Okay one of the things that needs to be mentioned is that if you're going to take the heater out you should leave it unplugged for a while, I have unplugged heaters and then took them straight out and it got really hot quick! Then i made the mistake of putting it right back in the aquarium which cracked it. So I tend to move my heater to the bottom of the tank and possession it horizontally during water changes. So it's submerge the whole time and I've never had a problem since.
Not to mention leaving it plugged in could potentially lead to a drop of water rolling down to your outlet and if you don't have a GFCI outlet which there should be within 4 ft of any water source then it could potentially cause a house fire
1. It does not matter if the heater is 25w or. 100w, if it's on the heater is working at full power IE pedal to the metal 2. a higher wattage heater will cycle on and off more often and it is the on and off cycles that cause the heater to fail in the first place so you actually get less life from a over size heater. 3. Your temperature is actually far more consistent with a small heater than a large heater, why? Because the small heater will slowly reach the set temp then the tank cools down until the heater turns back on, usually 1-2 degrees your oversize heater blasts the heat back into the water quickly and rapidly changes the water temp and that is more stressful to the fish than the temp slowly rising and falling. 4 when heaters fail they fail to turn on or fail to turn off and if it's the latter and you have a oversized heater you cook your fish before you even know there was a problem.
Totally agree with the points you made. I'm running a 100l tank with a 50 watt heater in a cold house in winter and the heater reaches the desired temperature no problem. I also believe that the lifespan on the heater is not solely based on the time the heater is heating but mainly down to the number of times the heater switches from one state to another.
Cautionary tail for you guys. I once let an air line get to close to my heater. I had everything hidden behind the same ornament. The airline touched, melted and made my water toxic. . . Never making that mistake again.
I agree with everything your said about heating aquariums except the room temperature effect on unheated tanks. I've had heaters go out many times over the years and find that my water temp can be down 5-10⁰ lower than my room temp. In summer months we generally want indoor Temps cooler than in winter. Air conditioners take moisture out of the air increasing evaporation from surface agitation and aeration in turn cooling the water lower than surrounding air. I recommend always having a heater, even for cold tolerant species. Just set it to the lower range for that specific fish as a fail safe.
I once had a 300W heater on my 30g tank. It was way too strong. The tank would fluctuate so much, because the heater was designed for a bigger tank that would take longer to cool
I always recommend people situate the heater horizontally towards the bottom tank instead of vertically in a corner. This way it can heat as much water as possible. And agreed with the "more is better" analogy. My 600 litre tank has 3 x 300w heaters. They don't work too hard and if one heater gives up without me knowing, I should be OK until I notice the extinguished power light.
Common at least do some research 60w and 200w heaters are equally efficient no matter how far you push em almost 100% efficient. Heater goes bust based on the heathing core temperature if its high lifespan will be shorter, general rule of tumb. So if you want you heater to last longer keep it under good flow.
In the UK and Europe we tend to measure our water volume in litres rather than US gal so it makes it easier calculating heater wattage. You simply go 1:1 with 1 watt per litre. That said, our tiny Euro of houses can't really fit these 400 US gal tanks as they'd need a whole extension building for them
that’s why I just put my heater next to the intake of my filter or right behind it so the filter sucks up the heat and disperses it throughout the tank It worked so far
As a mechanic I just want to point out that driving like a grandma all day everyday is one of the worst things you can do for your car. Flooring it out of every intersection is not good for it but driving normal to fast is better for the car than driving slow and on short drives. Driving like a grandma causes unnecessary buildups all throughout the engine that harm it over time.
Awesome heater information. One thing I learned also is redundancy in heating bigger tanks is extremely important. Having 2 heaters in case one fails can save your fish! Or splitting you wattage between 2 provides a safe guard and better heat displacement. Nice video
Nice analogy, I’ve heard a similar one, as to why to run 3 watts per gallon. At 3 watts your heater turns on runs for Ltd day an hour. Shuts off for 20 minutes then turns on for an hour. And so on. At five watts per gallon it turns on for say 5 minutes shuts off for five minute turns on for five minutes, and so on. Since the switch is what usually goes out, sticking the heater on or off. The less you use that switch the longer it will last.
I was hoping to read this here!!! Not to mention- it doesn’t matter how many watts per gallon you use- it costs the same amount of energy to heat the water to a specific temperature no matter what size heater you use. Common misconception! but it’s basic specific heat rules :)
There's an argument against oversizing your aquarium heater, and for the same reason you mentioned. A larger wattage heater in a smaller tank will cycle on and off more often, possibly wearing out the internal relay more quickly than a lower wattage heater that cycles on and off less often.
You guys need to redo this video because oftentimes it's the cutoff that breaks in the aquarium heaters but the heating element. That's why we need to get a heater of a little less wattage so it doesn't overwork the cut off.
Will respectfully disagree on the wattage per gallon.. I think the other direction.. Use a lower wattage heater to maintain a more consistent temp.. Think of having a space heater in your room.. If you have one that turns on and gives you 15,000 watts it will heat the room quick, but man you just got blasted with a LOT of heat.. Not to mention, that it's probably a lot hotter on the output side of the heater vs the input side.. A lower wattage unit will help smooth all of that out.. I run a 200w heater in my 75g.. It maintains a 10 degree rise in the fall when the house gets to 67 degrees.. If Hygger made a covered unit less than 200w, I would probably run a 100w during the summer.. Also, there is no energy saving based on any type, or wattage of heater.. Heat is heat in that situation.. A 300w heater running for 2 mins is the exact same as a 200w running for 3... Same amount of heat went in to the aquarium and the same amount of energy was used to create it..
I would suggest against that. Because once you plug it back in your heater has to start all over getting to temperature. The more it does that throughout its life, the shorter its life will be. What they suggest seems to be the best. Also it would help if you matched the temperature of the water you put back in to that of what is in the tank.
@@aaronburkeen6409 I've been just leaving the water outside to come up in temp before adding it in but I dont sit here and keep checking it or use a heater to bring it to the exact temp.. like why? You had a little to a system and they should balance out in favor of the larger water volume
@@DYLANTRIES I have a temperature gun so I just get the water from the tub at the right temperature. I told you one reason. It will increase the lifespan of your heater. The main reason that I do it though is to decrease the amount of stress on the fish. No reason for them to go through the extra stress of adjusting to temperature as well as the other stresses of a water change.
