All About Aquarium Heaters

Say for example that you have a fish tank that needs to be at 75 degrees. You might think that because the tank stays right at 75 degrees without a heater you wont need to purchase a heater for your fish tank. I don't think that people really understand the reasons for purchasing a heater.

People will purchase a heater if the tank needs to stay at 80 degrees but not at 70 degrees. No matter what temperature your tank needs to be at, you will need a heater in your fish tank. The reason behind this is to make sure that your heater stays at a steady temperature.

You will first need to set up the tank and place it at the exact temperature that it needs to be at. Make sure that you purchase a temperature gauge which sticks on to the side of the aquarium. You will want to keep an eye on the tank over the next week.

See how much the tank varies in temperature in the morning and late at night. Sometimes, keeping your light on for too long will heat up the water in your fish tank. This might cause the temperature to rise more than 2 degrees. If that is the case, you will want to hook up the light to a timer and keep the light on for exactly 7 hours.

You will want to check the tank periodically. If you notice that the temperature is going up and down, see how much the temperature fluctuates. If it's not more than 2 degrees you will not need to purchase a heater for your fish tank. If the temperature is going up or down more than 3 degrees you will want to take a look around the tank. There has to be a reason that the water temperature is going up and down. Perhaps there is a window next to your fish tank. Perhaps you placed the tank near a heating vent and it kicks off and on.

Your tank should stay at around 75 degrees without a heater. It will all vary on the temperature of the room by a few degrees. If your tank is located next to any vents or windows you will want to move the tank. If the vent is more than 3 feet away it should be fine. You just want to make sure the vent isn't under the tank or right behind the tank. This will cause many problems.

You never want to purchase a glass heater. If removed from the water, it will shatter. You always want to purchase plastic heaters. Marineland makes excellent heaters and you can purchase them online or at your local pet store. These are the best heaters you can buy and I've been using them for years.