Discussion Topic: Summer's over and the cold front is here. Is your tank ready?

[reefes pieces]

Ok so this is turning out to be one cold winter probably from all the arctic winds. Also, seems like there are a lot of heater/heating issues popping up in the forum. What are your thoughts or regimen to ensure your tank is stable throughout the winter months?

Also, what are your thoughts on replacing heaters? I've heard someone say its good to change once a year. Feel free to share near disaster or full on tank crash stories as well.

 

[Usingthejohn]

Considering I broke my tank downi went and got a 300w titanium heater and have it comnected to an aqualogic controller.

As for annual heater replacements? Small price for lots of piece of mind

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[innerspark]

Heater failure put me out of this hobby once. I had a 65 gallon tank back in 2006. Heater was not even a year old. Went on a 1 week vacation for christmas to colorado that turned into a 3 week from the blizzards that year. My sister (tank sitter) called me once to tell me "there are no bubbles in the tank". I ask what she meant and she described it like she was expecting a undergravel filter. Long story short the day before I headed back I had he flip a switch in the house and the heater tripped the circuit breaker so I came home tall all my frozen food bad and everything in my tank dead.

So now I have my heaters hooked up to a controller, extra heaters laying around, only go titanium heaters now, and she is not allowed to tank sit ever again.

 

[Reefomeez]

Multiple titanium heaters controlled via apex.

I may have lost all of my fish to the cold. The brute I had them in is in the garage. They were doing great before this cold front showed up.

 

[zoechance]

Hi I have a very related question!!
SO I have a nice titanium heater in my sump. I still worry about failure of the heater as in the winter we heat house to 70 degrees and without a working heater I fear a disaster.
Question: how do you plumb in a second heater? do you set it at a lower temp than the main heater so if the main 1 fails it trips in? should I put it upstream of the main heater? in my DT? (that would be ugly…)
thanks

 

[Zoarder]

Hi I have a very related question!!
SO I have a nice titanium heater in my sump. I still worry about failure of the heater as in the winter we heat house to 70 degrees and without a working heater I fear a disaster.
Question: how do you plumb in a second heater? do you set it at a lower temp than the main heater so if the main 1 fails it trips in? should I put it upstream of the main heater? in my DT? (that would be ugly…)
thanks

I have one in my DT and one in my sump. I keep the one in my sump 1 degree below. I hid it with LR so you can't see it.

 

[lowbudget]

i use to just run multiple heaters in the sump. at all times hooked up to a controller

 

[standaman4]

You guys are all scarring me. I wish I picked another one during black Friday. I guess Xmas gift it is 😊

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[reefes pieces]

Yup you can do that. that way if the heater isn't sufficient or kicks the bucket you'll have a back up kick in at a certain temp.

Hi I have a very related question!!
SO I have a nice titanium heater in my sump. I still worry about failure of the heater as in the winter we heat house to 70 degrees and without a working heater I fear a disaster.
Question: how do you plumb in a second heater? do you set it at a lower temp than the main heater so if the main 1 fails it trips in? should I put it upstream of the main heater? in my DT? (that would be ugly…)
thanks

 

[Rrocky]

Runnin two heaters in the sump and still came home to a 70 degree tank...thinkin I need one in the DT? I have about 60g total water volume and running two eheim 150's in the sump. One on the second chamber and one in the return. One set to 79 and the other to 77. Never thought I'd have a problem with keeping the tank warm! Just saw the exploding heater thread too, man that **** freaks me out!!!

 

[zoechance]

Hi All thanks for your input. SO a second heater guards against heater failure but increases your chances of an exploding heater…LOL!!
On a related topic I just bit the bullet and bought 2 back up batteries 1 for each of my MP40's…. trying to disaster proof my tank… but ya never know….

 

[newe70]

I have a 300w Fluval in my sump and just added another 100w Fluval in the return chamber. Both were set at 83 degrees. The ReefKeeper temp probe showed 75.4 degrees and the Corallife digital thermometer placed in the dt showed at 74.3 degrees.

 

[Rrocky]

72 this morning...gonna add a heater in display for the winter...on a side note it's 30 below in Colorado! We should get some input how they keep their tanks warm lol http://youtu.be/7HDhmQuSLRg

 

[BeanMachine]

Mine has been staying right around 76 with one 200w heater. On a controller. Comes on at <75.9 and goes off at >78.

 

[igotcorals]

I have 3 heaters on my frag tank all controlled by my reefkeeper. It get's really cold where I live at night..

I think a quality heater should be replaced every 5 years. Eheim and titanium heaters are my favorite and use them in all my tanks.

Temp stays at a stable 78.1

 

[thresher]

My temp probe went screw ball (kept reading that the water was 85) on me last week and the heater basically did not kick on for a couple days. I noticed the water temp was way down 65....or so but the fish were still alive. Be cautious of and take a glance at a backup temp reading every once in while.