer turn it a tiny bit higher. Be very careful though cause with my heaters a tiny turn will raise the temp 3-5F.

Give that a try and let us know how you make out
 
What kind of heater is it?

I have a Penn-Plax 50 watt on my 10 gallon... $7 at the LFS.. and you get what you pay for. It's EXTREMELY touchy. I've found that the light turns on whenever I put a bit of pressure on the knob... and turns off kind of randomly too.. I kept an eye on it for an hour or so when I first put it in. Just to make sure it was doing what it was supposed to. The only advice I can give.. is make VERY minor adjustments and monitor the changes over the first couple days. After the first few days it usually keeps the temperature where it should... but I keep an eye on it. ;)

My other tank has a Hydor THEO submersible in it... although it cost me double ($15 still isn't expensive).. I set it and forget it.
 
Just get an EboJagger. They are the best, but they are a little expensive, prob like $15 for 50watt depending on where ya go.
 
It's a TopFin HOB 50w heater. Tried the turning it down so the light is off, just have to wait now...


Also, good chance I'm getting a job at the LFS :D. Now I can upgrade to a 18g that's the same width and length dimensions as my 10g for cheap! :D
 
My advise is dont get one heater for a tank,it would be much safer to get two 25w heaters, this way if one becomes damaged the other one will do the job until replaced. This may be difficult but in the long run a safer option.This dosen't answer your question I know.

I would think that the heater would be fine, mybe the thermostat dose not read the temp correctly, they usually dont. Adjust the heater to heat to the desired temp using your thermometer,not thermostat. It could take alittle time but it should be fine.
 
Ebo Jager is no longer making heaters, they sold out to another company. The heaters are now called Jagers, and suck big time. Half of them don't work out of the box. As to the heater problem, just turn the knob back down, sometimes the heaters take a min to adjust to the temp of the tank, so when you put it in, you may have just cranked it up too high, so turn it down.
 
NatakuTseng said:
Ebo Jager is no longer making heaters, they sold out to another company. The heaters are now called Jagers, and suck big time. Half of them don't work out of the box. As to the heater problem, just turn the knob back down, sometimes the heaters take a min to adjust to the temp of the tank, so when you put it in, you may have just cranked it up too high, so turn it down.
Click to expand...

They are made by Eheim. Iv got one orginal, and one new one. Both are perfectly fine, and work the same. If they dont work for you, you can always get Tronic heaters.
 
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