heater problems

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sick_lid

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jun 24, 2008
1,145
1
36
Austin, TX
so here's my dilemma. yesterday i noticed my temp had dropped about 4 degrees, and everyone was huddled up near the heater. i took a look at it and noticed a little burn mark on the inside, and decided it was time for a new one.

It's a 90 gallon, so went with the 400w 80-105 gallon model. put it in there, set it to 80, and all was fine. well, when i woke up this morning, it was at 83.

my question is, with all my rocks inside the tank, i probably have an actual water volume of 75 or so, so should i have gone with the 300w? it's only a small difference, but my fish are not happy with all these sudden temp ups and downs..
 
What brand and model is your heater?

Generally, Eheim/Ebo Jager heaters are highly regarded for accuracy. The only drawback is that they are not officially fully submersible and should only be submerged to the water line. However, I do see a lot of people using them as fully submersible heaters.

Personally, I like Rena heaters. They seem like high quality heaters to me and I have not been proven otherwise by my 300w Rena Cal Top Light Excel Heater.
 
sick_lid;2177407; said:
my question is, with all my rocks inside the tank, i probably have an actual water volume of 75 or so, so should i have gone with the 300w? it's only a small difference, but my fish are not happy with all these sudden temp ups and downs..
Click to expand...

If it is thermostated then there shouldnt issue because once it hits the target temp it will shut off, just like your home heat thermostat (regardless of rooms etc etc) Like Fry said, it depends on the brand which is more accurate. I have a Marineland stealth heater, and I must say its great. Keeps my water temp at a constant 86 degrees. Give or take a 1/2 degree.
 
I would use 2 150 watt heaters. That way if one fails to shut off you won't cook your fish! 300 watts is all you need for your tank unless it is kept in a location that can get very cold.
 
so i went out and bought the 300 watt one, set it to 80, and the temp is at a constant 82 since then. ive never had a problem with heaters before, but im baffled. its a hydor theo heater, as was the one before. anybody?
 
Fry;2178562; said:
What brand and model is your heater?

Generally, Eheim/Ebo Jager heaters are highly regarded for accuracy. The only drawback is that they are not officially fully submersible and should only be submerged to the water line. However, I do see a lot of people using them as fully submersible heaters.

Personally, I like Rena heaters. They seem like high quality heaters to me and I have not been proven otherwise by my 300w Rena Cal Top Light Excel Heater.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this bit of info. I wasn't aware of this regarding Jagers. I've never used one, but I do have 2 NIB that I plan on using soon. :thumbsup:

For the OP, where is your therm located in relation to your heater. Temp discrepancies can be accounted for by many things: current flow, thermal capacity of your gravel, rocks & other decor, etc.... I wouldn't worry about + - 2 degrees.
 
Did you happen to check if the first heater that you were using just happened to be a little off. Some heaters don't exactly match the thermostat reading. I have a couple heaters that I set to 76 or so and it runs about 80. Size of the heater has nothing to do with how hot the tank gets. Only decides how fast it gets there.
 
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