I have gone to two maint. accounts this week, where the heater thermastats stuck and one led to boiled fish the other was a close call (tank temp 88 deg F.) fish were still alive. Both were ALL GLASS brand, coincidence? I hope so. I do not sell this brand on my shelf but, they do come in the All Glass brand boxed kits.
Either way, these are prime examples of why you DO NOT buy heaters rated for more than you need, matter afact these are probably good reasons to buy a size down. I also lost a personal reef tank about 15 years ago to a heater malfunction.
You have been warned
CHECK YOUR HEATERS!!!!!
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Doug
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Re: CHECK YOUR HEATERS!!!!!
*bump*
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Sandy
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Re: CHECK YOUR HEATERS!!!!!
Heaters????? What heaters???? Are we suppose to have heaters???? 
Heaters scare me (already had one coral boil, but not with a heater 
) What are the degree of differences corals can withstand? What if the temp.change is gradual and only a difference of lets say maybe 4 to 6 degrees? How many folks out there use or don't use heaters? What's your opinion?
Heaters scare me (already had one coral boil, but not with a heater ) What are the degree of differences corals can withstand? What if the temp.change is gradual and only a difference of lets say maybe 4 to 6 degrees? How many folks out there use or don't use heaters? What's your opinion?-
Doug
- Site Admin
- Posts: 229
- Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 11:26 am
- My SetUp: 1984: 90 gal. saltwater, O'Dell tank, Oceanic Systems cabinet stand, (2) Perfecto 48" strip lights with Vita-Lite Power Twists, Aqualogy Bio-Grade Plus Undergravel filter, (2) Hagen Aquaclear 800 power heads, Eheim 2217 canister filter with Chemi-Pure, Hawaiian Marine Angstrom 2537 UV sterilizer
Re: CHECK YOUR HEATERS!!!!!
Less critical in an invertebrate-only tank, I would think. 2 degrees drop in under 24 hours on fish, I'd be looking for ich spots.
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ReneM
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Re: CHECK YOUR HEATERS!!!!!
Old topic but very important! I have had glass tube heater for several years with no problem (originally in my FW tank). Yesterday I woke to find my tank at 83-84. I thought it was the lighting so I turned off one of the lights, and just as a side turned the heater down until things cooled off... nope, stayed the same... then happened to stumble across this thread (lucky me I did not even suspect the heater or look for info here on it). I immediately unplugged it.. temp today is GREAT 
Thanks Gerwyn! ... I think this topic needs to be bumped up every few months!
Thanks Gerwyn! ... I think this topic needs to be bumped up every few months!
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C-21 USAF
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Re: CHECK YOUR HEATERS!!!!!
This is one of the most overlooked blunders in our hobby. Internal thermostats on heaters (regardless of the brand) are cheap and WILL fail...it's not a matter of "if" but "when".
Buy a high quality temp controller like "Ranco" or "Johnson" (about $70) and run two smaller heaters ($60 for both) on it. Might sound expensive but anything cheaper and your flurting with a boiled/chilled tank and last I checked that's a lot more expensive.
Heaters aside...take a look at your whole tank and try to find it's weak areas or guess what your next equipment failure will be and research a better method.
The following article will get you on the right track: http://www.beananimal.com/articles/aqua ... know!.aspx
Buy a high quality temp controller like "Ranco" or "Johnson" (about $70) and run two smaller heaters ($60 for both) on it. Might sound expensive but anything cheaper and your flurting with a boiled/chilled tank and last I checked that's a lot more expensive.
Heaters aside...take a look at your whole tank and try to find it's weak areas or guess what your next equipment failure will be and research a better method.
The following article will get you on the right track: http://www.beananimal.com/articles/aqua ... know!.aspx
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Archie
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Re: CHECK YOUR HEATERS!!!!!
you are da bombis is one of the most overlooked blunders in our hobby. Internal thermostats on heaters (regardless of the brand) are cheap and WILL fail...it's not a matter of "if" but "when".
Buy a high quality temp controller like "Ranco" or "Johnson" (about $70) and run two smaller heaters ($60 for both) on it. Might sound expensive but anything cheaper and your flurting with a boiled/chilled tank and last I checked that's a lot more expensive.
Heaters aside...take a look at your whole tank and try to find it's weak areas or guess what your next equipment failure will be and research a better method.
The following article will get you on the right track: http://www.beananimal.com/articles/aqua ... know!.aspx