When good heaters go bad

ACBlinky · 03/17/2006, 09:35 PM

I nearly lost everything in my 65g the other day. My new colt coral melted away and the finger leather bleached, the branching hammer lost one of its heads and I started to panic. All the tests came out fine, nothing wrong with the water quality, fish were acting a little stressed but otherwise fine (no heavy breathing or anything). I checked the temperature and nearly passed out - 89F!! I double checked with another thermometer, it read the same.

It seems my Ebo-Jager heater must have stuck in the 'on' position, but for some reason the indicator light was off so I had no idea it was on. I generally check the temperature daily, sometimes I miss a day, but that still means it could have been on for as long as 24-48h, thankfully it's only 150W and didn't cook everything.

I unplugged it and the tank has dropped to its usual 82F over several days, everything looks okay so far. Any ideas on a better brand of heater? I was thinking of getting an electronic one (Fluval Tronic) rather than the type that can stick.

mako199 · 03/17/2006, 09:48 PM

I thought the Ebo was one of the better heaters.......guess you cant trust any heater not to stick......got to check temp every day...(only solution). glad you didn't lose everything.

cw150 · 03/18/2006, 08:41 AM

thats why i use a digital controller so I can at least visibly see the temp every day.

vessxpress1 · 03/18/2006, 09:09 AM

Yeah, I bought one of those digital big temp alert thermometers with the probe that goes in the tank and mounted it on the wall by the tank. As soon as I walk in the room, from 10 feet away I know what temp the tank is and if there's a problem. I bought it from thatfishplace's catalog. Best 30 dollars I've ever spent. Reads to the 10th of a degree with high/low setting temp alarms to alert you of any problem.

I use a Tronic heater. I always keep a spare on hand just in case. I've never had one stick. They can fail in the off position though.

Craig Lambert · 03/18/2006, 09:54 AM

The best insurance policy you can buy for your tank is a controller imo. You don't have to spend an arm and a leg. A single or dual stage can avert a disaster. Here is a link to aqualogic controllers. There are less expensive ones. I believe this one is also sold under another name for less:

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_...ic.asp?CartId=

Ixthys · 03/18/2006, 10:25 AM

All good advice.

I use 2 heaters as the one time I had a failure, my heater stopped working and the tanked cooled. I set the 2nd heater 1 degree lower than the main.

I do have a 1hp chiller attached to the tank. If the heater ever got stuck "on", I'm hoping the chiller would fight the good fight until I figured out what was going on.

03/17/2006, 09:35 PM	#1
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	When good heaters go bad I nearly lost everything in my 65g the other day. My new colt coral melted away and the finger leather bleached, the branching hammer lost one of its heads and I started to panic. All the tests came out fine, nothing wrong with the water quality, fish were acting a little stressed but otherwise fine (no heavy breathing or anything). I checked the temperature and nearly passed out - 89F!! I double checked with another thermometer, it read the same. It seems my Ebo-Jager heater must have stuck in the 'on' position, but for some reason the indicator light was off so I had no idea it was on. I generally check the temperature daily, sometimes I miss a day, but that still means it could have been on for as long as 24-48h, thankfully it's only 150W and didn't cook everything. I unplugged it and the tank has dropped to its usual 82F over several days, everything looks okay so far. Any ideas on a better brand of heater? I was thinking of getting an electronic one (Fluval Tronic) rather than the type that can stick.

03/17/2006, 09:48 PM	#2
mako199 Tankless! Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cary, IL Posts: 806	I thought the Ebo was one of the better heaters.......guess you cant trust any heater not to stick......got to check temp every day...(only solution). glad you didn't lose everything. __________________ Mike _____________ Click the Homepage link for my (just another) 120g in wall thread. Current Tank Info: 40g Lizard tank

03/18/2006, 09:54 AM	#5
Craig Lambert Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 2,897	The best insurance policy you can buy for your tank is a controller imo. You don't have to spend an arm and a leg. A single or dual stage can avert a disaster. Here is a link to aqualogic controllers. There are less expensive ones. I believe this one is also sold under another name for less: http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_...ic.asp?CartId= __________________ "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will spend all day in a boat drinking beer." Current Tank Info: 75G Tank, 29G Sump, 100lbs LR, AquaC EV-180, Iwaki MD-20RT return Tunze nano streams 4X54 t-5/Icecap Ballast & SLR's 2x110 vho actinic

03/18/2006, 08:41 AM	#3
cw150 Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: nw suburbs chicago Posts: 330	thats why i use a digital controller so I can at least visibly see the temp every day.

03/18/2006, 09:09 AM	#4
vessxpress1 Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: NW IL Posts: 1,603	Yeah, I bought one of those digital big temp alert thermometers with the probe that goes in the tank and mounted it on the wall by the tank. As soon as I walk in the room, from 10 feet away I know what temp the tank is and if there's a problem. I bought it from thatfishplace's catalog. Best 30 dollars I've ever spent. Reads to the 10th of a degree with high/low setting temp alarms to alert you of any problem. I use a Tronic heater. I always keep a spare on hand just in case. I've never had one stick. They can fail in the off position though.

03/18/2006, 10:25 AM	#6
Ixthys Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Middletown, MD Posts: 562	All good advice. I use 2 heaters as the one time I had a failure, my heater stopped working and the tanked cooled. I set the 2nd heater 1 degree lower than the main. I do have a 1hp chiller attached to the tank. If the heater ever got stuck "on", I'm hoping the chiller would fight the good fight until I figured out what was going on.