Aquarium heaters

d-arke

Hi,

Wondered if someone could help.

I have had a Fluvel Edge aquarium now for the past year and have had several tradegies in that time. From what I can tell it is mostly unrelated disease related (although I could be wrong). A couple of fish had Ich (White Spot) disease and it didn't spread.

That said, my fish tank heater, the Fluvel Edge 25w heater doesn't seem to maintain the water temperature at 26 degrees. Frequently drops to around 15-18 degrees.

Question: Should I buy a heater with larger, say 100w/200w etc to try and regulate the water temperature quicker?

FYI, my fish are mostly communal fish i.e. guppies, golden mollies, glass bloodfin. I did have some Neon Tetras, and a Siamese Fighting Fish but they only last 2-3 weeks

Thanks

breadandjam

If it's a big tank it might be a good idea to have two heaters one at either end.

Cookie_Monster

what size is the tank and whats the heater rated for. 26 down to 15-18 sounds pretty extreme to me, what causes it to go so low?

Limerick Bandit

The fulval edge is a nano tank around 23 ltr's as far as i remember so its not a great tank for a beginner to have as its not as stable as a larger tank

Those temp changes are not good and they could well be killing your fish
Is the tank near a door or window? that could have a big effect on your temp change.

another option to heat the tank would be to put a small reptile heat mat under your tank (on the outside) but be careful what you decide to do to get the temp stable, you don't want to boil your fish. if your using one of those stick on thermometer strips throw it in the bin and get one of the mercury style ones.


Do you test your water?

dclark

Limerick Bandit wrote: »

The fulval edge is a nano tank around 23 ltr's as far as i remember so its not a great tank for a beginner to have as its not as stable as a larger tank

Those temp changes are not good and they could well be killing your fish
Is the tank near a door or window? that could have a big effect on your temp change.

another option to heat the tank would be to put a small reptile heat mat under your tank (on the outside) but be careful what you decide to do to get the temp stable, you don't want to boil your fish. if your using one of those stick on thermometer strips throw it in the bin and get one of the mercury style ones.


Do you test your water?

Yes, the Fluvel Edge is apprx 23 litres. Unbelievable I cannot seem to find a Fluvel Edge heater greater than 25W's. I'm not sure about the reptile heat mat, would much prefer to just buy a heater.

cichlid child

Although the mat is good idea I would just buy a heater go into one of the big petstores and they will have one thats right for your tank.

d-arke

dclark wrote: »

Yes, the Fluvel Edge is apprx 23 litres. Unbelievable I cannot seem to find a Fluvel Edge heater greater than 25W's. I'm not sure about the reptile heat mat, would much prefer to just buy a heater.

Thanks for all your advice, I've bought a better heater. Ultimately, for anyone who is aware, the 25w heater that is recommended for the Fluvel Edge tank only maintains water at a temperature 4 degrees warmer than room temperature. I feel stupid for buying this and wanting to keep tropical fish.

That said, I have now bought a 50w adjustable heater (not fluvel branded) and the tank is now at the optimal temperature.

donal2000

I would go for an Eheim Jager Heater. They are the best out there and come with a 3 year warranty. I would always recommend you have one spare in case one fails - this happened me about a year or so ago and boy was I glad I had a spare one to hand! You can pick up one second hand cheap enough.

Another tip for you (you say you are losing your fish) is this stuff (EasyLife Fluid Filter Medium). I've been using it the last few years and it's excellent for keeping your water in top condition:
http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/fish/pond...atments/126503

Check out www.irishfishkeepers.com for more info

MarkR

I'll jump in here with my question. Is a 50w heater sufficient for an 80l tank? Heater has been on for about 12 hours and it's up to 21 degrees from a low of 16 yesterday (new tank).

donal2000

Personally I'd go for a 75watt heater.

I'm running an Eheim Jager 75watt heater in my 60litre tank. It only comes on for very short periods. Best heaters out there in my opinion. Always good to have one spare too in case one fails (which happened me only last year).

paddy147

I watt for every 1 litre of water.;)

Usually go for a heater thats bit more than your tank size,as in amount of litres.

I have 2 x Elite 300watt heaters in my 500 litre tank.I heater at each end.:)