My friend has a top fin aquarium heater, controlled by Bluetooth/or wifi, we have no idea how to use it, he did not save the instructions 🤦♀️🤷♀️ and I have tried searching for a possible app, but top fin does not appear to be a popular brand. Does anyone have any input on this? Please and thank 😁you
The common failure point of heaters is the thermostat which is used more in heaters that are larger in size. Therefore if you use a smaller heater it will heat the water up slower, causing the thermostat to work less.
Hey I was just wondering how old your pleco is Bc I got one couple months ago and I just want to see like how fast they grow. And don’t worry I got a 330 gallon pond for him lol
From my own (limited) experience, the first year was an EXPLOSION of growth; I think he was around 6" long on his first birthday! After that, we didn't really *notice* him getting bigger (although he certainly was). When my parents' pleco died (RIP "Harvey Wallsucker") he was 17 years old, and about 13" long. It didn't seem like he grew much his last 2-3 years, I think growth slows down as they age? So, I'd say after the first year, maybe 1/2" a year??? They have a 75 gallon tank and he always seemed perfectly healthy and happy in it.
It's also important to keep in mind that the temperature of your home will often be higher than the temperature of water in that room. Water is a "heat sink", meaning it is pretty hard to change the temperature of water. This is why when you go for a swim on a hot day, the water is still cool or even cold!
water does have a lot of thermal mass, so it is hard to change its temperature, but water is generally cooler than the room due to evaporation which cools the water unless it is really well covered, and lights are heating it up. if you just had a 1-gallon jug in a room with closed lid it would be same temperature as room where streams and lakes are cooler because of cold ground temperature and cold ground water flowing in as well as evaporation..
i would not go 5 watts per gallon the heater goes on and off more which wears out the contacts inside and if heater gets stuck on from worn out contacts it will cook your fish much quicker and to a higher temperature than a lower wattage heater i like to use a heater controller with a heater just big enough to heat tank and set it to just above normal water temp so you have backup safety . and for even more safety you can have second heater set low on the controller in case first one fails or can't keep up
I plug my heaters into little 24 hour mechanical timers just to backup up the thermostats in case they get stuck closed because I don't trust the thermostats.
Man you gave me a scare, I have a 500liter(132US gal) tank 132 x5w= 660watts. Hey but then I remembered you Americans have 110volt power. NZ has 220volt which means devide your watts x2= 330watts for 220volt power supply. Thank you I have 300watts and it works perfectly.
Our house is pretty cold in the winter time, and most of my fish like mid 70s or higher, so I use heaters, but I also had a heater stick on and cook some fish, so I always use heater controllers now. The heater will still fail at some point, but at least it won't kill the fish.
I had the same fear so used inkbird controller which was great till it malfunctioned . The temperature on the inkbird read 25c so as the temperature was set at 26 the heater stayed on. Unfortunately the actual temperature was close to 28 c so the inkbird caused the very thing I'd feared. I emailed inkbird with photos of temperature reading and actual temperature they didn't respond and I now no longer use a controller
what about turning the heater on and off? I've heard that this is what destroys them. in that case you should buy the weakest heater that can warm your aquarium.
anybody else going through the heatwave in BC,WA,OR and hearing "most houses are 72" then looking at the thermomoter and seeing over 90 inside the house because we dont have AC and its awful :(
oh you'd hate it here during the summer we have to set our thermostat at 81 (cools to 79 because it had to dehumidify) and we'd love to have it set lower, but even with those settings during the summer you're looking at a 400$ electric bill. so, i wouldn't say we like it at 78F but we have learned to tolerate it haha I also heat my room for my fish tanks (there are 6 of them in my room) So it's probably upwards of 86-87F in here (also where my gaming pc is) but the fish love it :D
I live in the central US where we have cold winters and hot summers. I decided to just heat my bedroom (where I keep my tanks) to give or take 80F because it can get so hot in summer that it's hard to work outside; So I figured maybe if I get myself use to a hot room, it'll help me deal with summer heat a bit better, plus I don't have to worry about heaters going out. My room feels like a sauna to everyone else, but your body does more or less adapt to it. That, and I'm a small guy and don't have a layer of blubber under my skin like so many of these big guys lol.
Heaters are a very controversial issue. Some say that the cause of heaters failing/malfunctioning is the frequent on/off motion that causes the relay to break. So a smaller than "recommended" heater should be better because it would turn on/off less times. Other say that a bigger than "recommended" heater is better because it has to do less work and in a shorter time to reach the desired temperature. Who is right and who is wrong? I guess we wil never know LOL
Another caution with heaters is electrical leakage. On two occasions I've had heaters continue too work BUT would cause a electrical shock if my hand was in water, heater on, and other hand grounded to my furnace ductwork which I'm standing next too. It wouldn't cause a problem with the fish due to aquarium not being grounded. It does surprise you though! I did verify this with a voltage meter. Both times I received warranty replacement. My aquarium is a 55L using two 150 watt heaters at either end. Controls great at 80deg.
coming from a reptile background, I'd have thought variable temps were a good thing; it lets the fish kind of choose where they want to be/what temp they want to be
Thank you. This was very informative. I have only one preset heater for my 15 gallon Betta tank. The rest I can set whatever temp I want. I appreciate the 5 watts per gallon info.
The car/heater analogy is false. What wears your car is stopping and starting and heaters aren’t cars, they are on or off there is no modulation. In a sense the smaller heater is the grandma. While it is counter intuitive a smaller heater will cycle on and stay on longer requiring less on off cyles, it would be like like highway driving vs city driving. Less cycles means it lasts longer.
I've never bought a large heater for even my 100 gallon or larger tanks. I used to have a heater that was maybe 5 to 6 inches long that fit perfectly into an Aquaclear 50 or 70 h.o.b. filter. This heater had to be for 10 gallon or smaller tank. Just tiny. But it worked fine for my 100 gallon. I had originally used it because I didn't have any other heater at the moment and I didn't feel like messing around with putting it into the aquarium, so I plopped it into the filter and when I checked the tank in the morning, it was at 78° and it stayed that way for 2 or 3 year's. It was so cool because it was completely invisible and (according the the Aquaclear manufacturer) approximately 350 gallons of water passed through the filter every hour. Perfect spot to disperse the heated water.
True. Sometimes it's hard to find what fish can live together because of it (Rams and Discus need warmer water than most), but usually it's better to stick to colder end of the optimum (unless there's Ich or something).
