We need to talk about nano heaters
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ต.ค. 2019
- There are SO MANY heaters out there, today we talk about how to choose one for your nano aquarium and avoid overheating or underheating your tank.
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#tropicalfish #aquarium #nanotank
I made this video because I think it's really important for folks to understand how these heaters work so they can take better care of their fish. While aqueon did supply the materials, it's not a sponsorship or affiliation but an opportunity to share information. I hope you find it useful!
I'm looking to add a 90gallon to my room this month(in addition to my 29). I've been researching heaters and taking into account it'll be plumbed with topoff and drain that will have it harder to heat. I was thinking a fluval e300, with something else in one of these controllers. For the tech people the controller company also has a model with phone alerts which I lovedddd to hear :D . Great job getting this information out there for the people that need it Rachle :)
I find it fascinating that it was Aqueon that responded about nano heaters, because their Mini Heater (10W) has the LOWEST rating I have ever seen for _any_ aquarium product. On PetSmart's Canadian site, it has 1.7/5 stars over 61 reviews, and on the US side it's 1.5 stars over 57 reviews -- remember you can't give a 0 star review! I was shocked it's still for sale, that it hasn't been recalled, there have been so many complaints of it malfunctioning and cooking fish. Sadly, it's pretty much the only nano heater available for sale in Canadian PetSmarts, with their house brand TopFin having very limited availability in the 10W or 20W size. Now, it could be said that it's a matter of user error here, but it's hard enough to convince people to give bettas proper sized tanks, much more so to get any filtration or heating, and a chart like the one you demonstrate is not something easily accessible - either pre-purchase to help guide decision-making, or more crucially, in the sense that it's easy to parse for most people. What is really needed is more readily available adjustable heaters in the nano category, there's nothing under 25W that I'm aware of. I've had great success with 25Ws running in 2.5 gallon QT/hospital/temp tanks, 3.5 gallon plastic tanks, and 5 gallons (only unplugging during WC and heat waves). But I had to track them down, they weren't at any available at any chain pet store or their online counterparts. If you want to buy a decent & reliable brand of adjustable heater, you could be paying as much for an Eheim/Hydor/Cobalt/etc heater as for the aquarium starter kit you are putting it in, which is a further barrier to beginning & casual fishkeepers. Those external thermostat controllers aren't cheap either. TL;DR Aqueon's mini heaters have a terrible track record with the fishkeepers most in need of them, and getting a decent/reliable/safe adjustable heater instead is more difficult &/or more expensive than most amateur/casual hobbyists are willing to go for. IMHO it's a critical void in the hobby.
Alot of bad info on heaters from other people and suppliers. Good info on your part. I always tell otheres that they are a back up to your normal temps not a stable setting to keep regular temps. I always reccomend to choose the lowest temp you see in your systems daily temps and set 2 below. If you run your a/c more then 5 degrees lower at night to account for fast changes and maybe better to set 4 degrees lower then normal daytime temps.
Too bad aqueon was to cheap to pay you for this video.
I like and find all your video very informative. You help me out a lot with my fishkeeping hobby. Keep up the good work Rachel!
When I first read this I thought the thumbnail said 'nano aquarium haters' and I thought who could hate such a personally satisfying hobby?
Ok, this made me chuckle...I misread things like that all the time! I couldn't agree more! :)
Funny story - I have an in-line heater for my 45 gallon aquarium. The cheap digital probe thermometer there died after a few months so I got a more expensive one with better ratings and put it in. It was telling me my tank was cold - at room temp. I figured the in-line heater probably died too so I went up to the store and got a really good in tank heater put that in, but the temp didn’t change. I was confused until I noticed the thermometer has a switch that was set to display the ambient air temp. Doh! I felt super stupid and was happy the fish were safe the whole time.
⚰️ This is something I would do.
This is really important, people need to read and experiment before getting fish.
Fish keeper need to do research first .
Thank you. Thought I had a heater problem but tank is in a cold room.
