Overheat

[sparker18]

I've been cycling my tank now for about 2.5 weeks up until this past weekend the only thing in the tank was sand. Well this weekend I added about 200lbs of slate rock for caves (it'll be a cichlid tank). Before I added the rock the temp was stable at about 78-79F, I just looked at it and it's up to 87F the only thing I can think of is the rocks are asorbing and holding in the heat. Has anyone else had a problem like this???????



Here's my tank details

100g tank
300W heater
325gph canister filter
(2) Actintic lights and 1 Sunglo light

 

[PMK]

is the heater running continuesly or does it shut off from time to time byitself?

 

[sparker18]

It goes on and off by itself

 

[Ric Foster]

I have a similar setup but with 3 100w heaters. I notice that you can not use the dial on the heater to tell what temp it is. You must use a seperate thermometer. I have my heaters set at what they say is 72 and the thermometer reads 82. Adjust it down till you get the temp you want. Hope this helps

 

[PMK]

I have a similar setup but with 3 100w heaters. I notice that you can not use the dial on the heater to tell what temp it is. You must use a seperate thermometer. I have my heaters set at what they say is 72 and the thermometer reads 82. Adjust it down till you get the temp you want. Hope this helps

I agree only reason i asked is cause i had one heater that almost fried my fry lol since it would never shut off by itself

 

[sparker18]

I have a similar setup but with 3 100w heaters. I notice that you can not use the dial on the heater to tell what temp it is. You must use a seperate thermometer. I have my heaters set at what they say is 72 and the thermometer reads 82. Adjust it down till you get the temp you want. Hope this helps

I found that out the hard way about a couple years ago. I have a digital thermometer that I go by. The heater knob was almost completely on low

 

[sparker18]

So do you think the rocks are holding the heat in??????

 

[MrGuyPerson]

I doubt it is the rocks. Water has a much higher specific heat than rocks (i.e. water holds heat longer than rocks).

 

[sparker18]

Well it has to be the heater then. I turned it all the way down and the temp is going down slowly. I may just have to get a lower wattage heater.

 

[bigcichntwisted]

I've been cycling my tank now for about 2.5 weeks up until this past weekend the only thing in the tank was sand. Well this weekend I added about 200lbs of slate rock for caves (it'll be a cichlid tank). Before I added the rock the temp was stable at about 78-79F, I just looked at it and it's up to 87F the only thing I can think of is the rocks are asorbing and holding in the heat. Has anyone else had a problem like this???????




Just curious, since it's summer & regardless you live in FL, why do you have a heater, specially w/ Cichlids? Unless of course you have your house at some crazy 73°F, ha, ha. I ask cause I also have A. Cichlids, I'm in TX, house is kept in the summer @ 78-83°F & till this last winter I hadn't had a heater on in 15+yr.'s, no I'm not kidding either. Sometimes I get the feeling people think that having a heater is a must & ever since I had 3 in less than a yr. screw up & cost me the lives of several fish, I decided to go w/out 1 (of course since I'm in TX I can) & never looked bck, except in a rare winter instance for a wk or 2. A. Cichlids do just fine in temps from 77-86°F. Just curious


Oh & don't mean to start argument, but water does not retain heat the way rock does, not a dense rock like slate at least. I'm not saying that I think that is why your water temp jumped the way it did, I agree it was probly the fr**ken heater, but water does not insulate heat the way a dense rock like slate does. If you were to heat both up to 100°F then measure that rate of cooling, the water would immediately start cooling substantially & continue to till it reached close to, in this case, ambient/room temp, while the rock will remain much warmer for much longer. Survival 101.