Regarding heater sizing: I've heard this before but don't know if it's true. Having a heater that's too powerful for your sized tank can cause issues because when the thermostat triggers it to heat up, it'll blast out a ton of heat compared to your water volume and create excessively hot spots around it, which it will think means it did its job and turn off, but other areas of your tank simply haven't had that heat spread out to them yet, leaving your tank unevenly heated and causing the heater to cycle more often and potentially wear out faster.
I have had x2 heaters short out and bring my tanks to 96F. So many dead fish :( I will ONLY buy Fluval now as they are the only brand I have not had a single heater fail on me (8 tanks).
Minor nitpick on the 3watt / 5 watt per gallon heater debate. How much difference there is between your set temp and your house temp matters. If your house is 76 degrees, and your heater is set to 78, you don't need 5 watt/gallon. If you let your house get down to 40 degrees in the winter before turning on any heat, you may need more than 5 watts / gallon in your aquariums.
Help! Can't find a reliable answer anywhere online. After following your TH-cam channel for about a month now, I trust what you'd have to say about this. Ordered some cholla wood pieces online. It came with a sample of tourmaline mineral balls. Are these ONLY useful if you have shrimp, or would they be helpful in my tank? It's very brand new & needs all the help it can get. I have rasboras, zebra danios, 2 endlers & cherry barbs. I'm hoping you can reply. That would be awesome.
Congrats on being a grandpa. I find being a grandpa one of best things (if not THE best things) in life to be. Mine call me Pap Pap, as I did with my grandfather. Just think of all the knowledge you get to impart on those adoring kids. Plus a fresh audience for all those "Dad" jokes. P.S. enjoyed the video and I agree with not stressing out the equipment.
I pulled all my heaters out for the summer. Tanks are staying around 77F. Oase heaters, the ones they put in their canisters, are made with a Pyrex type glass and passed a test of going from being hot to being being dipped in ice water without exploding. I’ve used digital thermometers and discovered that the temp displayed on some heaters can be off by as much as 2 degrees 😳
I do find that my tank get hot quicker if I place the heater in front of a pump or anything with a strong flow so that all the water can get warm evenly and once again quicker especially after I do a water change in winter so just the way I do things
So a little thing from somebody who works with electronics. Soooo to the heaters. Its most likely true that your heater will live alot longer if its only run at a part of the capacity. But it wont be more efficient than a different heater. Electric heating is (in theory) 100% efficient. So a 50w and a 1000w will take the same amount of power to heat the same tank. The only thing that might consume more power are fancy leds or displays. ( Alot of the displays i work with easily consume 5w on their own)
I was going to post along the same lines. One nitpick to your post however with regards to terms you used. When you used the example of a 50W and a 1000W heater, what you meant to say is that it takes the same amount of ENERGY to heat the same tank (power is the rate as which energy is added to the tank). So in the video where he says it will be more efficient and consume less power is completely incorrect. Also he has his argument backwards. He thinks that because the 5W/g heater is on less it is "working" less. When in fact it is the 80 miles per hour example he was arguing against. The bigger heater floors it to get to temperature in 3 minutes while the 3W/g heater drives the speed limit and gets there when there in 5 minutes. Note, I am not arguing one number over the other, only pointing out his logic is incorrect.
I dont understand those people either John xD I keep my room at 60 year round hahaha. Always said when I own a house my Heating bill will be next to nothing, but my electric bill in the summer will be extremely high
I had a heater "blow up" on me the heater was from the 80's and the instructions actually said "pre heat before you add to the water" soooo I did and the second it went into the water it cracked into a million pieces. Now I always make sure to turn my heaters off before I do water changes xD just to be safe. and YES Jon imma comment like its a live stream ;P
Dude, I had 2 heaters explode. They were in the water and exploded over night. Aqueoun professional explosion proof heaters, I might add. They literally blew apart. I had terrible experiences with them. After a while they refused to honor l7fetime warranty even though I only made a few claims out of 12 heaters I bought.
The heater I have is preset and it just seems to heat the tank some amount and call it good. That’s not great if you live in Michigan where temperature swings of 40 degrees overnight are normal haha. I also don’t have air conditioning. What a pain. I’ve actually found that by putting the heater in a corner the fish can move to where they want to be, which is usually not by the heater. I can’t stop using the heater though because sometimes there are massive temp drops outside while I’m at work all day. Anyway, I’ve found this a useful way to let the fish regulate their temperature
One thing that really irritates me is I bought two 10 gallon tanks for my two Bettas. One was Aqueon, the other was Top Fin. Both said they were preset at 78 degrees. That was a lie. They would never go above 74 degrees. I had to buy two heaters that were for 20 gallon tanks which are really too big for the 10 gallons.
Very good video but my OCD would flare up if I didn't point out it's an aquastat not a thermostat.. just semantics but still. Also with the making heater work harder or not I disagree with . They are on or off they aren't variable.. cycling on and off is more work.. so undersize and staying on is better for it just like your home furnace or air-conditioner..
I feel the same way. I honestly don't care about the wattage, as long as it heats when it's supposed to,and turns off when it's supposed to. If it breaks down, I buy another one
Can somebody tell Lisa how beautiful she is looking for me please? I really want to see species labels for all the lovely footage of fish we see. I really love all this amazing content and seeing examples I never would see otherwise!
Most fish are pretty hardy and flexible as long as the change is gradual, but I really would buy heater's for your Betta's. Betta's have "committed suicide" by jumping out of tanks that are too cold. Seen it happen a few times.
@@jeffalbillar7625 I do a weekly 20% water change putting in warm water to even out the temperature so that works too ig not at good as a heater but yeah
Just watching this 8 months later after it came out and he said he used to do HVAC. I've been doing it for 10 years now. I know your pain, but it also makes me kind of happy to see someone like him that used to do it.
Well I found that if you have fish that like room temp water, as long as you keep the room at temperature most of the time you don't even need a heater because the water will match the room temperature. In the wild, temperature isn't the same all the time. Particularly at night time the water cools. A little temperature fluctuation is fine if you can just avoid extremes.
my heater that came with the 10 gallon tank set will keep heating as long as its plugged in. i had to learn that when once i saw the water was at 100 F 😖
Whether you use a heater or not, it is a good idea to have one installed on standby so that you can fight an ich infection immediately if you start seeing ich spots on your fish.
