Heater broke???

[newfishhobbyist]

Hi all!
I have a 55 gallon tank and am concerned with the temperature. I purchased a 300W Hydor heater. Right now I only have 4 neon tetras (10 have died - I believe - because of the heater) and 1 glo-fish. Earlier this week, we go to feed the fish and the tank is @ 85-F!! We turn the heater off, turn the lights off and start trying to oxygenate the tank by pouring tank water from about 1-2 feet above tank. The neons start dying. We wait for the temp to drop and turn on the heater to try to be around 78 but it drops to 75. We turn it up and it goes up to 85 again! Now it's at 76 and the heater is set to 79. I'm trying to figure out if the heater is broken. We see the light turning on and off BUT after changing the temp on the knob...it takes a while before anything happens. I keep reading that you should check it in a couple of hours so I'm expecting a change and nothing happens. How long should it take for the temp to change after moving the temp knob? Do I need to invest in a power head to move the water around??
Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

[MichaelsLilGray]

first off, that is to big for your tank.. especially with your live stock. just invest in a 150w heater and you should be fine. where is your heater located? next to the filter intake? opposite side? it all plays a roll. but yeah id look into a new heater.

btw.. what is probably killing the fish is the constant water temperature changes. let it stay at 85 if thats where it can keep a constant temperature at. its not THAT BAD for the fish..

[MichaelsLilGray]

btw.. a 300 watt heater is good for a 90-125 gallon tank.. WAY to big for your tank imo

[newfishhobbyist]

Originally Posted by MichaelsLilGray

btw.. a 300 watt heater is good for a 90-125 gallon tank.. WAY to big for your tank imo

Well, we bought it based on the info on the box. It read that it was for 53-80 gallons? Could it be that each heater is different?

[MichaelsLilGray]

last i checked thats not the case..

Aquarium Heaters: Visi-Therm Stealth Heater

[newfishhobbyist]

Not to argue but the hydor seems to be different...maybe b/c of the patented heating film...not sure but take a look.

Aquarium Heaters: Hydor Theo Heater

thanks.

[Fishyfanatic]

The heater size isn't a problem. It is recommended to aim for 5 W per gal.

Don't go by the temp on the heater, go by the thermometer in the tank. Was the tank cycled before adding the fish?

[MichaelsLilGray]

5 watts per gallon would be a 250.. my 150 in my 55 works great... and my 125 has a 150... that keeps the entire tank the same temp.. and has done so for months... one fresh the other saltwater.

[Fishyfanatic]

The tank is 55 gal, 275 W. The ambient room temp also plays a big role. If you keep your house on the warmer side you won't need as big of a heater. If the heater is heating too high, turn the gauge down and it won't heat as often.

[MichaelsLilGray]

my house is set to 70 degrees lol

[mgamer20o0]

Originally Posted by MichaelsLilGray

first off, that is to big for your tank.. especially with your live stock. just invest in a 150w heater and you should be fine. where is your heater located? next to the filter intake? opposite side? it all plays a roll. but yeah id look into a new heater.

btw.. what is probably killing the fish is the constant water temperature changes. let it stay at 85 if thats where it can keep a constant temperature at. its not THAT BAD for the fish..

Originally Posted by Fishyfanatic

The heater size isn't a problem. It is recommended to aim for 5 W per gal.

Don't go by the temp on the heater, go by the thermometer in the tank. Was the tank cycled before adding the fish?

i agree with that. heck i have a 250 in a 20 gallon just because i had it. as for heaters ill only use visi therms and ebo. one thing thats so important is heaters their failure will kill your fish faster then a filter going down.

to me it sounds like the heaters not working i would get a new one. check out the stealth heaters one of the best around.

[lynxpilot]

I just had a stealth fail on me last week. Lucky I caught it at 84. At first I just thought it was the warmer weather, but the heater failed ON. Sad thing is these heaters were bought in November. That's not too reliable in my book.

[MichaelsLilGray]

every heater ive ever had is a stealth..

[mgamer20o0]

Originally Posted by lynxpilot

I just had a stealth fail on me last week. Lucky I caught it at 84. At first I just thought it was the warmer weather, but the heater failed ON. Sad thing is these heaters were bought in November. That's not too reliable in my book.

unplug it for 30 mins and plug it back in. that should reset it. if that still doesnt work contact them. there is a reason why i only use them. i had a heater burn up. sent them a email and had a replacement with in a week. that in my book is great business. i own 30-40 of them now.

[shawnryan1977]

I have nothing but problems with Hydor heater . I bought 2 brand new ones and within months they both went bad. They stop working as soon as you take them out of the box. Temps changed all the time in the tanks. One of these heaters almost cooked my 55 gallon, temp went up to 90 degrees, thankfully it was full of Lake Tanganyika Cichlids and they lived through it. Buy a new heater you will much happier with another brand like visa-therm.

[newfishhobbyist]

Originally Posted by Fishyfanatic

Was the tank cycled before adding the fish?

It was cycled. It was cycled for about 2 months prior to fish being added.
I think they died b/c of the water temp changing so drastically. We have it around 78-F now and we are gonna put the lights back on and see what happens. Since it's the weekend and we'll be home...we can monitor it all day. Wish us luck!
Thanks again!

[atomiclord]

Bon chance!

[newfishhobbyist]

We went and exchanted the hydor heaters for stealth heaters. I really hate that you can't tell it's on like the hydor. It seems to be working, tho...the temp has been at 78-F and hasn't moved. 4 neon tetras and 1 crazy glo-fish still left.
Thanks again everyone for your help!

[mgamer20o0]

most people like that feature. its like that to hide so you dont see it. the deluxe visi therm heater is glass and does have a light.