And one more thing. I have a lot of channels on you tube that I watch. ( I think I’m addicted to you tube. ). But, no matter what I’m watching when I get notified about one of your videos I watch it right away. Of all my hobbies and channels I watch yours is my favorite. And again I’ll ask “”When are you going Live?” Don’t stress we’ll wait. Just do your thing. You’re great.
Thank you!
Fantastic Video. Thanks you Rachel and thank you Aqueon . Nice to see a manufacturer being so open and helpful. Really highlights that the watts per gallon rule does not always work and to work off the ambient temps. In NZ where I live central heating is not used except for luxury homes , in general home heating and insulation is pretty poor so NZ houses get crazy cold in winter - ( breath fogging inside cold !!) so compared to the US we need to really use beefy heaters for our Aquariums to cope with winter, even my goldfish tanks get heaters and I need a 50w heater for a 15 gallon to make sure my Betta doesn't get a chill. That heater works hard as on a brisk morning it has to add around 20' to the ambient temp. I hug my fish tanks a lot in winter lol.
Very timely demonstration. I'm having to make this very decision because I keep my house cooler. Thanks Rachel and Aqueon ;)
Top two nightmares: tank cracking and heater malfunction! I am daily checking temps. I have thought about that temp regulator for my two favorite tanks just to ensure the heaters won't cook my fish.
Thanx for this video. It was just in time. Your vids are so informative, I love watching them. I am always learning new stuff. You rock, Rachel!! 🌷👍🍄
This video on this subject matter was long overdue. Thank you for sharing Rachel!
I don't remember how I stumbled upon your TH-cam videos, but I am so glad I did! Thanks to you I have increased my knowledge of the hobby so much, and I now enjoy several successful tanks in my home. Just wanted to throw out a big thank you for all you do!
Awesome info and can't be repeated enough..! Looks like you had fun at the show.
Thanks Rachel...
I've been using aqueon for years their heaters are the best in my opinion any other aquatic company either is expensive or they overheat the tank even if preset. You are definitely the best hobby aquarist out there your depth of knowledge is so abundant. Anybody that's new to the hobby I always suggest they watch your videos you thoroughly explain topics many aquarist don't even brush on. Unlike others that just show off new projects and fish you take your time to explain more about the fish and the environment they require. Keep being the best Rachel!🥰
I like Aqueon as well. Mine lasted more than 3+ and some. And I have a couple of tanks with Aqueon heaters.
The new racks look awesome
Thank you!
Amazing video packed with very important information on heaters. Thank you so much.
I have the check my tanks temperatures to make sure they are okay
Fish room is looking fantastic! Love it, so vibrant and natural. Spectacular!
I had so many problems with those nano heaters ! Thank you Rachel for those valuable informations (as always!).
I swear by Tetra. I have used anything from Fluval, to topfin, and Tetra is the best. Pre set at 78 degrees and always works well. When they stop working, they won't cook your fish. I lost my South American cichlids that way, and 18 inch pleco. Big albino oscar, Jack Dempsey fish, green severin, and a couple rare fish in that day. I raised them from babies and started them in a 20 gallon long. I switched back to Goldfish and tetra fish and 1 rescued betta. No less than 5 gallons for me. I have a 14 inch comet goldfish, accompanied by a 5 inch comet and 6 inch shibunkin, in a 100 gallon indoors pond. 14 inches is named big boy, and he's 7 years old. A 20 gallon with red eye tetra fish, cory cats, hets and oto cats. A 5 gallon tank with a gold betta fish who was rescued from Walmart. 30 years of fish experience. Give it up a few years after losing my South Americans, then a little Goldfish that costs 29 cents and needed my help started me doing it again. He's the 14 inch comet named big boy and eats pond food for large goldfish and koi.
Seeing this video made me realize why my 1 gallon betta tank gets so warm over night. I'm so glad I watched this. My heater has been unplugged for a couple hours now and is at 80 degrees now. Being a new fish owner has it's lessons.
