Fish Tank Heaters

Fish tank heaters are a very important piece of equipment for any tropical or saltwater set up, fish are cold blooded and require the water to be heated for them so that they can control their metabolism and lead a healthy and long lived life. Different species of fish will require different water temperatures in the fish tank; always research the fish profiles so that you can add fish to your fish tank that tolerate the same range of temperatures in which to inhabit.

There are many different models of fish tank heater to choose from but the golden rule is always to purchase the best fish tank heater that you can afford, cutting corners does not always pay, you need to know that the fish tank heater is reliable and will serve you well for many years to come. As well as purchasing the fish tank heaters it is also advisable to purchase the heater guards that the heater tubes can fit into, using these should prevent any injury to the fish, some fish will even try to bask on top of the heater for the extra warmth and this can results in burns before the fish realise.

In the early days of fish tank heaters, they were often bulky and the thermostats were nearly always separate from the actual element, setting these heaters was very hit and miss, accuracy was not their strong point and they were very unreliable, often breaking down while the thermostat was closed thus overheating the water. Thankfully technology has moved on and most models of submersible fish tank heaters are supplied with the thermostat connected to the element which is encases in a glass tube, many models now use toughened glass for extra strength. On top of the thermostat there is an adjustable dial for setting the required tank temperature, there should be a scale on the dial, if not there is often a sliding scale that runs along the side of the glass tubing, this gives you a good idea of what temperature you are setting the fish tank heater to but you may need to make minor adjustments to the settings over the initial 48 hours of the fish tank heater being switched on.

Positioning your fish tank heaters in the aquarium, as expected they should be placed totally submersed in the aquarium. If they are allowed to leave the water while switched on the glass tubing will overheat and crack. The heater or guard are fixed to the back glass of the aquarium by means of suckers and when fixing these in place ensure that the angle of the fish tank heater is roughly set at 45 degrees. If possible direct the water flow towards the heater so that the heat is evenly dispersed around the fish tank.

It is sometimes confusing to new keepers as to which heater they require for their aquarium; all fish tank heaters are based on the wattage, the higher the wattage, the higher the water volume that they are capable of heating efficiently. Smaller fish tanks only require low wattage heaters, normally 25 watt to 50 watt, larger fish tanks require fish tank heaters that can run pup to 300 watts, for tanks over 75 gallons you may find that you require a heater at each end of the aquarium to keep the temperature high enough. There is normally a guide on the packaging of the fish tank heater as to which size of heater is required for your size of aquarium, always check before you purchase.

When performing your aquarium maintenance it is wise to switch off the heater periodically, remove it from the aquarium when it has cooled down and clean the glass tubing over the element. Sediment can build up on the heater causing it to run less efficiently.