Heater stuck on - HELP!

[ItsMee]

My tank is at 85 degrees right now and the only possible cause I can think of is one of my heaters is stuck on. I had a 300W heater and a 200W heater as well. The 300W heater is the one that got stuck on. Will the 200W heater keep my aquarium at the right temp for a couple of days when I will have the money to buy a couple of titanium heaters? (total gallonage of about 80 when considering liverock)

 

[stelow]

Yes.

 

[Spuds725]

I have a 100 watt heater that will keep my 72 gallon tank at 78 without a problem (house temp is 70)

SHould be fine....

I bought this after my 300W heater stuck on before-- think of it as an insurance policy.... for $120....

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=AL1711

For those on a budget-- consider this for at least a high or low temp warning...

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium...nbow_lifegard_digital_thermometer.asp?CartId=

 

[masson]

My 350 watter broke and I've been using a 100 watt for a month now. No probs.

 

[szwab]

in stead of getting one heater get 2 undersized so that if there are issues later on the damage will be minimal
the 200 watt should be fine assuming the air temo is not real low

 

[sjm817]

I run (2) 150W on a 90G/40G sump setup. I would use (2) 100W or (2) 150W tops. Yes, the 200W will be fine in the mean time.

 

[ItsMee]

Thanks everyone! Now I can sleep tonight. Sometimes having a tank is extremely stressful...my wife just said, "I think that thing requires more attention than a kid". What is a "Tops" heater?

 

[bertoni]

IMO, there is no such thing as a reliable heater. Sad, eh? I use two heaters plus a separate DIY thermal shutoff. A temperature controller is an equivalent device.

 

[ItsMee]

How can you be sure that a heater is in fact stuck on? I turned it all the way down (room temp is higher than the lowest setting) and plugged it in the outlet (out of water) and it started heating up real quick.

 

[sjm817]

I would not plug a heater in out of the water. Does it have any sort of light indicating on/off?

 

[stewie24]

ItsMee - have you tried unplugging the heater for 15 minutes or so, and then lowering the temp knob on it a little bit and plugging it back in? I had that happen to me a while back. On one of my 10 gallon tanks the heater stuck on, and I just happened to catch it when the temps were around 85 or higher. I just unplugged it for 1/2 hr or so, lowered the temp knob a bit, and plugged it back in while i kept an eye on it. Seemed to work fine ever since then.
Just an idea.
Stewie

 

[ItsMee]

Theres a light...does the light mean heat on? Now that I think about it, when I plugged it in, the room temp is the same or maybe a little lower than the lowest setting on the heater. Now I dont know. Would if it was the 200W heater that was stuck on..but its light isnt on. Hmmmm...maybe none of the heaters are stuck on....what else would cause such heat? None of my pumps are seized. I just recently got MH lights, but they are 9 inches from the surface with no canopy and the temp was 85 degrees about 3-4 hours after the MH lights went off...if the temp was still high from them that would mean that the temp went way higher than 85 - and that didnt happen because there was no calcium percipitation. Any ideas?

 

[bertoni]

The light usually means the heater is actively producing heat. You can test the heater in a bucket of water. A small pump might help. The thermometer will tell you the truth fairly quickly. Use the smallest amount of water that'll cover the heater.

 

[sjm817]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6620790#post6620790 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ItsMee
....what else would cause such heat? ....I just recently got MH lights,

I'd look more closely at that. See how the temps are in the morning and after the lights are on all day.

 

[szwab]

MH do contribute a decent amount of heat to the tank.

 

[ItsMee]

but dont you think if it was the MHs that the temp would have been a lot higher than 85 if it is 85 4 hours after they went off? It would have been hot nough to make calcium percipitate. I had an MJ 900 behind some rocks that I forgot about. It was seized, but didnt feel hot. An MJ 900 couldnt produce that much heat in a 80 gallon system right?

 

[bertoni]

A MJ 900 is basically a 9 W heater or so. Seized, it would consume less power, I think, due to the heat-induced self-limiting.

 

[mikenpam]

It will depend on your room temperature but I belive a tank of your size wouldn't cool down too fast. I would keep an eye on your water temp now that you have MH lights. I have to run a chiller as I keep my tank covered to limit evaporation.

 

[ItsMee]

well I have a fan blowing across the surface now...ill have to keep up on evap

 

[szwab]

make sure you don't cool it down too fast. that would be almost as bad as the heat issue.

check the temp several time throughout the day and see if it is the lights or not