Thank you, Rachel O'Leary, this is an important topic, especially this time of year, my sister once killed a betta because she bought a "betta heater" that was too big for her tank. Also, I just bought an Aqueon 10w Heater last week for my 5-gallon tank & this video answered a lot of the questions I had. I'm thinking about putting it on a timer since the room gets up to 74F during the day & down to 68F at night so I'd set the timer to turn on from 1-8am. It was also awesome meeting you at Aquashella, I'm the guy that gave you the $2 bill. Thanks again & keep up the great work making videos, & being Fabulous by Forty.
You would be far better off just buying a thermostat which will turn the heater off once it reaches the required temperature.
@@andystokes8702 timers can be bought at the dollar store, those external thermostats can cost as much as the aquarium setup you are using it on. That's why I generally stick with keeping most small tanks in a heated room, or using only adjustable ones from brands I can trust.
@@annethornton9938 I have three tanks set up with remote thermostats, one of them has been running continually for 8 years.
Sorry but the following is copied from a previous reply -
I have a 100 gallon tank with two 300w heaters both of which have their thermostats set at 84 but they are both controlled by a separate thermostat set at 81.5. This cuts power off to the heaters at 81.5 but the temperature only has to drop to 81 and the power cuts back in. Summer or winter the tank does not vary, it is always between 81 and 81.5 regardless of the ambient temperature. If one of the heaters goes down I still have a second 300 watt heater running so it will take days for the temperature to drop by any significant amount. Likewise if the internal thermostat packs up on either heater the water cannot get above 84 before the separate thermostat shuts it down. I have never had one fail but if it did the internal heater thermostats would prevent overheating.
I can set the maximum temperature to within 0.1 degree, the minimum temperature to within 0.1 degree, the time delay between the two, anywhere between 0 and 90 minutes (to prevent constant cycling on and off).
My main tank has a wooden canopy and I have installed the thermostat in that. It has a large LED temperature display and I can tell at a glance from 20 feet away exactly what my water temperature is.
I bought them from e-bay, just put STC-1000 Digital Temperature Controller in the search and you'll see it.
How expensive are they? - they cost £6.00 delivered, that's about $6.50, probably the best investment I have ever made.
Thank you Rachel and Aqueon. I really appreciate this video. Great information!
Great info! I've always used heaters with a built-in thermostat because I just didn't understand the other kind or how to prepare for using them. Thanks so much for teaching me YET ANOTHER key skill to keeping fish alive and healthy!
Absolutely impeccable timing. I just moved and the ambient temperature is much colder than I am used to so it has been hard to adjust it to accommodate my 3 tropical planted tanks. The heaters can be confusing at first but thank you Rachel and Aqueon for getting us comprehensive information!!
Great info Rachel! Excellent video
i was listening to Rachel talk throughout this whole video, but i was watching the polyepterus tank behind her whenever the big boys moved! :)
This is such a good and important video - THANK YOU!! When I first got into the hobby, the heating of my tanks was really confusing for me but keeping Betta fish a cooler home, it was important. I will be sharing this video with friends new to the hobby. Thanks for this video!! 👍💗👍
Thak you Rachel, and thank you Aqueon for responding. I check my temps everyday. I use the same thermometer, as well as a preset heater. The temps on my 29 gallon are always in the green. This is a very good video. ❤
Love this! Great job of putting it together!
Great info. You explained it very well. I hope everyone heard what you said and not what they wanted to hear. Especially the part about external factors when considering the heater size (wattage size) per gallon.
Unfortunately, the people that most need this information, the new & casual hobbyist, won't get as far as learning from this video (or Rachel's awesome channel in general). If only adjustable heaters were more widely available/promoted for nano tanks; the fact that even the smallest (25W) from truly reliable brands can approach the cost of the aquarium starter sets they are going into doesn't help either.
Love the vibe of your videos
Such a scientifically complete video, and informer. Thanks Rachel! You know what you are talking about.
