heating problems

[scottytoohottie]

so my tank temp is high (86), i adjust my heater to 70, still high it stays at 84-86. its a hydor theo heater, it worked great until i started my sw tank. also my salt levels jumped really really high.All I have is ls in my tank thats it, anything i could besides get a new heater?

 

[Sadielynn]

I would check to make sure it is not malfunctioning unplug it first before placing your hand into the tank, if you need to remove it , I would shut it off for an hour or so then plug it in sometimes that resets them . If it is replace it ... otherwise I would say just to run a fan to cool the tank down , I run one on the back of our tank so that it blowes over the water and cools by way of evap , of course you will need to watch for evap and top off more frequently .

 

[roka64]

That's some good advice, I also have a fan running on the same timers as my lights. Personally, I use the Finnex Titanium Digital Heaters http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=Finnexheat. Last week my tank lost about 20-25G of water and they were exposed to air, they still work. As for your salinity creeping up are you doing your top-offs with FW or SW? Keep in mind, the salt doesn't evaporate but the FW does, so you should be topping off with FW.

 

[MT79]

i adjust my heater to 70, still high it stays at 84-86. i

Is it the correct wattage for teh tank size? I've never found the temp settings on heaters to be that accurate, though my stealth heater is pretty close. Always use a good thermometer and adjust the heater according to that. If you feel the heater may be malfunctioning or at the end of it's lifespan, replace it. Many times heaters stick ON when they go bad, and can fry a tank.
I'm not sure about your lighting (* filling out the "my info" button will help in the future) but I found it necessary to put my heaters on timers, so they are shut off when my lights come on. They kept driving up temps. Many times fluorescent lighting will not produce enough heat to maintain tank temps by themselves though. I have MH so it's not an issue for me.