Heating Tropical Tanks

Why a heater

   You might be wondering what it is about heating in a tropical fish tank. Tropical as the name suggests is a warm water species tank. Suppose you are living in a tropical region, you do not need to heat the water as the ambient temperature is high enough to keep the water warm and seasonal changes do not vary much. But if you are living in a place that has cold climate or has winter season when the ambient can really become cold, then you will need heaters to keep the water temperature high and prevent freezing of water. Tropical fish species cannot live in cold waters. The normal temperature you have to maintain in a tropical tank will be 75F to 80F. Fluctuating water temperatures will cause stress on the fish, which will lead to a number of infections, and even death.

Type of heater

Tank Heter -Ebo Jager

Tank Heater -Rena Cal basic

Silica Glass power heater & Controller

  Electric submersible heaters are the best for this purpose. They come in sealed glass tubes with thermostat and temperature setting knob, which can be immersed in the water and attached to the side of a tank . The heater tube should always be placed inclined at 45 deg angle or buried in the sand horizontally for uniform heat distribution in water. They should not be placed vertically. For larger tanks two heaters may be necessary. Wattage will depend on how low your ambient can go. Typical wattage requirement will be 5 watts per Gallon of water. Typically, one heater is sufficient for an aquarium. However, for better heat distribution in larger aquariums, especially tanks more than 36 inches in length, it's best to have two heaters. The heaters should be placed at opposite ends of the tank and each should be about half the total required wattage. For example, if you have a 30 gallon aquarium, you will have the best heat distribution is you put a 75-watt heater at each end of your aquarium. If you have a 10-gallon aquarium, one 50-watt heater placed in the center of the aquarium will be enough.

  If you use a power filter or a canister filter with only one heater, place the heater at the opposite end of the tank from the filter. This will help ensure good distribution of the heated water. Aquarium heaters come in different tube lengths to accommodate different height tanks. Because heat rises it is important that you pick the right length heater so that all the water is evenly heated. When selecting a heater for your setup, do not buy more power than you need. If the heater is too powerful for the size of the aquarium, the heater will cycle more often and will wear out sooner. It is possible, if unlikely, for the heater to fail where it is on continuously. The better heaters have a safety feature that will prevent overheating should the main thermostat fail. You should look for this feature in any heater that you buy. Some heaters come with a protective gaurd, as shown above, so that damage by accident is avoided.

   The heating capacity is dependant on various factors. The following factors hereby have to be taken into account.

• Room temperature :    The heating capacity needed is the difference between the surrounding temperature and the desired water temperature.

• Closed or open aquarium :    The heat loss from an open aquarium (thermal discharge, drafts, evaporation) has to be constantly replaced by the heater.

• Lighting :    Fluorescent tubes give off up to 60 % of their power rating as warmth to the water. Similar heating effects apply to other types of illumination.

• Additional sources of heat :    Internal filters and submersile pumps directly give off motor heat to the water. Similar heating capacity required is therefore correspondingly less.

• Aquarium size :   The temperature increase in relation to the heating capacity cannot be proportionately equated to the water quantity. For example, if one applies the rule of thumb of '5W per Gallon' a small aquarium will be inadequately heated, while a larger tank can be overheated. An aquarium which is twice as big by no means requires double amount of heating.

   Temperature control-it is definitely recommendable to use a thermostat-controlled heating source which ensures a constant water temperature: for instance thermo filters, regulated bar heaters or floor heating.

CAUTION

   Beware that a Glass tube heater could be very dangerous, if it is exposed without water and power on, it might break the glass and could cause electrocution. While changing water, it is advisable to turn off the power to the heater before you open the tank hood and start putting your hand inside. The power should be turned on only after the re-filling is completed and all re-arrangement inside is over.

Heater Selection guide

Heater- Tronic

Tank Size(G)	Heater Wattage(W)	Heater Length
10-15	50	9"
15-20	75	10"
20-30	100	12"
30-45	125	12"
40-60	150	13"
60-90	200	15"
90+	250	17"

  You can plug the heater chord to the socket outlet in the tank cover. This is a must for those who want to keep tropical fishes in cold regions. But remember you cannot have long power blackouts, for this will cause your tank temperature to drop below the level necessary for tropical fish to survive. Purchase a good quality heater as any failure can cause the temperature to drop and cause the death of the fishes or can cause electrical shock if you put your hand inside for maintenance. See the great article from 2Many on heaters, under articles section.

  Heater and thermostat can also aid in increasing the tank temperature to get rid of certain parasites or to give relief to fishes from some internal bacterial problems.

Integrated filter and Heater

Filter cum Heater -EHEIM Professional

Filter cum Heater Internals

   Now new model filters are available with integral heater facility. This takes care of heating the filtered water. EHEIM filer provides this facility, may be a few others are also providing this. I do not know if this has any special advantage over immersion type filters

Thermometer

Thermometer -Glass, Stick on Film

Thermometer -Digital

   An essential item for heated tanks in cold countries, but only an added feature in a real tropical tank in a tropical country. Thermometers are available for aquarium use and usually are made of glass with a liquid filled inside. There are also stripes of heat sensitive films which can be stick to the outside glass surface. There are also digital thermometers with the liquid filled bulb placed inside water. The liquid in glass thermometer can break if the fish bump them against the glass or rocks. But they are very accurate and work for many years. The heat sensitive film based thermometers are safe but often are less accurate and never work after a few months. Never place a thermometer near the heater as it can show false readings.