Hey Rachel, it was a pleasure meeting you at the aquatic experience! I'm going to move forward with my Myanmar inspired hillstream setup. Thank you for being such a wonderful resource and much love towards you and your family from NH.
Thanks erick!
Wow Fish room looking better than ever!
Thank you for the video Rachel. I appreciate how you presented the information and it was nice to see how the set wattage heaters operate.
This was so helpful. Thank you!
I have to have heaters since I have "the hot flashes" lol. I just about die whenever I walk into a fish store. I hate heaters without thermostats, because I want control and flexibility. like you said, what about Ick and such. I definitely, use old school glass thermometers. no need to worry about batteries. great video!
I was just presented with this problem, finding a small and reliable heater. I really like the cobalt slim heaters. Huge temp range with a gauge on the outside. I will comment that you can go over wattage ONLY if the heater has an internal thermostat and shut off. The cobalt I have is 25w for a 2.5 gal, which is way more than needed, but it never gets above the temp I set it at. I had tried other ones that basically just heat the tank 10F above room temp and don't shut off.
Thank you for a very time needed explanation of the physics of the nano aquarium heaters. I am in the process of trying to make an isolation nano that can act as a birthing aquarium for my livebreaders. This is only an experiment for me, and I have picked up a HYDOR Nano heater yesterday, and see that it certainly indeed is very sensitive to the temperature in my living room (I am from Denmark), where i keep the room around an average temperature in the winter of 23 degrees, and I can see that the tank I have is only going to be have to be raised just a very few degrees to be suitable for my livebearers. I had kind of wondered about this with ambient temperatures and these Nano heaters, so thank you very much for a good explanation and introduction to the world of nano heating! Looking forward to more of your videos....... thanks!
This is a very informative video!
Great information, very comprehensive. I have used Aqueon heaters for years in nano tanks. Love them.
👍💕👍
I use the flat-heaters from Aqueon for small tanks and buckets in case I need to take out some fish for a project and also for hospital tanks. I use the adjustable heaters also from Aqueon for my display tanks.
Very informative video! Thank you. You definitely educated me today.
Great Video lot of information ... !! Tks for Sharing !!
Great video thanks so much!
One of the most enjoyable video i've watched for a long time🎓
I use "Heat Stik" heaters from ebay at the moment, and love them, big boy heater in nano size. They're preset at 78-80°F. I use a temperature controller to 24.2-24.6°C
I had a 30W in my 10G and just upgraded to a 75G. I checked my environment and need 77W for the new tank, so I ordered the 60W version to complement the 30W. Before I received the 60, the 30W kept the tank only 2 degrees below my desired setting. Quite amazing for a heater so small. I wouldn't go without a controller anymore now that I've tried it.
Thank you for this video. I love the idea of the inkbird for these kinds of heaters.
Very complete explanation of how nano heaters work. I'll be recommending this video to friends who are looking at these small heaters, because I couldn't explain them nearly as clearly. Thanks!
They are harder to find, but there are some adjustable nano heaters out there. I had to order from Amazon to get mine, but after battling an ich outbreak, I am so glad that I did!
That's what she said moment 😂 3:09 Much love and great job on this on for sure 💪👍
helpful video, thanks, gearing up to start a few nano tanks here
Have tried several different nano heaters. I like the Marineland 20 watt from petsmart and use in a 5.5 gallon. Am using an aqueon 50 watt for a 10 gallon and like that pretty well. It is not much different from a tetra 50 watt though. Bought a few heaters from eBay and aquarium coop, aquatop brand, which I didn't care for, and they stopped working within a few months. Some features that I like: 1) long cord length. Some, like aquatop, are too short, 2) like to have an indicator light so you know when it is on, 3) a thermostat so the water does not get overheated, 4) like small size since some heaters, like eheim, are too big, 5) the ideal would be to have adjustable heat, but I don't mind the presets which usually keep tanks around 75 F, and 6) good suction cups, some don't stick.