Love the info, Gramps! LOL!!! I agree with the 5 watts, too. The car analogy was dead on. :-) (I actually run TWO heaters in all of my tanks. It's worth the piece of mind.) However, the only thing you didn't touch on was if heaters get stuck in the "on" position and cooks your fish!!!! This keeps me awake some nights. How often does that happen and how can I prevent it? Thanks in advance!
You can use an external heater controller, like the inkbird. The heater plugs into the controller, which has a temperature probe on it. If the temp goes too high, the controller shuts off the heater
In my experience if you have an AIO aquarium it's absolutely critical that your heater be in the main body of the tank where there's good flow. If you're dumb like I was at first and you put your heater in the rear filter compartments your water temp will slowly PLUNGE if you forget to turn your pump back on after feeding your fish! Thankfully I chose hardy fish and corals (mine is a marine reef aquarium,) so everybody was fine but it still freaked me out! Thank goodness for my Inkbird temperature controller as it reliably tells me whenever there is a temperature problem.❤
I live in the desert my house is regularly 77° and my aquarium water won't budge above about 66° I have purchased at least 10 heaters. One has barely worked. It turns on once in awhile and it will feel warm but it doesn't heat the tank even though it's larger than what my tank requires. Every other heater I've purchased doesn't work.
Move to Arizona and run an AC at 72°. I'm paying $340+ a month to keep it at 78°. During the winter my house is at 72° and it's only $160 a month. You will fine out why we keep the house at 78°.
Using a 50W Aqueon Pro in my 15 gallon Fluval Flex. It’s in the back next to the pump and outflow so it gets maximum circulation effect. I’m just worried now about what I’ve seen of these failing, breaking open and electrocuting the fish. I have it set in the middle of the dial around 78 and the water temp is hovering around 72-74 when the room is 68-70. Seems ok to me.
Watch out, fluval heaters are now made in china. Just purchased the new T 300 and written on the heater and the box, Made in China. Yea, it bugs me. Contacted fluval, they said the 07 and FX filters are still made in italy. No comment on the C series. So watch out. I'll buy German before I'll buy another Chinese fluval anything. In the words of the lare great Bernie Mac "It just ain't right america".
Ok, I just go another water heater for my Betta🤦🏼♀️ This time I decided to get an EHEIM jäger 50 w, for a 16 us gal. It has been on for two hours! Nothing! So frustrating. This is my second one, the first stopped working. Now my Betta is not looking good.
Water sits on average 10 degrees colder than room temp. So if your room is 75 degrees, your fish tank is 65 degrees... Yikes. Sure, your equipment might raise that by 2 or 3 degrees, but 67-68 degrees is still wayyyy too cold for tropical fish. If your home is 78 degrees, your tank is 68 degrees. Even by using a filter and raising the temp by 3 degrees, you're still at 71 degrees, still too cold for tropical fish. Just stick a temperature probe in there or a thermometer and watch it for a while before adding the fish, if it's a good temp (75-82 degrees) after a full day or two, you're probably fine without a heater, if the water temp is still cold, add an adjustable heater. Always have a thermometer and check it regularly. I checked mine every hour or so when first starting out, and then it went to once or twice a day, and then almost daily. Just check the temps regularly.
I actually can't belive you guys are grandparents! You both look like you're my age and I can't imagine having grandkids 😂 well, my kids only 12 so... 😂
🛒*Check out our website and shop LIVE BETTAS and all of your aquarium supplies!*
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Hello KGTROPICALS I think that your channel is the best aquarium channel in the whole world!
Hey do you guys ship to the uk?
So I just purchased what was labeled as a female half-moon betta. I think this could be wrong. Do females ever build bubble nests like the males???
@@richcharlet1856 yes females can lay bubble nest too just like the males
Why is your water heater so dang expensive it round 43 dollars
I have found that the laser-like focus of my cat constantly watching the fish is good for at least 2°F.
lol
I just spit coffee all over my car thank you 🤣
Where can I buy that cat sir?
I hear u we have cats 1 loves to lay by the aquarium and watch em they fall asleep watching too.
Them crazy cichlits of ours, chase each other so hard, must be we dont need a cat after all.
Okay one of the things that needs to be mentioned is that if you're going to take the heater out you should leave it unplugged for a while, I have unplugged heaters and then took them straight out and it got really hot quick! Then i made the mistake of putting it right back in the aquarium which cracked it. So I tend to move my heater to the bottom of the tank and possession it horizontally during water changes. So it's submerge the whole time and I've never had a problem since.
Not to mention leaving it plugged in could potentially lead to a drop of water rolling down to your outlet and if you don't have a GFCI outlet which there should be within 4 ft of any water source then it could potentially cause a house fire
do you leave it plugged in when you move it horizontally?
I just leave mine there all the time
1. It does not matter if the heater is 25w or. 100w, if it's on the heater is working at full power IE pedal to the metal
2. a higher wattage heater will cycle on and off more often and it is the on and off cycles that cause the heater to fail in the first place so you actually get less life from a over size heater.
3. Your temperature is actually far more consistent with a small heater than a large heater, why? Because the small heater will slowly reach the set temp then the tank cools down until the heater turns back on, usually 1-2 degrees your oversize heater blasts the heat back into the water quickly and rapidly changes the water temp and that is more stressful to the fish than the temp slowly rising and falling.
4 when heaters fail they fail to turn on or fail to turn off and if it's the latter and you have a oversized heater you cook your fish before you even know there was a problem.
Totally agree with the points you made. I'm running a 100l tank with a 50 watt heater in a cold house in winter and the heater reaches the desired temperature no problem. I also believe that the lifespan on the heater is not solely based on the time the heater is heating but mainly down to the number of times the heater switches from one state to another.
I really enjoy the "True or False" videos. They are entertaining and informing. Thank You.
Trouble is he lies about the information when it is convenient to selling his inventory....
Cautionary tail for you guys. I once let an air line get to close to my heater. I had everything hidden behind the same ornament. The airline touched, melted and made my water toxic. . . Never making that mistake again.
I'm gunna move my airline now. My snails always climbing up it and now I really don't wanna risk it getting moved . Didn't even think of this
I agree with everything your said about heating aquariums except the room temperature effect on unheated tanks. I've had heaters go out many times over the years and find that my water temp can be down 5-10⁰ lower than my room temp. In summer months we generally want indoor Temps cooler than in winter. Air conditioners take moisture out of the air increasing evaporation from surface agitation and aeration in turn cooling the water lower than surrounding air.
