Shrimpy Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Hey all, we have just got a tropical fish tank. Its a 34l Aqua one tank with 5 tetras, a dwarf gourami and a yellow algae eater in it. They seem to be doing fine but we live in a crappy student flat (no insulation, heater etc etc) and have noticed the tank temperature can drop as low as 21 degrees! There is no place in the house where they will be any warmer. We currently have 50w heater, would an upgrade to a 100w or even bigger be the simple fix for this problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookie Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 may be place polystyrene tiles round sides of tank to insulate a bit better , or another 50 watt heater on other side of tank , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 two 50 watt heaters would be best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelj Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Im in Dunedin also. It sure is cold! I would suggest upgrading to a 100w heater. That will do the trick. 50w heaters by themselves are useless for most applications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Just a thought but wouldnt you be better off with 2 x 50s as if one gives up, the tank wont freeze? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelj Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 theres nothing wrong with using 2 50w heaters, however in a small tank such as this one, it means even less space for fish! 1 100w heater takes up less space than 2 50w heaters. what if's is always a risk. what if the power cuts out? what if both heaters fail? what if... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Do what feels good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 21 is not cold for most fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ianab Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Couple of thoughts. Make sure the heater is in front of the filter outlet, good water flow around it will mean more heat transfered to the water. Crank the thermostat up one more click. If you had it set for 25 deg, move it up to 26. Wont hurt the fish, and then it will only drop to 22 on the cold nights. Slow daily temp swings dont seem to affect fish, in their natural environment they will get temp changes over night, even in the tropics. I have a 50w heater in a 70l tank, it keeps the temp OK (23-26) here in Stratford, but the filter outlet is pointed right at the heater tube. That does seem to help. Cheers Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted June 9, 2007 Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 100 watt heater is too big for that size tank imo- if you are having problems with the fifty get another fifty or look at insulating your tank further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caserole Posted June 9, 2007 Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 I would say 21C is not a problem, insulating your tank will help. I wouldn't get a 100w heater, another 50w if you must. If your worried that it will take up to much space leaving less room for your fish the tank would be over crowded. Whether a tank is over crowded or not is to do with the volume of fish to surface area of water, another heater will not affect this much. A slow temp drop at night is in fact the way to get some fish to spawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpy Posted June 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 Cool cheers for the feedback guys, I think insulation will be the most viable option at them moment. until we can buy another heater at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookie Posted June 9, 2007 Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 pehaps put a add in trade and exchange on these forums , someone may have a spare heater ,down your way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted June 9, 2007 Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 My tank usually sits at about 22C. I see no reason to keep it higher and use more electricity. Insulate the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted June 9, 2007 Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 Depends ont he fish really. Discus and some amazon fish like/prefer higher temps, and I keep mine around 26C to help prevent the CL's getting whitespot. Just remember, warmer water holds less oxygen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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