Very interesting, Thanks
This was super helpful! Thank you 😸🐳
Wow! That was a great video. It never occurred to me to check room temperature water before heater.
Great video! Very informative. I don’t have nano tanks but still a great video for those that do
A very nice, scientific, approach to smaller heaters. Very well done. Would like to see a follow up for the larger heaters up to and including 300G tanks.
Temp in my basement Fluctuates. Winter is around 18c, summer it gets up to 28c sometimes. Life without air conditioning.
Hi, I enjoy all of your videos. I really liked your discussion of the nano heaters because I've been working on my 2.6 Fluval for a betta.
After viewing the video, I sort of changed my mind about the betta and thought about getting more resilient fish.
However, last week I found the perfect Hellboy Plakat betta who yelled at me to take him home....so off I went online looking for heaters! I checked the best small heaters and saw the Marina C10 20 watt heater is what I need.
It heats the water to 78, no higher, has the red indicator light, fits into the pump compartment neatly, and was very cost effective...under $20.
It will raise the temp by 7 degrees up to 78, depending on the room temperature. I keep my winter temp at around 70 or too much dry heat wreaks havoc on my sinuses. So it shouldn't go below 75 in the tank.
I wanted you to know since you have a wide audience and I thought it would be great if you could spread the word. Thank you!
What a fantastic, informative video 😊 I never really thought about how the air temp could or would affect the water temp- you always make me stop and think 😀
So glad to see I'm not the only one who those thermometers don't stick for! :) They melt my head bobbing around the tank no matter how much i fix them - or they stay put and then I put my hands in...puff...floating again :)
Good Information on room temperatures and using the proper fish tank heaters for your tank.
Great information!!!! You ought to do a video of power outages and tanks. 🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿Fish room looks awesome!!!!
Great topic!
good info and demo
I tried a couple of these kinds for my tank but we keep it too cold most of the year so they did not cut it. I needed one that could increase the temperature in order to keep tropical. Would have been good to see this demo in a room that isnt already warm enough to keep fish.
One great way to heat nano tanks is to get a plain heater like you have shown that have no internal controls, then use an external controller. A proportional controller sold for reptile heat mats works perfectly. I tape (tape it down well!) the probe to the outside of the glass on the tank about midway up, cover it with some insulation (I use metalized bubble wrap called Reflectix) and that is it. Set the controller for 78 deg and use a thermometer in the water. If the water does not reach 78 deg, then use a higher wattage heater. The controllers that are around $100 or more are extremely reliable and do not use a mechanical relay or mechanical switch which can fail after a few years. The ON/OFF controllers on Amazon that are $30 can fail so if using those, my advice is to buy two to have one as a backup.
Yes thank you I had big questions about this because I’m planning on make an aquarium room in my basement which of course is 58° I do not have a door on the room yet but it’s in the same room as the water heater so I was hoping that would give some humidity and warmth because last year I ran a Space heater because the basement door rotted away at the bottom and I lost some plumbing pipes and I was trying to keep the plumbing in that room from busting again so I had plastic on all my doors so I think jacking my heat up from 58° to 78 to 80° is definitely going to need a Adjustable temperature rather than preset
I setup all my adjustable heaters to sit at 24c. The volume of water in the tanks usually puts the water at between 20c and 24c. I have some non-adjustable nano heaters from aqua one, but I am slowly phasing them all out.
I will be working on setting up some sumps for all my tanks and I'll probably setup a heater (or two depending on the size of the sump tank) to maintain the same water params and temp for a number of tanks (my breeding tanks vs my display tanks).
Great video! I didn't realise there were heaters that weren't adjustable like that. The general information was really interesting though and a great video on an important topic. It's a shame some other manufacturers didn't share their products/ approaches to nano heating. It would be cool to see how accurate some of the different products were in that environment! Whether or not the set vs adjustable heaters seemed to maintain the expected (I.e. That advised on product information or the temperature you set it at) temperature over a week.
