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Heating DISASTER!! Help!

2K views 6 replies 3 participants last post by  aunt kymmie 
#1 ·
I have a 100 Gal tank that I'm currently treating for ich w/ aquarium salt & temp. One 250 W heater was only able to bring the tank temp up to 80. I purchased a second 250 W heater and had them both adjusted to 82 and after 24 hours the temp was still only 80. This morning I adjusted the heaters to 84 then left for work.

I just got a call at work today telling me the tank temp was 90. I'm really hoping that the person giving me this info can't read a thermometer but if not.... What do I do?? I asked how the fish looked and was told that they look "the same".

I'm going home right this minute and am afraid of what I might find. Anyone know what I should do, other than shut the heaters & lights off until the temp falls back down??

I feel like such a moron.....
 
#3 ·
Update: When I was called at 1pm about the temp being 90 I told him to adjust the heaters to 84. It is now 6:30 pm and the tank temp reads 86. All fish look fine and are behaving as they always do. Hopefully I have avoided losing any fish.

So now my real question is: With 2 250 watt heaters what temp do I set each of them to maintain a steady 85% during the period of ich treatment?

Then: After the treatment is over what should the temp be set at to maintain 78 degrees??

The heaters are Marineland Stealths.
 
#4 ·
There's no way to know, there are just too many variables. Aquarium shape and size determine how quickly you'll lose heat, your lighting will add its own continuous heat, things like pumps do their bit, room temperature and humidity can vary, currents in your tank or the lack there of could determine how the heater's input is distributed through the tank, and then you've got the heater. The only way to do it is to adjust the heaters until you maintain the temp you're looking for. Make an adjustment, come back in an hour or two and make another if necessary.

Remember, the numbers on top are suggestions at best. My stealth is set at ~83 in order to keep my tank at 79.
 
#5 ·
Thanks so much for that info. My Stealth in my 6gal is set at 82 to maintain 78 so I see what you mean.

As far as my main tank and adjusting the heater: a few hours is all that is needed between adjustments? I didn't realize that in such a short amount of time the temp would change that quickly.
 
#6 ·
Remember, the water in your tank isn't just sitting still. The average filter is turning the entire water volume of your tank over 3 to 6 times an hour so you'll get some pretty good mixing. Giving the heater a few hours to work will be plenty to raise or lower the temperature a degree or two and stabilize. Now if you're doing a radical change like 4 or 5 degrees you might want to give it half a day or so to be sure the temp has stabilized.
 
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