heater stops working...what should I do?

[vss]

This morning I found sth wrong with my new fish...they were doing well in the past week and today they look very dark and shy...then i found the heater was not working...and the water temperature was 9 degree F below the temperature I set (was 88 F yesterday morning and now it is 79 F). I just put into the tank a backup heater (only 100 W power though...will get a better one after work today) and set the temperature as 84 F. But the fish look even more stressed because of the new heater that they have never seen before...I have never dealt with this kind of scenario before, and I'm kinda upset now...can anybody give me any suggestions on what I should do right now to bring everything back to normal? Thanks!

-Xiaofei :)

[seanyuki]

They should be fine as long the new heater is in the tank plus the water temperture gradually rises.....happens to me soooo many times forgetting to plug the heater after water changes...or also add some salt to relif their stress.

[Harriett]

When that happened to me I did a partial water change and slowly warmed up the water as the tank refilled--brought it up to 86 from the 78 or so that I found when I checked them in the morning--they too looked a bit stressed. Half way through the water change they looked and acted back to normal. The heater kicked in, and by evening it was at 84 without prolonging the episode that day. They were no worse for the wear.
Best regards,
Harriett

[bs6749]

I would do a large PWC as well and increase the tank temp with warmer water. I wouldn't be afraid to increase the temp 6 degrees at once. I have done 8 degrees before and they were just fine.

[zamboniMan]

I'd go slower with the temperature. It's easier on the fish and lets face it even if it doesn't seem to matter what do you have to lose by bringing the temp up slowly?

[John_Nicholson]

79 is not that cold. I keep my fish house at 84 degrees so the water temp is about 82. The fish spawn and raise babies without any problems. There is no need to have a tank at 88 degrees unless you are doind some sort of medical treatment.

-john

[vss]

79 is not that cold. I keep my fish house at 84 degrees so the water temp is about 82. The fish spawn and raise babies without any problems. There is no need to have a tank at 88 degrees unless you are doind some sort of medical treatment.

-john


Thanks John! The reason why I am using such a high temperature is that the fish has arrived only for 10 days, and the tank and filter are totally new. I thought higher water temperature can help a little bit on making the fish more relaxed and active as well as preventing excessive hex when fish is under stress. After a couple of days when fish is fully used to the lighting and water parameters, I will adjust the temperature back to normal. :)


-Xiaofei :)

[vss]

I'd go slower with the temperature. It's easier on the fish and lets face it even if it doesn't seem to matter what do you have to lose by bringing the temp up slowly?


Thanks zamboniMan! :) I will change it back little by little. Just hope my backup heater is powerful enough to maintain a steady temperature:o


-Xiaofei

[vss]

I would do a large PWC as well and increase the tank temp with warmer water. I wouldn't be afraid to increase the temp 6 degrees at once. I have done 8 degrees before and they were just fine.


Thanks bs6749! :)

-Xiaofei

[vss]

When that happened to me I did a partial water change and slowly warmed up the water as the tank refilled--brought it up to 86 from the 78 or so that I found when I checked them in the morning--they too looked a bit stressed. Half way through the water change they looked and acted back to normal. The heater kicked in, and by evening it was at 84 without prolonging the episode that day. They were no worse for the wear.
Best regards,
Harriett

Thanks Harriett! :)

-Xiaofei

[vss]

They should be fine as long the new heater is in the tank plus the water temperture gradually rises.....happens to me soooo many times forgetting to plug the heater after water changes...or also add some salt to relif their stress.

Thanks Francis! :)I will try to add more salt in.

-Xiaofei

[seanyuki]

Hi Xiao Fei....how are the fish doing today?...hope that they are doing well now.

[exv152]

Xiaofei, have you ever considered using two heaters? It works well for me in circumstances such as this.

[lpiasente]

Xiaofei, have you ever considered using two heaters? It works well for me in circumstances such as this.

+1

[vss]

Hi Xiao Fei....how are the fish doing today?...hope that they are doing well now.

Thanks for checking Francis! They are doing much better right now, 90% recovered :D

-Xiaofei :)

[vss]

Xiaofei, have you ever considered using two heaters? It works well for me in circumstances such as this.

Thanks Eric! :) I have not taken the backup heater out yet, so with the new one I got yesterday, there're currently two heaters in the tank. Just curious if this is gonna consume much more electrical energy or not compared with using only one?

-Xiaofei :)

[Jhhnn]

Thanks Eric! :) I have not taken the backup heater out yet, so with the new one I got yesterday, there're currently two heaters in the tank. Just curious if this is gonna consume much more electrical energy or not compared with using only one?

-Xiaofei :)

Heaters are basically 100% efficient at converting electricity to heat. No matter the number of heaters, the amount of electricity consumed to hold the tank at a given temperature will be the same.