I NEEDED THIS
profoundly colder "68" haha, I keep my place at 60-64 most of the year, but very hot in summer. No ac. Im hoping i can find a reliable nano heater with a legit thermostat so I dont worry with the season changes. Great video!
Thermostats are must on all my aquatic and reptile tanks, such a peace of mind!
I used my thermostat attached to a fan for cooling; took some calibrating, but I found the aqueon mini heater was over heating triggering the fan on so the fish wouldn't get cooked. Since then I don't trust aqueon heaters. I use Marina mini heaters instead and my fan never has to come on any more I might use the thermostat fan setup to test heaters in the future.
Hey, that would make for a great video. I would live to see a demonstration of the fan and heater setup!
@@OnefishTwofishROC Thanks I just might make a video, I've got a Digiten thermostat DTC-101 calibration: -2.5°F , run temp: 79.5°F, stop temp: 78.5°F. the probe now reads 73.5°F while the glass thermometer reads ~75°. The numbers tend to match around 80° where I calibrated it to. The marina mini heater tends to run the tank at a relatively cool temp which is still healthy for tropical fish 😄 the cooling system doesn't do anything anymore
Here in Florida (and other hot locations), it isn't so much a problem. Maintaining a tank at 78-80, no problem. 😉 My problem is cool water species that require the opposite, a chiller, in order to maintain them properly, as 68 isn't a realistic number to cool a home to.
Remember the olden days, when heaters came in pretty much three sizes, and you'd have to put four of them in a 125 Discus tank?
Thank you so much for making this video! I have never kept a nano tank and have been out of fish keeping for quite some time. I bought my daughter a betta last year and set him up in a 3.2 gallon planted tank. These nano heaters were so confusing to me. I have the 10w Aqueon. My house stays pretty cold so it works great for us.
Pls get him a bigger tank as he gets bigger 😊
@@KenzoKali He's a Betta, not a goldfish. He's not getting any bigger. His tank is plenty big. He's 3 years old now and doing great. Even if he's just a lazy old man now.
@@alissag.8150 i hear you. Im just saying Bc i did research before I got my betta n learned that if I really wanted him to thrive, then I would get him a bigger tank even if it’s only 5 gallons. But to each their own.
I don’t like using a heater for my tanks. Having small tanks, you do appreciate and want to use all the space available. The small heaters often also don’t have a thermostat!
I got a filter with heater included in it, so the water filters and heating up in it as well.
Where can I get this?
What is it called?
I've not seen any filter outside a couple of canister ones that include a heater, so I'd be interested too in the brand and source!
Thanks a lot for this video! I have these exact tank at home, the 5G, 3.5G and 1.5G. Without heater my water is between 71F and 72F. When I put the 7.5watt heater in my 3.5G the water went up to 86F!! I just got a 5watt heater and will try it in the 3.5G to see how high the temperature get. This should do it. I hope 🤞🏽
Nice idea for a video for folks. I just spent yesterday evening and tonight making the changeover on my nano tanks for the Fall. Fall and Spring are the hardest in mid-Atlantic w/the crazy daily fluctuations. At this time of year, the heaters start to go in to my little tanks. I just put in a 5 watt Cobalt Aquatics in my 2.5 that has 2 fry. But, come winter will have to switch to a 10 watt Aqueon I have. And I have to be prepared for especially cold winters to use both (like last year) as it's in a bookshelf on an outside wall. To monitor easily, I keep a digital thermometer in and leave it on at all times. I also regulate temp by sliding open and closed the glass lid, raising the light up off the glass onto its legs, and sometimes turning it on/off for fewer/longer hrs. This would not be easy if it weren't literally within my arm's reach to where I sit on my couch to use my laptop or watch tv. My 20 long and 29 are muuuuchhh easier. I have managed to fairly decently perfect the heating swap out, but it's too bad Aqueon doesn't make a short, low wattage, adjustable heater :) Thanks for sharing their chart, I "snipped" it for further review lol.