I recommend always having a heater, even for cold tolerant species. Just set it to the lower range for that specific fish as a fail safe.
It's a good morning when you wake up to a to a new KGTeopicals video, it's like a fresh cup of coffee.
I once had a 300W heater on my 30g tank. It was way too strong. The tank would fluctuate so much, because the heater was designed for a bigger tank that would take longer to cool
I always recommend people situate the heater horizontally towards the bottom tank instead of vertically in a corner. This way it can heat as much water as possible.
And agreed with the "more is better" analogy. My 600 litre tank has 3 x 300w heaters. They don't work too hard and if one heater gives up without me knowing, I should be OK until I notice the extinguished power light.
Common at least do some research 60w and 200w heaters are equally efficient no matter how far you push em almost 100% efficient. Heater goes bust based on the heathing core temperature if its high lifespan will be shorter, general rule of tumb. So if you want you heater to last longer keep it under good flow.
In the UK and Europe we tend to measure our water volume in litres rather than US gal so it makes it easier calculating heater wattage. You simply go 1:1 with 1 watt per litre.
That said, our tiny Euro of houses can't really fit these 400 US gal tanks as they'd need a whole extension building for them
that’s why I just put my heater next to the intake of my filter or right behind it so the filter sucks up the heat and disperses it throughout the tank It worked so far
3:40
Youch!!
I always keep my tanks on power strips and flip the switch before a water change.
Easy way to remember that heater!
As a mechanic I just want to point out that driving like a grandma all day everyday is one of the worst things you can do for your car. Flooring it out of every intersection is not good for it but driving normal to fast is better for the car than driving slow and on short drives. Driving like a grandma causes unnecessary buildups all throughout the engine that harm it over time.
Awesome heater information. One thing I learned also is redundancy in heating bigger tanks is extremely important. Having 2 heaters in case one fails can save your fish! Or splitting you wattage between 2 provides a safe guard and better heat displacement. Nice video
IIt's ok LIsa... i drive like a grandma too. Probably why my car is 22 years old and still looks great!
🥰
Nice analogy, I’ve heard a similar one, as to why to run 3 watts per gallon. At 3 watts your heater turns on runs for Ltd day an hour. Shuts off for 20 minutes then turns on for an hour. And so on. At five watts per gallon it turns on for say 5 minutes shuts off for five minute turns on for five minutes, and so on. Since the switch is what usually goes out, sticking the heater on or off. The less you use that switch the longer it will last.
I was hoping to read this here!!! Not to mention- it doesn’t matter how many watts per gallon you use- it costs the same amount of energy to heat the water to a specific temperature no matter what size heater you use. Common misconception! but it’s basic specific heat rules :)
@@Hyphessobrycon Yep since heaters work is heat we literally have almost 100% efficiency.
I love your videos
There's an argument against oversizing your aquarium heater, and for the same reason you mentioned. A larger wattage heater in a smaller tank will cycle on and off more often, possibly wearing out the internal relay more quickly than a lower wattage heater that cycles on and off less often.
You guys need to redo this video because oftentimes it's the cutoff that breaks in the aquarium heaters but the heating element. That's why we need to get a heater of a little less wattage so it doesn't overwork the cut off.
Will respectfully disagree on the wattage per gallon.. I think the other direction.. Use a lower wattage heater to maintain a more consistent temp.. Think of having a space heater in your room.. If you have one that turns on and gives you 15,000 watts it will heat the room quick, but man you just got blasted with a LOT of heat.. Not to mention, that it's probably a lot hotter on the output side of the heater vs the input side.. A lower wattage unit will help smooth all of that out..
I run a 200w heater in my 75g.. It maintains a 10 degree rise in the fall when the house gets to 67 degrees.. If Hygger made a covered unit less than 200w, I would probably run a 100w during the summer.. Also, there is no energy saving based on any type, or wattage of heater.. Heat is heat in that situation.. A 300w heater running for 2 mins is the exact same as a 200w running for 3... Same amount of heat went in to the aquarium and the same amount of energy was used to create it..
4:30 I just switch my power heads and heater off all at once on a power strip when I do water changes
me too just did a water change yesterday and did the same thing.
I would suggest against that. Because once you plug it back in your heater has to start all over getting to temperature. The more it does that throughout its life, the shorter its life will be. What they suggest seems to be the best. Also it would help if you matched the temperature of the water you put back in to that of what is in the tank.
@@aaronburkeen6409 I've been just leaving the water outside to come up in temp before adding it in but I dont sit here and keep checking it or use a heater to bring it to the exact temp.. like why? You had a little to a system and they should balance out in favor of the larger water volume
@@DYLANTRIES I have a temperature gun so I just get the water from the tub at the right temperature. I told you one reason. It will increase the lifespan of your heater. The main reason that I do it though is to decrease the amount of stress on the fish. No reason for them to go through the extra stress of adjusting to temperature as well as the other stresses of a water change.
@@DYLANTRIES ya exactly its a waste of time and not that effective
My friend has a top fin aquarium heater, controlled by Bluetooth/or wifi, we have no idea how to use it, he did not save the instructions 🤦♀️🤷♀️ and I have tried searching for a possible app, but top fin does not appear to be a popular brand. Does anyone have any input on this? Please and thank 😁you
The common failure point of heaters is the thermostat which is used more in heaters that are larger in size. Therefore if you use a smaller heater it will heat the water up slower, causing the thermostat to work less.
Hey I was just wondering how old your pleco is Bc I got one couple months ago and I just want to see like how fast they grow. And don’t worry I got a 330 gallon pond for him lol
From my own (limited) experience, the first year was an EXPLOSION of growth; I think he was around 6" long on his first birthday! After that, we didn't really *notice* him getting bigger (although he certainly was). When my parents' pleco died (RIP "Harvey Wallsucker") he was 17 years old, and about 13" long. It didn't seem like he grew much his last 2-3 years, I think growth slows down as they age? So, I'd say after the first year, maybe 1/2" a year??? They have a 75 gallon tank and he always seemed perfectly healthy and happy in it.
It's also important to keep in mind that the temperature of your home will often be higher than the temperature of water in that room. Water is a "heat sink", meaning it is pretty hard to change the temperature of water. This is why when you go for a swim on a hot day, the water is still cool or even cold!
