Loaches Online Forum

I am saddened by this and would be upset myself if this happened to my fish. So, installed a temperature alarm up on my tank.

I have always used 2 lower wattage heaters with 2 different settings rather than one monster heater in my larger tanks; one kicks on a lower to mid temps and the other from mid temp to top end temps. This way not one heater is in control of the tank. Not sure if this is a true fail safe, but i have had 1 heater go wacky but not enough to do any damage. I will have to look at a controller or other means to protect them as well.

OneWay, that is an interesting solution.

Unfortunately in my research so far, I haven't found a heater that DOESN'T have a bad review somewhere.

I have always done things the "easy" way, hence my earlier comment on being lucky for a long time. Two heaters, controllers, limiters, alarms...I need to decide how "big" I want to go here. I know I already have a huge tank -- I am seriously thinking of selling it and getting a 50 or smaller and maybe different fish

But if I can't keep them safe, should I do it at all? Isn't it my responsibility, if I am gonna do it to do it as best I know how?

*sigh* Things have suddenly gotten complicated.

I'm a newbie compared to most of you , but I share your concern about the heater messin up and like many others, I have read about this happening too much. I wonder if Glenna could have a good idea---about changing heaters after so long. Problem would be to guestimate how long before replacing the heater. Wonder if others who have been through this devistation mentioned how long their heaters were running before they messed up. Not suggesting there is a ''magic number'' for heaters before they mess up ,but is it possible to to get an average heater life estimate from those who have expericnced this and we could get an idea when to change heaters? Honestly , I don't know , but I do know that none of us want to turn on the light to find this ...I can't see any way to actually safeguard the problem, but hope the more experienced on this forum continue to partake in this discussion. It is something we could benefit from as most of us , no matter what ''wet pets''we keep , never want to experience. Thanks ,and hang in there -please don't give up - there are so many fish waiting to get outta the cramped store tanks and into a loving and clean home.. Georgine

Man I feel really bad for you Imax because I kinda know how you feel. I recently cooked my fish with CO2 on full blast for 4 hrs while I was sleeping. I had a leak in the valve and I was having trouble regulating the CO2 correctly. I lost over $200 worth of fish in my 29G and a lot of them semi-rare or just hard to find in my area. Part of it was my fault though so I was really mad at myself and upset over the loss. Right now I'm in the middle of restocking, but I'm having a hard time finding some of the fish/loaches I had.

I'm currently using a Jager 100W heater for my tank, but it has trouble keeping up with the temperature in the winter seasons like we currently have now. If you really care about your fish, I'd suggest taking every precaution possible. You can never be too paranoid when it comes to the safety of your fish. Temperature controllers, alarms and dual heaters all sound like great ideas especially in a larger tank like yours. I wish I had some experience with these devices, but it seems like a lot of members here know their stuff. Larger tanks means bigger loss and of course the loss of large clown loaches like yours. I currently don't have any heater safety net or pH controller for my CO2. I would try to decide on a device or solution if it were me. I find it very important to protect a larger sized tank like that. Good luck with your tank and post some pics of your new fish!

I'm sorry for your loss. My view on heaters is that they are relatively inexpensive, so there's really no need to go cheap on them. Temp controllers are a bit expensive, but I'm sure that it'll be another level of safety for the fish.

Sorry to hear of your loss. I know how heartsick I would be.

I've had a couple of heater failures over the years. Just last week the heater in the 55 decided to run wild - happened to notice the water was pretty warm while putting a piece of seaweed in the holder for the pleco. I had been turning it up over the space of a few days to help with an ich problem and it apparently wasn't keen. The temp was at 92F. No fish were lost, but all of the java ferns turned brown.

Several years ago I noticed that the bottom had been broken off a heater. I'm still scratching my head over that one. No fish were lost, and I didn't get zapped. I do my best to keep a suction cup on the bottom end now.

An alarm seems like a very good idea - who manufactures those? I can't recall ever seeing one on sale anywhere.

I had the same thing happen to me many moons ago. It was 1973 (yicks!) and my heater broke on my aquarium the temp soared to over 100 degrees and boiled my fish in my little kiddy 10gal aquarium. I was heart broken. I had one black molly survive. She was never quite right after the incident. Glad to hear ur getting back and restarting. How is ur new aquarium? peace kris

Hi, ImaxEventer,

So sorry to hear of your loss. It is never easy to lose pets, especially when they have been with you for so long. Although you cannot exactly replace them, I think you would miss your hobby just as much if you gave it up.

No matter how many precautions you take, nothing is ever failsafe. For every solution, there is a problem, and there are also unforseen circumstances that can crop up at a moment's notice such as power failures, etc. All you can do is your best and if something goes wrong, try to do it better next time. I am also not one to take what I would consider unnecessary measures that may or may not be needed, but I wouldn't call this taking the easy way out either.

About a month ago, I was lucky to notice the heater on one of my tanks malfunctioning before it was too late. My arm bumped against it and it was so hot I was burned. I was lucky it didn't burst or get hot enough to damage my fish. I replaced it with a better heater and started keeping the water level higher, which was part of the problem.

Heater guards are good to have. They keep the heater from getting too hot and will keep the glass in if it happens to break. Depending on what kind of filtration you have, you can also look at placing the heater directly in your sump or filter. This way there is maximum contact with the water and the heat stays more stable. As many others have mentioned, it is also a good idea in a large tank to have more than one heater as backup in case one stops working.

Yes, you are right too that there is a bad review for every product. Once again, this is about doing what you can with what you have; trying to choose as best you can and, well, that's about all you can!

Each and every beautiful thing in life involves some kind of risk. If we spent our lives worrying about what's to come, or putting things off until we can make them "perfect," all the best enjoyments would be drained away.

Good Luck with your future plans,
soul-hugger

X 2 on Stealth heaters. I have used them for years without fail. My heater controller on the other hand, hooked to a Titanium heater core{used in a 90 reef..it's a Finnex} has died I don't know how many times..3 or 4, and had to be replaced. I gave up and got a large regular heater. My friend who owns a reef shop swears by aqua controller juniors.
I am so very sorry for your terrible loss.

I'm so sorry to hear this. I know how you feel somewhat.

In the big windstorm a few yrs ago, I didnt have power for 8 days and lost all 4 tanks of fish. It was so sad emptying those tanks.

In my largest tanks, I have used 2 lower wattage heaters, with the hope that if one went haywire like yours, it wouldnt have enough power to get that hot. I dont know if that's true tho.

What if the heater is hooked up to a timer? Just run the heater at a higher temp, but shut it off ever 15mins or so. If the heater breaks, it should take longer before the water temps will reach dangerous levels. But then I guess the heater won't last as long.