I used a 25 W adjustable heater by Pawfly with great success in my 2.5 gallon betta tanks (now mostly upgraded to 5-7.5 gallons). However I had terrible luck with the quality of their 50W adjustable heaters, so am now spending a bit more to get more reliable brand heaters like Cobalt and Hydor... I'd love a Eheim but their price and size aren't so decent at the 25-50W ratings....
@@annethornton9938 Wow, I can't imagine using a 25 watt in my 2.5 gallons! Although I guess adjusting down would be fine, but they don't seem to be available on Amazon except in Canadian dollars (am US $)...that may be why it's a name I've not seen around my area. But, it would be too tall for the 2.5 anyway. My Cobalts heating that nicely to 79 right now for about. And for me, after tons of reviews and research I did not find good results on the Hydor which is why I didn't get any of them, but I'll continue to keep my eyes open for other brands, or maybe enough other items to order from Amazon.ca for free shipping, it might be worth investigating for larger tanks. Will investigate the Pawfly brand. Thx.
Glad that there is a voice out there on this type of heater. I had to get three of thse in an emergency situation and new of the limitations. I have read where people did not really understand how much/little they would heat a tank. I will likly be replacing these with adjustable heaters soon.
Thanks for the info. I have been thinking of a nano tank for my office. The heater choice was troubling me. Problem solved.
totally unrelated question Rachel, what water test do you recommend? Im currently using JBL ProScan but im finding some results hard to believe.
thank you
I have two betta tanks and I have a cheap amazon light and my setup gets to the 80s in the day but drops at night and I’ve been trying to figure out one that would be good so gotta check these out
Get an adjustable heater, so much safer and more reliable. The 10W heater she demonstrates here has a 1.5-1.7 star rating at PetSmart (.com & .ca respectively) over the course of over 100 reviews. Certainly the advice she outlines here would have been greatly beneficial to those customers prior to their purchase, but even so, they simply aren't reliable enough to entrust the lives of your fish with. If you've got a 2.5 to a 5 gallon, I'd recommend a 25W adjustable heater, Pawfly if on a tight budget, but an Eheim, Hydor, or Cobalt if you can spring for it. 5-15 gallons, go for a 50W.
I personally prefer the preset 25W heaters, at 24°C/75.5°F. Simply because the keep the aquariums temp more stable, except when the ambient tempreture rises above this. Our summers do get hot here, between 30 and 40°C/86 and 104°F. But I'm very lucky to have a fish room that runs at a nice 24°C in summer and goes down to 18°C in winter, but with a space heater I can keep it stable at 24°C. Heating up tanks higher than the ambiant temperatures might cause some problems in spaces where there are temp fluctuations as they are not set to switch of at some set temp. The temp controlers will actually sort this problem out or doing your own diy with a sonof switch and a probe.
well done Aqueon :)
Exactly i need
Are you setting the heater 2-3°C hotter? Water will never match room temperature as it does not conduct heat well
How many ways you think is good for 6.5 gallons 25 or 50?
I bought a minimum-maximum thermometer. It took me three days of monitoring the temperature and adjusting the heater, but I finally got it to stay under 82'f . My question is, is it safe for the fish to have a constantly adjusting temperature? The thermometer says it varies by four or five degrees fahrenheit several times in a day. Is five degrees of temperature fluctuation within a safe range or do I need the $60 controller?
Ive been struggling to find a heater that will actually fit into my 13gallon tank, I have plenty big ones and they are fine for my bigger tanks, but if I put one of those in my 13 planted it will have to be horizontal wich means that my plants will have to be removed from the entire backside of the tank or they will burn and melt. Im even considering to find a small external filter with room for a heater but that is a pretty expensive solution and the tank really doesnt need alot of filtration in the first place 😑
I like the Aquael Nano heaters best, they are flat and look good and have a dry running protection
Love this! If you haven't done a video on kribs yet I would definitely like to hear your take (if you have one).
Excellent information! Can you post a link for the temperature regulator? I've been thinking of buying two. Thank you.
