Heater/Ich question

[Orcus332]

Hey everyone,
I'm trying to raise the temp in my tank to 86F to treat an ich outbreak. I've used a few different thermometers (digital kitchen thermometer and submersible alcohol thermometer) and have gotten tank temperatures ranging from 84 to 86F. I'd like to be more around 86-88F to be sure that the water is warm enough to kill the ich. I have my heater turned up to 88, and it hasn't shut off in three days, at least I havn't seen it happen. I'm thinking that the heater does not have enough power to raise the temp any higher? I have a 10 gallon tank with a 50W Eheim Jager heater. The room temperature is around 68F. The heater is in the vertical position on the opposite side of the hang-on-back filter. Any comments?

Thanks.

 

[black hills tj]

I would think a 50w heater would be more than adequate for 10 gallons. My dad and I run a 40w in our 29 gal. Then again, we aren't trying to battle an outbreak of ich with heat.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

It's quite possible that the heater doesn't have enough "umph" behind it to heat it high enough. I recommend 5W per gal. Since it's obviously not doing it for you I would get a 75W heater.

 

[black hills tj]

5w per gallon heater? Wow...i'm heating my 29 gal with 40 watts and it is hardly ever on My house is normally around 68* too.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Yes, 5W per gal. It's a general guideline. If the 50W isn't heating the tank enough then it's not enough wattage.

 

[black hills tj]

I gotcha. I must just be lucky then. Thanks for the tip, maybe I'll swap it out with a bigger heater and put the 40w in a 20g tank I have laying around empty.

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

I insulated three sides of my tank with styrofoam when treating for ich. Smaller tanks have a higher surface area to volume ratio so they lose heat faster. I recommend a 75 or 100 watt for a 10 gal qt.

Orcus...is your heater submersible? If so, place it horizontally so that the thermostat isn't testing the water directly over the heater element. It should heat more efficiently too.

 

[Orcus332]

It is submersible, so I'll give the horizontal placement a shot. How thick of insulation did you use? Did you just use tape? How well did it actually work (how many degrees did your temp increase)? Thanks for the tip apocalypse

 

[tropicfishman]

I agree, 5watts per gallon is a good rule to go by, it covers ya up to a good point on raising the temp if ya need to. obviously a heater can boil your water if it s strong enough, so it must be just a lack of power, if your not into buying real expensive equipment, walmart has some nice heaters ranging up to 200 watts that are around 10 bucks and they do a nice job IMO. Good luck with your water temp and Ich! let us know how things go and what heater ya buy if ya do get one!

 

[hashbaz]

Don't listen to Apocalypse_gold - he is not very smart. He is still trying to understand how the nitrogen cycle works - let alone convection heat transfer.

Orcus, you mentioned that your heater is mounted vertically. In case you are curious: Simple convection theory suggests that a heater mounted vertically will transfer heat faster than one mounted horizontally. In this way, you are probably better off leaving it mounted vertically. But when you account for the water currents caused by the filter, simple convection is no longer valid - so who knows whats best.

Surpizingly, Apoc_gold is right about the insultation. This should go a long ways to helping raise the temperature. It will also help if you can keep the top tightly covered.

PS Moderators, before I get in trouble for viciously insulting Apocalypse_gold's intelligence, please note that he is my brother and I am just jealous that he is smarter than I.

 

[black hills tj]

Don't listen to Apocalypse_gold - he is not very smart. He is still trying to understand how the nitrogen cycle works - let alone convection heat transfer.

PS Moderators, before I get in trouble for viciously insulting Apocalypse_gold's intelligence, please note that he is my brother and I am just jealous that he is smarter than I.

Harsh, why don't you jealously bash his intelligence when you speak with him instead of on AA?

 

[hashbaz]

Don't listen to Apocalypse_gold - he is not very smart. He is still trying to understand how the nitrogen cycle works - let alone convection heat transfer.

PS Moderators, before I get in trouble for viciously insulting Apocalypse_gold's intelligence, please note that he is my brother and I am just jealous that he is smarter than I.

Harsh, why don't you jealously bash his intelligence when you speak with him instead of on AA?

I do - but he always gets the better of me in person. Insulting him over the web gives me more time for my slow brain to think of what to say. Plus I can do two hobbies at once this way.

Orcus, sorry about hijacking your thread. Good luck with waging war against that extremely evil enemy called ick.

 

[Orcus332]

Hah, no problem. For some reason the heater decided to actually heat today. I looked at the thermometer and it was like 89 in there! At any rate, I don't need to modify anything, just make sure that my temp remains over 86 for the next few weeks. It looks like all the ich is gone.

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

This is what happens if you don't check AA enough. (Hashbaz was looking for a different AA when he first stumbled across this site.)
Orcus-my foam was 3 inches thick but that was probably overkill. I actually tied it on with some twine. I only insulated the sides and back but you could add a front piece tied on separately. I was able to keep it at 88 before insulating but the heater was always on. After adding the insulation it was more 50/50. It was winter and that tank was in the basement so it was about 60F.