Why Is My Tank So Cold???

[kevin34]

My tank used to be at 80 degrees so I turned the heaters down a bit and it was at 76-77. I left it there but the I noticed a couple days ago that it dropped to 74. I took the heaters out, turned them up a bit, and now my tank is at 71! I have stealth heaters and I can feel them warm so I know they are still working. Any ideas? The heaters are both set at 78.

 

[fishfreak1242]

How is the movement around the heaters? Try to put a powerhead next to the heaters to get the warmer water circulating.

 

[kevin34]

I have a koralia 3 by each heater and a koralia 2 in the middle of the tank.

 

[masivemunkey]

Maybe your thermometer is not working?

 

[kevin34]

Well I have the cheap coralife digital thermometers. The one in my tank says 71.9. I got a new one for my QT (same kind) took it out of the box and but it into my DT. This one read 76. Then I tried a regular mercury thermometer and it read about 79 which is what my heaters are set at. So I think the thermometers are the problem. Anyone know of a reliable thermometer that isnt expensive? Would it be safe to mount a mercury thermometer in there?

 

[fishfreak1242]

As far as im concerned, mercury thermometers are fine to use. I have one in my overflow box so that it is out of the way and i have a digital thermometer in my sump in case the other fails.

 

[fats71]

You have me wondering about mine now... I have thhe stick on one that sits on the outside of the tank. I dunno if it is accurate now andd have always' been a bit skeptical but I see a lot of tanks with them so thought what thhe heck...

 

[flricordia]

There is another thread abotu the Coralife digital therms not working right. I went through 2 before I tossed them and decided I would never waste money on them again.
The best thing to insure your prizes recieve the proper climate controlled enviroment is to use a reliable temp controller such as Ranco. It will set you back $100, but the peace of mind and accuracy with which it controlls your temp is well worth the extra cash.

 

[fats71]

Originally Posted by Flricordia
http:///forum/post/2598734
There is another thread abotu the Coralife digital therms not working right. I went through 2 before I tossed them and decided I would never waste money on them again.
The best thing to insure your prizes recieve the proper climate controlled enviroment is to use a reliable temp controller such as Ranco. It will set you back $100, but the peace of mind and accuracy with which it controlls your temp is well worth the extra cash.

I about fell over when I saw the 100 dollar price tag !!!
I guess I blow money on overdoing everything else I might as well do that too lol..
Anyway what about the little stick on thermometers ? How accurate are they ? I know we used to use the ones that stuck to your forehead to check for fevers years ago so if it was good enough for our health I thought it might be ok for the fish..

 

[nordy]

I used to have one of the stick on thermometers and it was pretty hard to tell just what the temp was, especially when more than one temp was registering. I think you need better accuracy in SW that you can get from one of those. I got a nice Pinpoint remote sensor unit which was nice as it would work anywhere in the house. At least until I dropped the sender into the tank

Now I use my digital stick unit I use at work and it seems to work fine.

 

[kevin34]

Why spend a lot when I could use a regular mercury thermometer? Mercury really cant lie.

 

[jaymz]

Originally Posted by Kevin34
http:///forum/post/2598889
Why spend a lot when I could use a regular mercury thermometer? Mercury really cant lie.

if you get a ranco or johnson therm controller, the ones mentioned for $100. it will control your actual heater turning it on and off and very reliable. these types of therm controlers are used in reptile habitats where temperature can be even more important than in salt fish. If thats possible..

 

[kevin34]

Ok I am thinking about getting a temperature controller. I looked at the ranco and it seems like you can only hook up 1 heater and 1 chiller to it. I dont have a chiller but I do have 2 heaters. Is there a device out there that you can hook 2 heaters up to? I really dont want to have to buy 2 single rancos.

 

[prime311]

Maybe plug the 2 heaters into an extension cord and plug the extension cord into the temp controller?

 

[matt b]

Get a temp controller! Like the OP said plug two heaters into a extension thing and then plug that into the controller.

 

[viper_930]

Originally Posted by Kevin34
http:///forum/post/2601095
Ok I am thinking about getting a temperature controller. I looked at the ranco and it seems like you can only hook up 1 heater and 1 chiller to it. I dont have a chiller but I do have 2 heaters. Is there a device out there that you can hook 2 heaters up to? I really dont want to have to buy 2 single rancos.
You were probably looking at the dual stage ranco controller. The single stage is cheaper but can only control in one direction, which is what you need for a heater. As others have said, just plug the two heaters into a single power strip and plug the power strip into the controller.

 

[jaymz]

Originally Posted by ViPeR_930
http:///forum/post/2601194
You were probably looking at the dual stage ranco controller. The single stage is cheaper but can only control in one direction, which is what you need for a heater. As others have said, just plug the two heaters into a single power strip and plug the power strip into the controller.
^ yep!

 

[fishy pa guy]

I bought a Ranco that was not wired which saves you some more money. If you have an old extension cord laying around you can use that and cut it in half. I used an old white one with 3 outlets on the end. They give you the wiring diagram with the controller and its pretty easy to do. I have the stick on thermometer on one of my tanks and it matches the Ranco but its not as precise.

 

[kevin34]

So the ranco has a built in thermometer too?

 

[fishy pa guy]

Yup, they have a digital thermometer built in. I use three different kinds of thermometers just to be safe and they all usually match. The Ranco is great because it is accurate to 1 degree and all you do is turn you heaters to the max and it takes care of the rest. This gives you an idea on what it looks like. I have the white plug hard wired to the controller.