OK, so I have my heater set correctly, but it is starting to get hot here in southern IL and that is causing the temperature of my fishtank to rise. Right now it is sitting at about 81 degrees. Now there is not really much I can do about it, and I know that when I was a kid we had fish tanks and absolutely no AC for the house and they did OK. Are the fish going to be OK?
81 will not hurt them. Don't worry about AC if your heater is strong enough it will adjust. I read an article in one of my fish-keeping books that say the AC is as much your fishes' friend as it is your family's friend. It will keep the tank from overheating.
Good idea about the fan, I will look into it. I am really only worried for right now when the weather fluctuates so much that the room goes through big Temp changes. Maybe I could just drop some ice cubes in now and then??? hehe
I know I have to be missing something, but why not just adjust the heater?
*edit* Caught my own stupidity! The heater isn't heating at all, but the room temp is around 81, correct?
I guess my mental model is incorrect for tank heaters...Do ALL heaters keep the temperature at x degrees constantly, heating only when the temperature goes below x, or does it just turn on and off at certain intervals to approximate temperature? The reason I ask this is because I've got a small inexpensive 25 watt heater (5g tank) and it just has a "power" bar, not temperature markings. If my heater really does only turn on when the temp falls below x degrees, why wouldn't the company just go through the tiny trouble to actually figure out what temp each marking is for? Thanks
IAMCHRIS: The reason they do not put temperaturer markings on it is because of cost. If they did mark each heater, they would have to have higher cost parts (more precise), have to ensure every one is assembled exactly the same way and then test each and every one. They eliminate a huge amount of cost by not needing the quality control needed if they were to mark each one. Thats is probably why we get the heaters so cheap.
Oh yeah, basically, the heaters only turn on when the temperature of the surrounding water goes below X degrees. Now they probably have a range like plus or minus 2 degrees (about) otherwaise the heater would turn on and off constantly, not to mention they need to heat the water in the immediate vicinity hotter in order to let the heat convect to the other water further away.
Do ALL heaters keep the temperature at x degrees constantly, heating only when the temperature goes below x, or does it just turn on and off at certain intervals to approximate temperature?
Heaters with thermostats should keep the temperature at the specified range. With cheaper thermostats for example,it might say 80 degrees on the dial but in actual fact it is heating the water to a constant 86 degrees(expensive ones can be wrong to). That is why it is wise to keep an accurate thermometer, to monitor the water temp. Never rely on the thermostat dial. Some cheaper heaters have a built in thermostat which is set to a certain temperature and cant be changed. Also I dont know if many people know this but some thermostats waste energy. Let me explain, if the voltage in your house is 110V sometimes the voltage at where you plug the heater into the thermostat can be only half that 55V. So in effect you are really only geting half the output of the heater.
I have the same problem because I live in a 3rd Floor apartment.
The temp yesterday went up to 86 degrees in one tank!!!
I unplugged the heater, of course it did nothing.... I really don't have an AC right now so I think I'll go check out the fan idea...
