Temperature Question

[neon]

I have a 55gal tank and was told that I need to get the temperature up to 86. So I have 200watt heater and set two 86 but it did not go up to 86 but staying 84. So I went out and bought another heater which is a 100watt. And still at 84. I have no discus yet but 22neon tetras. Any help please would be great.:confused:

[mmorris]

I have a 55gal tank and was told that I need to get the temperature up to 86. So I have 200watt heater and set two 86 but it did not go up to 86 but staying 84. So I went out and bought another heater which is a 100watt. And still at 84. I have no discus yet but 22neon tetras. Any help please would be great.:confused:

Turn them up a little bit. Very little. If they are already turned on full, the heaters are defective.

[philip69285]

A temp of 84 is fine so I would use the extra heater as a backup heater. My tank is set to 82... it goes upto 83 and 84 but normally hangs around 83.5 :). So I really wouldnt worry about it. Just my .02 cents

[mmorris]

I assume you have juvies? If so, I recommend temperatures of around 85-6. We can estimate a tank's wattage requirements by multiplying by 5. So, a 55 gallon tank would want heater wattage between 250-300.

[zamboniMan]

What brand are your heaters? Some of them need to be calibrated when you first get them.

Josh

[Jhhnn]

What brand are your heaters? Some of them need to be calibrated when you first get them.

Josh

True. Definitely so for Eheim Jagers, what I use.

What's equally important is the thermometer, the usual aquarium models being notorious junque.

I really like the ATI high range stick on LCD thermos from Kensfish or Jehmco.

Good stuff, honest.

The usual recommendation for aquarium heaters is 3-5 watts/gallon, so a 200W unit should suffice for a 55gal tank in most situations. Heaters, in general, are the least reliable pieces of equipment aquarists use... imho, of course.

[zamboniMan]

True. Definitely so for Eheim Jagers, what I use.

What's equally important is the thermometer, the usual aquarium models being notorious junque.

I really like the ATI high range stick on LCD thermos from Kensfish or Jehmco.

Good stuff, honest.

The usual recommendation for aquarium heaters is 3-5 watts/gallon, so a 200W unit should suffice for a 55gal tank in most situations. Heaters, in general, are the least reliable pieces of equipment aquarists use... imho, of course.

I like the glass ones. They're almost (nothings perfect) always spot on.

[discus bob]

I've found that to keep a tank at the higher temps required for Discus means buying a good quality heater sized a little on the high side. I never go under, as it seems to burn the heater up very quickly... I've been through my share! For my 55s I use 300 watts.
Bob

[underwaterforest]

Maybe I have to try the Eheim Jagers. Seems like everybody here loves them. I have marineland stealth heaters on all my tanks and the calibration is way out of wack on all of them. My 55 gallon it set to 73 and holds at a constant 80 degrees. I also had 4 of the stealth go bad on me, 3 didn't kick on and one heated the aquarium to nearly 95+ degrees (all the fish made it). I called the company on it since they had lifetime warranties and they sent me out 3 new heaters (new design- digital tech) without sending the old one in:). So in summary I don't like the old stealth heaters but their customer service is amazing.

[zamboniMan]

Maybe I have to try the Eheim Jagers. Seems like everybody here loves them. I have marineland stealth heaters on all my tanks and the calibration is way out of wack on all of them. My 55 gallon it set to 73 and holds at a constant 80 degrees. I also had 4 of the stealth go bad on me, 3 didn't kick on and one heated the aquarium to nearly 95+ degrees (all the fish made it). I called the company on it since they had lifetime warranties and they sent me out 3 new heaters (new design- digital tech) without sending the old one in:). So in summary I don't like the old stealth heaters but their customer service is amazing.

They don't have any way for you to calibrate them? Try the new ones and keep us posted.

[roundfishross]

recently(2 mos) bought a dozen stealth pro heaters from drs f & s . two 300's and a 150 have already burnt up and the max temp is only 86, the old stealth heaters were good never had one to burn up. i like the new design with the epoxy fill, this is efficient , but they seem to be made poorly. real hard to beat the 10$ via aqua heaters now available though:D

[underwaterforest]

roundfishross, Did the stealths you bought have the LED light on them? Supposedly they are the new digital design ones. Sorry to hear that you had problems also. I never had a heater problem all the years I used the cheapo non submersible glass heaters, I guess times change.

[neon]

One is a stealth and the other whisper aqua

[darbex]

I have to say my Hydor inline is the best heater I have had

[Eddie]

One is a stealth and the other whisper aqua

Pick up a 200 or 250 watt jager. It will work wonders!

Eddie

[Greenheinie]

I tried a Jager and the calibration knob wouldn't come out (without extreme force to the point that my fingernail bled), so I exchanged it for a second one. In the beginning the calibration knob came out fine. After two months, I tried calibrating and of course, the knob doesn't want to come out.

The heater itself works fine and keeps temps constant. I just wish I could get my hands on a 100% functional unit.

[pcsb23]

I have a number of heaters, some havebeen ok, some junk. All critical tanks (except breeders) have two heaters on external controllers. My system uses titanium heaters, again on a seperate external controller.

[zamboniMan]

I have to say my Hydor inline is the best heater I have had

Be carefull these are known to get stuck on.