Question About Heaters

[sxyatsxty1]

I put an ad in TheBox looks for heaters. Several replied they don't use heaters. Now I'm confused.

I guess it would depend solely on the fish you have in your tank but having no heaters at all is foreign to me. Can someone shed a bit more light on this before I acquire something maybe I don't need?


EC

PS: All three tanks are up and running (the 55, the 30L and the 20L). The smallest tank has been running for nearly a week and passed all 'tests' so I bit the bullet and put some fish in it this afternoon. Everyone seems to be doing fine, so far. The larger two need a few things before I'll drop residents in. Tanks everyone for your help and advice.

[Brownsnoutuk]

Re: Question About Heaters

I dont remember what fish you said your getting. I remember you said Discus, you'll want a heater for that tank. If you list the fish here then others can chip in.

[wvgdiscus]

Re: Question About Heaters

If you have discus you better have heaters. As they love 82 to 86 degrees.

[sxyatsxty1]

Re: Question About Heaters

In the 55, I wanted to put in a couple adult Discus but have been told that's not large enough for them....see what I know? So, right now, I'm sorta stumped what to put in there.

In the 30L I want to put a couple Oscars. I figure for a while, while small, two would be fine. Maybe three.

In the 20, I think that's sorta going to be my quarenteen (sp?) tank. I guess I need to be doing some reading up on different freshwater fish before I am really answer that.

EC

[wvgdiscus]

Re: Question About Heaters

All you need for adult discus is 10 gallons per discus.
I have my adult breeders discus in a 29 gallon without any problems.

By the way who told you that?

[sproett]

Re: Question About Heaters

If you keep your house at a decent temperature you don't need a heater but if your temp fluctuates, especially in the winter, I'd throw one in there.  I've always kept one in my quarantine tank just in case the fish were under the weather they'd stay nice and warm.  Plus ich, disease I encounter the most frequently, doesn't do that well in warmer temps.  I keep mine at 80 degrees.

In my opinion you should should stay away from oscars in your 30G unless you plan to buy a larger tank in the near future.  Then I'd still wait until you got it and just let them grow up in the larger tank because they really enjoy having lots of room to swim around in.

[szidlon]

Re: Question About Heaters

If you're going to use heaters I recommend the submersible ones.  I do have heaters in my tanks but the only one that stays plugged in year round is in my Discus tank.  The larger the volume of water the longer it takes for external temperature fluctuations to be felt in the tank.  As Walter said, a Discus tank will need a heater and a quarantine tank would need one to control the temp as recommended by any medications JMHO.

[sxyatsxty1]

Re: Question About Heaters

Sooooo, really.........every tank should have one whether it's used 24/7/365 or not.....just in case, kinda thing. I agree with that.

Tanks,
EC

[imagirlgeek]

Re: Question About Heaters

We keep all our tanks between 79 and 82 degrees, so we have heaters in all the tanks.  We keep our house pretty chilly (69 to 73 degrees).  What we learned (the hard way) is that having 2 heaters in the tank is good if you are dependent on them, like we are.  That way if one fails, you still have another one in there to kick on and run at least until you can get a replacement.  That's just how we do it...everyone is different. :)

Oh, and I agree, submersible is the only way to go!

[Spot86t]

Re: Question About Heaters

I'll also encourage the submersible ones.  The others just give you 'one more thing' to have to worry about.  I only keep a heater in  tanks where the residents like to be in the 80's.  I keep my house thermostat set on 75 at night, and 72 or 73 during the day when I'm not home.  

Lights over the tanks keep them all at least 75, with the higher tanks (I have a few 3 high tank racks) staying warmer - around 78 - than the lower ones (heat rises).  When the lights go off the tanks probably cool down a few degrees at the most but if you think about it, isn't that what happens in nature anyway?  Most fish come from large bodies of water, and many sleep on or near the bottom.  If you've ever been diving then you might know that there are thermoclines about every 10-15 feet apart sometimes with 10 degree changes and you can actually see the wavy line in the water where it changes from warmer to cooler.  
I would guess that surface temps in lakes and such  would drop a little too with no sunlight to heat it.

I do keep a few spares on hand though - for sick tanks, hatching eggs and heating my tapwater during cold weather.  

That's my $.02 cents.

[PlanB]

Re: Question About Heaters

I don't keep any particularly warm water fish, so I don't use heaters. I've got about $150 worth of shrimp in two tanks and get nervous about the idea of the thermostat malfunctioning and having an expensive mini shrimp boil. During the winter, I'll adjust my house's thermostat and leave the lights on if I have too. Heating bill will go up a little bit, but it'd be cheaper than replacing a tank full of boiled shrimp. This actually happened to someone on the box.

But if you have warm water fish, and need to get a heater, my advice would be to not skimp on the brand and get something decent rather than a deal.