HEATER 4 A 55 G TANK.... 84 DEGREES NEEDED

[paramedic07]

WHAT HEATER(S) SHOULD I GET TO HEAT UP MY 55 GALLON TO 84 DEGREES SO I CAN PUT MY DISCUS I'M BUYING IN IT. THE TETRA WHISPER HEATER (FOR 30-60 GAL TANKS) ISNT DOING IT PAST 24 HOURS I THINK. POSTED 929PM.

PLEASE HELP. I'M RUNNING BLANK ON WHAT I SHOULD GET.

[paramedic07]

EMAIL AT PARAMEDIC07@HOTMAIL.COM OR CALL 479-313-1415

[paramedic07]

ITS 5 WATTS A GALLON, AINT IT? HEATER SAYS 200 WATTS. GRRRRR.

GONNA HAVE TO RETURN IT TO WALMART AND GO TO W.U.W OR PETSMART IF THEY AINT OPEN.

JUST MY LUCK I BOUGHT ONE WITHOUT NUMBERS ON IT. DOOH!

[robertshear]

i just got a heater from saltwater depot yesterday for my 55 gal. i didnt think the one i had was working right. anyways i got home and put it in and it works worderfully. it goes up to 86 or maybe higher. cheap too

[robertshear]

its called a stealth heater and its plastic, so you dont have to worry about it cracking, its made by aquarium systems.

[paramedic07]

SOUNDS NICE. IM CONCERNED MOSTLY WITH GETTING MY 55 GALLON EVENLY HEATED TO 84 DEGREES. AFTER 24 HRS ITS ONLY 79 WITH THE HEATER MENTIONED ABOVE.

[paramedic07]

TEMP IS UP TO 80 DEGREES NOW. HOPEFULLY ITLL BE 84 IN THE MORNING.

[paramedic07]

MAYBE IM OVER REACTING. I WANT TO HAVE THIS TANK PERFECT FOR THE DISCUS WHEN THEY COME.

[Sundance]

If you feel it's that critical, maybe you should consider 2 heaters. That way if one quits, you'll still have heat from the other. You still have the risk of a heater thermostat sticking in the on position, which could cook your tank. If you go with 2 smaller heaters, that's not quite as risky. Even heat throughout the tank is probably more a function of water movement than the heater, although the cheaper heaters may have a wider range from turn on to turn off. With expensive fish, it doesn't make much sense to buy "cheap" on the heater. The rule of thumb is 3-5 watts per gallon. Denny

[robertshear]

when i said cheap in the earlier post, i didnt mean it was cheaply made. i think it was $32 for a 200 watt heater, which i thought was reasonable. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12060 -thats the one i got, i think it would work well for what you are trying to accomplish

[Sundance]

I was referring more to the "WalMart " type heaters. And that's cheap rather than inexpensive. Always look for the best deals on quality equipment. Denny

[pinkrblu]

I have been using one of the Stealth heaters on my 75 gallon for about three years. The only time it didn't maintain temp with no problem was that pesky two week period when we had no electricity. I would highly recommend one to anyone that asked.

[paramedic07]

the tank is 83-84 now, finally.

and i can mellow out as the nitro cycle is stabilizing near its end too.

[paramedic07]

well i'll keep the tank 83-86 degress or so. within a degree either side of 84 should be ideal for my discus.

[pinkrblu]

Congrats! It takes a while to get everything just right, but patience pays off!

[sskruzr]

Gees Kenna, I think I'd return that heater if it didn't maintain the temp while the power was out!

[pinkrblu]

We actually did a pretty good job (thanks to a lot of work by Mark) of maintaining enough heat in that tank. Pillows and blankets on top of and wrapped around the tank, 2-ltr bottles full of hot water floated in the tank, and hot from a propane heater aimed under the tank occasionally. The room temp varied from the mid 30's to mid 40's, but I didn't lose fish from that tank.