If she doesn't get back to you, here's Amazon.com's listing for the Inkbird temperature controllers, there's a whole suite of them, though they aren't cheap. www.amazon.com/s?k=inkbird+temperature+controller&crid=33RZDNNE1B5O8&sprefix=inkbird%2Caps%2C200&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_7
I had one of these preset heaters rated for a 30 gallon which it was in it went bad my mom came up stairs cause I got it in her beautician room where she cuts hair a little tank with mollies albino Cory cats cause she wanted it down there for her clients to look at she ran up stair saying her water was hot I went down there it malfunctioned and her tank was at 90 degrees Fahrenheit luckily the fish did not die but I don’t recommend pre set heater it’s just my opinion it’s happned to my betta tanks to with there nano heaters
If you have tried it, do you find the heat in the basement fishroom has more consistent top to bottom temp with a room fan? I realize you currently utilize the temp differences to fit the fish you keep on the levels, but am wondering if a fan would keep it more consistent top to bottom or not. Thanks for the cool temp info. :)
It absolutely does and in the summer months I use a lot of fans for that purpose
Do you have a link to that chart?
I like the Pet Supplies Plus heater; even the 25-watt heater has an adjustable temp. Yes, it's slightly bigger than other nano heaters, but I love it in my Marineland Portrait 5 Gallon; a 5 gallon is the smallest tank I would bother with anyway. The nano heaters that aren't adjustable AND not preset, which raise the temperature a questionable amount with no control, scare me; I wouldn't feel comfortable using one, even with an additional thermostat; I haven't found an aquarium one I like yet. Personal preference, obviously, but that's my 2 cents!
Hi from Italy. On the topic of heaters I would really appreciate if you or any of the other subscribers have any advice about a RELIABLE Thermometer to check if my heaters and temperature controllers are reasonably accurate. On each of my five 100 gal tanks I have both an Inkbird 308 and an STC 1000 for redundancy (as I also use Schego titanium heaters that have no built in thermostat), on the smaller tanks I use a single temperature controller and a heater with built in thermostat. Generally the Inkbird 308s tend to give pretty close readings, so do the older STCs. The last batch of 4 STCs and 4 W3001 has proven quite unreliable. Ciao e grazie
Seems like a crazy way to go.... like i need to have different sized heaters for every season and just expect my fish to freeze or cook if we have unseasonable weather.... seems really uncool to put any fish in less than 5 gallons and you can find 25 watt heaters that are adjustable to desired temp regardless of room temp.
I never use heaters that do not have a thermostat, but that's just me.
I have been keeping aquariums for over 30 years now. I discovered early on that heaters are unreliable and seemed to be manufactured to fail. Heater replacement seems to have been the largest expense after the initial setup of an aquarium. I learned many years ago to pick fish species that have a wide range of acceptable temperatures to live in safely. I do have heaters with built-in thermostats in my aquariums but I keep them at a fairly low setting. These heaters are very reliable and a little expensive. I do not believe heaters without thermostats are well suite for the beginner and even intermediately experienced hobbiest. By your example the tanks were heated too high for most fish species. On a particularly warm day or a room thermostat being set to high in error the non-thermostat heaters will kill most of your fish. Even in a home where the ambien temperature can move from 68 to 72 degrees through the year your fish will be going on a yearly roller coaster ride. I've watched another TH-camr explain that in most situations a heater is not necessary I do agree with this but not for a fish such as a betta or others that require higher temperatures over 80. In summary I would like to say that a thermostat heater seems the way to go. But it also should be noted that most of these companies that manufacture heaters seem to be making them to fail in a short period of time. The true rule of thumb here would be as you have stated it is the responsibility of the hobbiest to be diligent at monitoring the temperature of an aquarium just as it is his/her responsibility to monitor other levels in the aquarium to keep fish safe. As you can see I have had too much coffee this morning. Love your channel.
thanks and I agree! It is one of the main reasons I have chosen to heat my room, rather than rely on heaters that often are problematic. Way less room for error that way! :)