ahh the heat

[hockeydude15]

i just bought a radiant heater it has a dial that just says higher and lower (im used to seting the temp on my nice rena cal in my other tank. All i have to do on that is set which temp i want) So i turned the dial to higher and it turned on. But i made the mistake of keeping it that way only to wake up and find the water temperature 95 degrees!!.

First how do i cool it down because its spring time and justleavingthe windows open doesnt do it anymore.

Second does any 1 have any experience with thse heaters because it doesnt come with directions just theprint of how to set it up on theback.

[deli_conker]

Trial and error.

I am assuming that you haven't added fish yet.

I usually put the heater into the tank and give it a few minutes for the internal thermostat to acclimate to the temperature of the water. Then I plug it in.

Most heaters have a light or somthing on them to let you know that it is heating the water. I'll turn mine up just enough to turn the light on. I'll check an hour or so later to check the temp. If the temp is good, I mark the spot on the heater with a sharpie or a razor. If it's not good, then I turn it a little bit more til the light comes back on. Repeat until you get to the desired temperature.

You can let the water cool down by itself or remove some and add some cooler water.

[flipz]

I also have a heater like this, and according to the instructions you do pretty much exactly what deli said.

Put it in the water, let it sit for a few minutes. If your temperature is below what you want it to be (which it should be) SLOWLY turn the dial higher, until just as the light comes on. And within an hour or less, it should turn off. Now check the temp. If it's high enough once the light is off, leave it. If it's still too low, turn the knob just until the light comes on, leave it until the light is off, and then check again. Once you have it set you should be good.

Now I have a question of my own. Does anyone have any tips on keeping a tank cool? My friend has a 20 gallon tank setup in a dorm room, and even though they have air conditioning, it doesn't work very well. The heater normally keeps the tank in the 76 degree range, but now with warmer temps, even with all windows open the tank is usually at 80-82 during the day. Is there anything that can be done other than just replacing some water with a little bit cooler water? Thanks, and sorry to hi-jack your thread but it seemed related.

- brent

[Atlarge]

Float some ice cubes in a plastic baggie. The simplest solutions...

[QTOFFER]

Flipz, The easiest way to cool down a tank is to mount a small clip-on fan to a nearby shelf and point it at the water surface. Increased evaporation will cool the water.

[krap101]

i just like keep it on high until it gets to my temp (usually 78-80) so then i put it into the middle. theres an arrow that shows the most desired temp usually.

to me ill never go back to any other heater. i use the tetra whispers

[flipz]

Unfortunatly the fan idea won't work because there are 2 fish that both like to jump out. 8O I have a rotating one next to it, that blows across the top. But with the lid on it, it doesn't do much. The ice cubes was something I had thought of, but didn't know how safe it was. I might have to try it though.

Thanks for the responses!

-brent

[QTOFFER]

Originally Posted by flipz

Unfortunatly the fan idea won't work because there are 2 fish that both like to jump out. 8O I have a rotating one next to it, that blows across the top. But with the lid on it, it doesn't do much. The ice cubes was something I had thought of, but didn't know how safe it was. I might have to try it though.

What, don't you like your sushi sliced thin?
Maybe you could replace the glass top with a nylon screen top like the ones used for reptile cages.
I like the icecube idea too, but you would have to keep replenishing it.

[glasstapper]

why not change the water?, drain 25% replace it,, let that cool (save the original 25%) after its cooled, put it back in

[flipz]

Because no one is in the room most of the day. We are all at classes. So the water can't be switched out in the middle of the day or anything. Getting a different top might help, but so far some ice is sounding like the best idea. I'll figure it out when it gets more towards summer. Thanks again all

-brent