Certainly not for a tropical tank. My home never goes above 65 in the winter and rarely above 80 in the summer. Both my tropical tanks stay at 78
This would change depending on the time of day. At night, when air temp cools, the water will be warmer than the air. During the day, you are correct.
@@soota6083
Got his science degree at Trustmebro university.
water does have a lot of thermal mass, so it is hard to change its temperature, but water is generally cooler than the room due to evaporation which cools the water unless it is really well covered, and lights are heating it up. if you just had a 1-gallon jug in a room with closed lid it would be same temperature as room where streams and lakes are cooler because of cold ground temperature and cold ground water flowing in as well as evaporation..
i would not go 5 watts per gallon the heater goes on and off more which wears out the contacts inside and if heater gets stuck on from worn out contacts it will cook your fish much quicker and to a higher temperature than a lower wattage heater i like to use a heater controller with a heater just big enough to heat tank and set it to just above normal water temp so you have backup safety . and for even more safety you can have second heater set low on the controller in case first one fails or can't keep up
I plug my heaters into little 24 hour mechanical timers just to backup up the thermostats in case they get stuck closed because I don't trust the thermostats.
Man you gave me a scare, I have a 500liter(132US gal) tank 132 x5w= 660watts. Hey but then I remembered you Americans have 110volt power. NZ has 220volt which means devide your watts x2= 330watts for 220volt power supply. Thank you I have 300watts and it works perfectly.
I did the same thing ...thanks for your comment I wouldn't have figured that out on my own 😂
Our house is pretty cold in the winter time, and most of my fish like mid 70s or higher, so I use heaters, but I also had a heater stick on and cook some fish, so I always use heater controllers now. The heater will still fail at some point, but at least it won't kill the fish.
I had the same fear so used inkbird controller which was great till it malfunctioned . The temperature on the inkbird read 25c so as the temperature was set at 26 the heater stayed on. Unfortunately the actual temperature was close to 28 c so the inkbird caused the very thing I'd feared. I emailed inkbird with photos of temperature reading and actual temperature they didn't respond and I now no longer use a controller
what about turning the heater on and off?
I've heard that this is what destroys them.
in that case you should buy the weakest heater that can warm your aquarium.
Lol I keep my house at 82 degrees in the summer so my tanks don’t dip below 80 degrees in the summer. (We turn it to 78 at night).
anybody else going through the heatwave in BC,WA,OR and hearing "most houses are 72" then looking at the thermomoter and seeing over 90 inside the house because we dont have AC and its awful :(
Ah man, I feel for you.
I wish that I could help you.
Just whatever you do, do not "Freekout"!
I don’t use huge heaters. I cooked some fish w/ a 250 watt in a 55 gallon. Now I only use 100 watt heaters because my house is pretty warm.
oh you'd hate it here
during the summer we have to set our thermostat at 81 (cools to 79 because it had to dehumidify)
and we'd love to have it set lower, but even with those settings during the summer you're looking at a 400$ electric bill.
so, i wouldn't say we like it at 78F
but we have learned to tolerate it haha
I also heat my room for my fish tanks (there are 6 of them in my room)
So it's probably upwards of 86-87F in here (also where my gaming pc is)
but the fish love it :D
I live in the central US where we have cold winters and hot summers. I decided to just heat my bedroom (where I keep my tanks) to give or take 80F because it can get so hot in summer that it's hard to work outside; So I figured maybe if I get myself use to a hot room, it'll help me deal with summer heat a bit better, plus I don't have to worry about heaters going out. My room feels like a sauna to everyone else, but your body does more or less adapt to it. That, and I'm a small guy and don't have a layer of blubber under my skin like so many of these big guys lol.
Heaters are a very controversial issue. Some say that the cause of heaters failing/malfunctioning is the frequent on/off motion that causes the relay to break. So a smaller than "recommended" heater should be better because it would turn on/off less times. Other say that a bigger than "recommended" heater is better because it has to do less work and in a shorter time to reach the desired temperature. Who is right and who is wrong? I guess we wil never know LOL
Thank you for the information, this is very useful 😄😄
Glad we could help 🙂
Another caution with heaters is electrical leakage. On two occasions I've had heaters continue too work BUT would cause a electrical shock if my hand was in water, heater on, and other hand grounded to my furnace ductwork which I'm standing next too. It wouldn't cause a problem with the fish due to aquarium not being grounded. It does surprise you though! I did verify this with a voltage meter. Both times I received warranty replacement. My aquarium is a 55L using two 150 watt heaters at either end. Controls great at 80deg.
Good info, Tom.
PP you make everything easy to understand
🤣
coming from a reptile background, I'd have thought variable temps were a good thing; it lets the fish kind of choose where they want to be/what temp they want to be
Most likely this is true; However, most aquarists prefer to have their animals moving all around the tank for aesthetics.
I wouldn't have thought you guys were grandparents, congratulations!
Cool house temperature due to outside temperature being to 🔥 in Arizona outside and 2 women in the house starting menopause.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
i need a heater cuz my house temp is around 53f and i have angelfish, so i need a heater, my heater is a 200w dolphin model
Thank you. This was very informative. I have only one preset heater for my 15 gallon Betta tank. The rest I can set whatever temp I want. I appreciate the 5 watts per gallon info.
LOL!!! I’m one of the people with 78 degree houses😂😂
You won't belive my house in at 83.
Found out I was a lurker.. I'm fully subscribed now! 💪
Well you dont live in AZ lol we can't set our houses to 68 or we'd be paying 1000 a month for electricity. I keep my house at 80 in the summer
80 is nice compared to 125
Outside.
The car/heater analogy is false. What wears your car is stopping and starting and heaters aren’t cars, they are on or off there is no modulation. In a sense the smaller heater is the grandma.
While it is counter intuitive a smaller heater will cycle on and stay on longer requiring less on off cyles, it would be like like highway driving vs city driving. Less cycles means it lasts longer.
I've never bought a large heater for even my 100 gallon or larger tanks.
I used to have a heater that was maybe 5 to 6 inches long that fit perfectly into an Aquaclear 50 or 70 h.o.b. filter.
This heater had to be for 10 gallon or smaller tank.
Just tiny.
But it worked fine for my 100 gallon.
