'Tis the season for cold tanks

T

tesfeld

Premium Member
So, we talk all the time about hot tanks and this temp vs that temp. Has anybody ever caused damage to their tank with a temp too low?

I tossed my last heater when I thought it malfunctioned. I couldn't talk myself into buying a heater retail and forgot to order one. This morning the tank was 75 so I was at Petsmart when it opened to buy one for retail anyway. (By the way, they'll only price match their website if you bring in a printed copy. Just a reminder to myself and others) I'll be taking it back up to 78.
How many heaters is ideal? Why more than one? The TOTM on RC has 3. I don't get it unless you have your tank in a house that is below 70 and keep the fan running across the water surface from the summer months. Gradual temp increases are ideal, so why so much power?
 
Gradual temp increases are ideal said:
I would think with a larger tank having multiple heaters will give you a dual heat source and the ability to heat a larger volume of water more quickly.

Plus having multiple heater's gives you redundancy and fail safe incase one decides to "Overheat". So if you have a 180g tank you would need 2 200w heaters because one 200w heater should not melt your tank if failed and didn't shut off.
Click to expand...
 
One time in the past, my GFCI breaker tripped and the tank got too cold. During the daytime the tank was 84F and that night it got down to 75F. I had several corals respond badly to this giant swing, including my beloved Green Slimer. Tissue was sloughing off right before my eyes.

I quickly retrieved the coral, and cut off all the healthy tips. These were then glued to a new rock, and I put that rock in my son's tank that was 81F. Once the main tank was warmed up again, I put the slimer back in the reef and it did just fine for several month after that.

This morning, that breaker was tripped for no reason that I can ascertain, and the tank was 78F. Since it was 80F yesterday, all is well. It hasn't tripped since MACNA, so I don't know what caused it this morning. I was asleep, so who knows. :roll:

The rule of thumb is 3w per gallon, shared between two heaters. If one ends up sticking on, it won't have the power to cook your tank.
 
Found some interesting info that might help the knowledge of seasonal temps for our tanks.

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I'm getting frustrated with the readings on devices. One heater has to be at 80 to heat at 78, another is closer. One digital therm reads 1.5 deg higher than the other. HVAC guy tells me my digital thermostat is 2 deg high. I trust no-one anymore.
 
Tony, you made my day with that "I trust no-one" line.

I've never trusted the reading on the heater. I simply use a glass or digital thermometer to find out what the water temp is, then turn the heater to on, the dial it back until the light goes off. This may need to be done a few times to find the right matching point. Then based on the needs of the tank, I'll dial it up or down the few degrees I need to achieve.

If you don't trust a thermometer, get a few to get a basic group estimate. Even if it reads 1 degree higher than reality, what matters more is consistency.

Because the cold front finally arrived, I can leave the door cracked open to the garage to fill the fishroom with cool air for free. The tank is staying at 80F all day long under all my lights. At night, I close the door to avoid it getting too cold. Something automated would be nice, but this will have to do. At least I don't have to run my window a/c unit now. Next month, I think I'll pull it out of the wall and give it a good cleaning. If I'm not going to be here all day or night to open and close the door as needed, I'll just turn on the window a/c unit to maintain the temp in the room and in the tank.
 
I bought those new visitherm stealth heaters because they're not glass. Well, they also don't have an indicator light.
 
Yeah, I agree about the visitherms and no light. I found that out on my first one, but finally decided I didn't need it too badly as long as they were small wattages for Qt, fry,etc tanks. I'm still debating on the bigger wattages though. I really think they made a mistake in not putting some indicator on an otherwise neatly engineered heater.
On another note, I got frustrated with all the 'accurate' readings from various thermometers, so I finally gave up and ordered a scientific glass one that has 2 tenths a degree accuracy. I'm going to use it to calibrate as many of the adjustable units as I have and try to get more accuracy on all my measurements. Now if I can just keep from breaking it.... :sad:
 
I have 2 of these and I like them a lot.

http://www.reefgeek.com/products/categories/heaters/100155.html

Plus another tip I learned this past year is to turn the fan on my sump off which allows the temp to be more stable.
 
Tony/Tesfeld,

The glass ultra precision thermometers are real pricey, but since I've had running battles with temp readings on A/C and other items in the same temp range, I figured it was worth the extra to get something to compare to. Here is the link to the actual instrument:
http://www.novatech-usa.com/s.nl;jsessionid=ac112b1e1f43949fc3488d4f4194a02383da0a4dc238.qQvJq2PEmlnva30Q-BbQmkLz-ATzr6Lzn6rzqwTxpQOUc30KaNDNo6XKq6zInRmLa3mT8RbCpR0HoA5Qmh0KbwTNo6XK-kDvrA4Ka3mIqRnvp6iIpAjOp6jynQjM-AbJpgaSahyMa30Nch8xf2bCpQPz8QfznA5Pp7ftolbGmkTy?sc=2&search=860FP45
HTH
Doug
 
Hey Doug, I was looking for you at the Frag Swap so I could return your ice chest finally.

That is a huge thermometer at 24" long. You sure that isn't used for elephants? Might be an anal probe. :lol:
 
Marc,
Yep...that's my other use for it when needed. :oops: That's also why I want to store
it in a metal holder when I'm not using it. I didn't get to come to the Frag swap though we
have intended to. I was afraid I'd come home with something else and have to start yet
another tank...(9-11 now)... :shock: Thanks for remembering it and maybe next time I'll
actually have gotten some room to fill it with something from the meet.
 
You could make a PVC holder for it, with end caps at each end. That would be strong, easy to see, and protect it from damage.
 
I was on the petco website this morning and noticed that they have their Stealth heaters on sale until 11/29. Looks like a great price. the link is below.

http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?R=9257&sku=928941&redirectURL=%2fShop%2fProductList.aspx%3fPC%3dproductlist%26Nav%3d224%26N%3d24%2520125&PC=productlist&Nav=224&N=24+125

-Brian
 
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