wackyvolitan
New Member
Help!! I have a 55 gallon aquarium. Yesterday the tank temperature was about 81°F, which I didn't really mind, even though I prefer about 78°. But today when I woke up, it was 88°!!!
I started panicking, and I checked on the fish to make sure they were all right.
I just set up the tank a couple months ago, so I only have a Percula Clownfish (1.5") and a Snowflake Eel (7.5"). I also have a few crabs and snails, which the eel will probably eat later on.
Anyway, they all seem to be ok, but I think it might be a problem with the heater! The first thing I did was lower the temperature thingy on the top of the heater (in case the heater wasn't the problem), and then I added a bag of ice to the tank. Then I added just a little bit of cold water into the tank. About an hour later, I checked again and it was 86°. Since it dropped about 2° in only an hour, do you think that's just from the ice & cold water, or do you think its because I lowered the heater temperature?
I unplugged the heater about 15 minutes after that and added a little bit more ice. Now, an hour after that, the temperature is still 86°.
So do you think the sudden increase in the temperature was because of the heater malfunctioning, or maybe something else? I just bought the snowflake eel a couple days ago, so it's probably really stressful on him! What should I do? Do I need to buy a new heater? If so, what size (watts) should I get for a 55g tank? The one I have now is 120w - somebody else gave it to me. But it didn't really seem to keep the water at a consistent temperature, it was always shifting from around 76-81°.
Help is greatly appreciated, thanks!
I just set up the tank a couple months ago, so I only have a Percula Clownfish (1.5") and a Snowflake Eel (7.5"). I also have a few crabs and snails, which the eel will probably eat later on.
Anyway, they all seem to be ok, but I think it might be a problem with the heater! The first thing I did was lower the temperature thingy on the top of the heater (in case the heater wasn't the problem), and then I added a bag of ice to the tank. Then I added just a little bit of cold water into the tank. About an hour later, I checked again and it was 86°. Since it dropped about 2° in only an hour, do you think that's just from the ice & cold water, or do you think its because I lowered the heater temperature?
I unplugged the heater about 15 minutes after that and added a little bit more ice. Now, an hour after that, the temperature is still 86°.
So do you think the sudden increase in the temperature was because of the heater malfunctioning, or maybe something else? I just bought the snowflake eel a couple days ago, so it's probably really stressful on him! What should I do? Do I need to buy a new heater? If so, what size (watts) should I get for a 55g tank? The one I have now is 120w - somebody else gave it to me. But it didn't really seem to keep the water at a consistent temperature, it was always shifting from around 76-81°.
Help is greatly appreciated, thanks!