I had originally used it because I didn't have any other heater at the moment and I didn't feel like messing around with putting it into the aquarium, so I plopped it into the filter and when I checked the tank in the morning, it was at 78° and it stayed that way for 2 or 3 year's.
It was so cool because it was completely invisible and (according the the Aquaclear manufacturer) approximately 350 gallons of water passed through the filter every hour.
Perfect spot to disperse the heated water.
Bulls eye John, completely depends on the fish. Will also help in getting more longevity, in general lower aggression, good for plants
exactly friend
True. Sometimes it's hard to find what fish can live together because of it (Rams and Discus need warmer water than most), but usually it's better to stick to colder end of the optimum (unless there's Ich or something).
I need metric conversions for all this lol
@ZahnNenDah legend!! Thank you for that. ❤️
@ZahnNenDah thanks
ZahnNenDah Thank you!
@@zeealo Thank you,Deary for asking for this as I needed it as well, but for the opposite reason as you.
Killed 2 birds with one stone, did we!?
Regarding heater sizing: I've heard this before but don't know if it's true. Having a heater that's too powerful for your sized tank can cause issues because when the thermostat triggers it to heat up, it'll blast out a ton of heat compared to your water volume and create excessively hot spots around it, which it will think means it did its job and turn off, but other areas of your tank simply haven't had that heat spread out to them yet, leaving your tank unevenly heated and causing the heater to cycle more often and potentially wear out faster.
Lucky man. Wish my wife would let me keep the A/C at 68 degrees. I’m fortunate my wife allows me to keep it at 72 degrees. LOL.
I'm not a fan of the heat lol I prefer Winter over Summer any day
I have had x2 heaters short out and bring my tanks to 96F. So many dead fish :( I will ONLY buy Fluval now as they are the only brand I have not had a single heater fail on me (8 tanks).
Thx.
Love the channel keep it up
Thanks nice vids.... i have planning to buy heater for my oranda..... now i know my fish love cold water.. .😅😅😅
Minor nitpick on the 3watt / 5 watt per gallon heater debate. How much difference there is between your set temp and your house temp matters. If your house is 76 degrees, and your heater is set to 78, you don't need 5 watt/gallon. If you let your house get down to 40 degrees in the winter before turning on any heat, you may need more than 5 watts / gallon in your aquariums.
Help! Can't find a reliable answer anywhere online. After following your TH-cam channel for about a month now, I trust what you'd have to say about this.
Ordered some cholla wood pieces online. It came with a sample of tourmaline mineral balls.
Are these ONLY useful if you have shrimp, or would they be helpful in my tank? It's very brand new & needs all the help it can get. I have rasboras, zebra danios, 2 endlers & cherry barbs.
I'm hoping you can reply. That would be awesome.
I unplug my heater during water change a good 30 min before hand agree about the watts totally
I can't imagine living where your house can stay 60-70 all year.....hot city in california, 110 all summer outside
Adjustable heaters are necessary for treatment of illnesses like Ich when adjusting water temp is helpful.
Loving the aquarium true or false
Congrats on being a grandpa. I find being a grandpa one of best things (if not THE best things) in life to be. Mine call me Pap Pap, as I did with my grandfather. Just think of all the knowledge you get to impart on those adoring kids. Plus a fresh audience for all those "Dad" jokes. P.S. enjoyed the video and I agree with not stressing out the equipment.
I pulled all my heaters out for the summer. Tanks are staying around 77F.
Oase heaters, the ones they put in their canisters, are made with a Pyrex type glass and passed a test of going from being hot to being being dipped in ice water without exploding.
I’ve used digital thermometers and discovered that the temp displayed on some heaters can be off by as much as 2 degrees 😳
I do find that my tank get hot quicker if I place the heater in front of a pump or anything with a strong flow so that all the water can get warm evenly and once again quicker especially after I do a water change in winter so just the way I do things
So a little thing from somebody who works with electronics. Soooo to the heaters. Its most likely true that your heater will live alot longer if its only run at a part of the capacity. But it wont be more efficient than a different heater. Electric heating is (in theory) 100% efficient. So a 50w and a 1000w will take the same amount of power to heat the same tank. The only thing that might consume more power are fancy leds or displays. ( Alot of the displays i work with easily consume 5w on their own)
I was going to post along the same lines. One nitpick to your post however with regards to terms you used. When you used the example of a 50W and a 1000W heater, what you meant to say is that it takes the same amount of ENERGY to heat the same tank (power is the rate as which energy is added to the tank). So in the video where he says it will be more efficient and consume less power is completely incorrect. Also he has his argument backwards. He thinks that because the 5W/g heater is on less it is "working" less. When in fact it is the 80 miles per hour example he was arguing against. The bigger heater floors it to get to temperature in 3 minutes while the 3W/g heater drives the speed limit and gets there when there in 5 minutes. Note, I am not arguing one number over the other, only pointing out his logic is incorrect.
I dont understand those people either John xD I keep my room at 60 year round hahaha. Always said when I own a house my Heating bill will be next to nothing, but my electric bill in the summer will be extremely high
I had a heater "blow up" on me the heater was from the 80's and the instructions actually said "pre heat before you add to the water" soooo I did and the second it went into the water it cracked into a million pieces. Now I always make sure to turn my heaters off before I do water changes xD just to be safe. and YES Jon imma comment like its a live stream ;P
Dude, I had 2 heaters explode. They were in the water and exploded over night. Aqueoun professional explosion proof heaters, I might add. They literally blew apart. I had terrible experiences with them. After a while they refused to honor l7fetime warranty even though I only made a few claims out of 12 heaters I bought.
@@crazy4color869 ya Im kinda done with them for heaters xD
The heater I have is preset and it just seems to heat the tank some amount and call it good. That’s not great if you live in Michigan where temperature swings of 40 degrees overnight are normal haha. I also don’t have air conditioning. What a pain. I’ve actually found that by putting the heater in a corner the fish can move to where they want to be, which is usually not by the heater. I can’t stop using the heater though because sometimes there are massive temp drops outside while I’m at work all day. Anyway, I’ve found this a useful way to let the fish regulate their temperature
One thing that really irritates me is I bought two 10 gallon tanks for my two Bettas. One was Aqueon, the other was Top Fin. Both said they were preset at 78 degrees. That was a lie. They would never go above 74 degrees. I had to buy two heaters that were for 20 gallon tanks which are really too big for the 10 gallons.
hi john and Lisa love the videos
Very good video but my OCD would flare up if I didn't point out it's an aquastat not a thermostat.. just semantics but still.
