Using Aqauarium Heater

[UDCatFish]

I have a 36 g bowfront, non planted, fully cycled freshwater aquarium. I have 12 Golden Cloud Minnows, 6 Zebra Danios, and 4 UDC's. I have had the aquarium for a little over 6 months. I have never used a heater because my tap and RO water have kept the tank between 72-74f. My concern is that winter is coming and my house water (tap and RO) will get colder and will make the tank temperature too cold. I know it is deadly to raise the temperature too quickly, so I am not sure how to go about using a heater to maintain the current temperature or even slowly raise it a degree or two.
Any advice is greatly appreciated. Also, what is the best heater to get?

 

[brennae]

I like the Cobalt Neotherm. They are digital and very accurate. I would set the heater for a degree or two over what current tank Temp is and increase every few hours to desired temp. Slower is better when it comes to changes in the tank. The nice thing about the Neotherm is that is shows what you have the temp set to and what temp the tank actually is. I have found Ken's or Amazon have the best price for them.

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[Coyne]

I'm a little bit confused. Are you worried about a large temperature difference when you do water changes, or are you worried about the room temperature dropping in the winter which will in turn make the tank temperature lower?

If it's just water changes, then couldn't you just get a mix of hot and cold water going until you get it to the correct temperature? That's what I do anyways. Just get one of those cheapy digital thermometers and stick the probe in a cup underneath the faucet. Then just adjust the hot and cold until you reach the desired temperature.

If you're still interested in a good heater, then I'll add a +1 to the Colbalt Neotherm suggestion. Not only do they work quite well and are easy to use/read, but they're pretty low profile. If you have a black background, then they almost disappear.


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[brennae]

I thought the OP was worried about ambient temp but after rereading I am confused as well. Maybe needs a heater for the RO water container?

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[UDCatFish]

Using aquarium heater

So sorry for the confusion. I am concerned about both the water I use for changes as well as the temperature of the house. I do not run my house furnace at night and it can get pretty chilly. Thanks for the input. I will check out that heater. Sorry again for the confusion.

 

[RedDevil83]

I go off feel when putting water back in because my hand is in the tank quite a bit so if it feels the same than I go with that.

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[UDCatFish]

Which type of Cobalt Neotherm is best? I saw a few different types

 

[PoppaRyno]

Take a look at the finnex titanium heaters as well.

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[Coyne]

Which type of Cobalt Neotherm is best? I saw a few different types

There's only one type of Neo-Therm. Just make sure you get one with the correct watts for the size aquarium you have.

There's also an Easy-Therm, which cost a little less but they don't have the digital temp display. I have one in one of my 10 gallons. It works just as well, but overall I prefer the Neo-Therms.

And then there is the Accu-Therm. They cost less than the Easy-Therms, but just seem like the normal glass-tube type of heaters. I don't have any personal experience with it as Im not a fan of that kind of heater.

 

[brennae]

Which type of Cobalt Neotherm is best? I saw a few different types

You will need to figure out how much the temp drops at night and then consult a chart about how many watts of a heater you need. I think there is one on the box but maybe the website will be helpful. I have read that the 200 watt neotherm had issues but the 150 watt is fine. You may need two of them for your size tank and if it gets pretty cold at night. Someone on here found a chart about tank wattage and temp change but for the life of me I can't recall the website.

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