Also with the making heater work harder or not I disagree with . They are on or off they aren't variable.. cycling on and off is more work.. so undersize and staying on is better for it just like your home furnace or air-conditioner..
I feel the same way.
I honestly don't care about the wattage, as long as it heats when it's supposed to,and turns off when it's supposed to.
If it breaks down, I buy another one
Can somebody tell Lisa how beautiful she is looking for me please?
I really want to see species labels for all the lovely footage of fish we see. I really love all this amazing content and seeing examples I never would see otherwise!
I've had a 300watt Eheim heater in my 500 Litre tank for 7 years, still going strong, just make sure the tank has a cover/hood.
I ordered a heater and it didn't work lol my betta fish are living fine without a heater, they are about 8 months old got them at 4 months old.
Most fish are pretty hardy and flexible as long as the change is gradual, but I really would buy heater's for your Betta's.
Betta's have "committed suicide" by jumping out of tanks that are too cold.
Seen it happen a few times.
@@jeffalbillar7625 I do a weekly 20% water change putting in warm water to even out the temperature so that works too ig not at good as a heater but yeah
Just watching this 8 months later after it came out and he said he used to do HVAC. I've been doing it for 10 years now. I know your pain, but it also makes me kind of happy to see someone like him that used to do it.
Well I found that if you have fish that like room temp water, as long as you keep the room at temperature most of the time you don't even need a heater because the water will match the room temperature. In the wild, temperature isn't the same all the time. Particularly at night time the water cools. A little temperature fluctuation is fine if you can just avoid extremes.
fish tanks can be several degrees below room temp from evaporation if your room air is dry and you have areas open to air
Hi love the channel
I love those fish who look like skeletons they looks scary but cool what are the fishes name
Those are called glass cats.
my heater that came with the 10 gallon tank set will keep heating as long as its plugged in. i had to learn that when once i saw the water was at 100 F 😖
What is the name of the manufacturer if you don't mind me asking?
@@jeffalbillar7625 the whole set was from Top Fin
@@elicuevas7 🙏
Pets mart brand, I believe.
My Sicce heater cooked my 6 gallon tank. The house is at 74 and the tank was hitting 86. Definitely didn’t work for me.
1 minute information stretched to thirteen minute video? :D thanks
Whether you use a heater or not, it is a good idea to have one installed on standby so that you can fight an ich infection immediately if you start seeing ich spots on your fish.
Just remember.... in a 29 gallon tank with 3" or so of substrate, rocks, decorations... you wont have 29 gallons of water. Maybe 25 gallons?
Love the info, Gramps! LOL!!! I agree with the 5 watts, too. The car analogy was dead on. :-) (I actually run TWO heaters in all of my tanks. It's worth the piece of mind.) However, the only thing you didn't touch on was if heaters get stuck in the "on" position and cooks your fish!!!! This keeps me awake some nights. How often does that happen and how can I prevent it? Thanks in advance!
You can use an external heater controller, like the inkbird. The heater plugs into the controller, which has a temperature probe on it. If the temp goes too high, the controller shuts off the heater
6:57 it's a trap!
In my experience if you have an AIO aquarium it's absolutely critical that your heater be in the main body of the tank where there's good flow. If you're dumb like I was at first and you put your heater in the rear filter compartments your water temp will slowly PLUNGE if you forget to turn your pump back on after feeding your fish! Thankfully I chose hardy fish and corals (mine is a marine reef aquarium,) so everybody was fine but it still freaked me out! Thank goodness for my Inkbird temperature controller as it reliably tells me whenever there is a temperature problem.❤
Keep up the work!
Heaters are not a one size fits all. I agree totally with you all. Thanks
Good information, guys, and love your sense of humor.
I live in the desert my house is regularly 77° and my aquarium water won't budge above about 66° I have purchased at least 10 heaters. One has barely worked. It turns on once in awhile and it will feel warm but it doesn't heat the tank even though it's larger than what my tank requires. Every other heater I've purchased doesn't work.
eh... the car shows better fuel milage at 65-80 than 35-50.
Move to Arizona and run an AC at 72°. I'm paying $340+ a month to keep it at 78°. During the winter my house is at 72° and it's only $160 a month. You will fine out why we keep the house at 78°.
The Aqueon isn't always 78. I have 3 of them, and they are about 77 or 76.8. Not always 78.
Using a 50W Aqueon Pro in my 15 gallon Fluval Flex. It’s in the back next to the pump and outflow so it gets maximum circulation effect. I’m just worried now about what I’ve seen of these failing, breaking open and electrocuting the fish. I have it set in the middle of the dial around 78 and the water temp is hovering around 72-74 when the room is 68-70. Seems ok to me.
Watch out, fluval heaters are now made in china. Just purchased the new T 300 and written on the heater and the box, Made in China. Yea, it bugs me. Contacted fluval, they said the 07 and FX filters are still made in italy. No comment on the C series. So watch out. I'll buy German before I'll buy another Chinese fluval anything. In the words of the lare great Bernie Mac "It just ain't right america".
Ok, I just go another water heater for my Betta🤦🏼♀️ This time I decided to get an EHEIM jäger 50 w, for a 16 us gal. It has been on for two hours! Nothing! So frustrating.
This is my second one, the first stopped working. Now my Betta is not looking good.
Can anyone explain to me how I can actually remove the glass heater from the tank if I’m completely breaking the tank down safely so it won’t explode
Water sits on average 10 degrees colder than room temp. So if your room is 75 degrees, your fish tank is 65 degrees... Yikes. Sure, your equipment might raise that by 2 or 3 degrees, but 67-68 degrees is still wayyyy too cold for tropical fish. If your home is 78 degrees, your tank is 68 degrees. Even by using a filter and raising the temp by 3 degrees, you're still at 71 degrees, still too cold for tropical fish. Just stick a temperature probe in there or a thermometer and watch it for a while before adding the fish, if it's a good temp (75-82 degrees) after a full day or two, you're probably fine without a heater, if the water temp is still cold, add an adjustable heater. Always have a thermometer and check it regularly. I checked mine every hour or so when first starting out, and then it went to once or twice a day, and then almost daily. Just check the temps regularly.
I actually can't belive you guys are grandparents! You both look like you're my age and I can't imagine having grandkids 😂 well, my kids only 12 so... 😂