HELP! Plagued with heating problems

[DesertBandits]

In my 29gal I have 2 150w heaters. At night the room temp gets to about 65deg, and for some reason my heaters just arent coming on. I wake up to check my tank and the water feels ice cold. I believe this has been going on for some time, but everything has survived because I have hardy corals/fish and all their other perameters are good.

The one Thing I must mention is that my heaters are not the completely under the water kind. Do i need to go get some submersible heaters? Do I need to put a lid on my tank? How do you guys get your tanks to stay warm? Also, this is a sumpless tank.

 

[Entropy]

I use submersible heaters (three x 150w) on a dual stage temp controller. I set my heaters for 80 degrees and then set my controller to 79, so that the controller turns them on when the temp drops below 79. If by chance the controller sticks on, the heaters will turn themselves off at 80, and if the heaters stick, the controlller turns them off at 79. Having three ensures a good chance at least one will work. My temp never drops below 78.9.

 

[Siklid]

good idea entropy, but i think three in his 29 might be a little much

 

[DesertBandits]

Im doing some reading. Do all you guys out there use visitherms? I like your setup Entropy. I already have 2 heaters. should they be on a temp controler? Do need better quality heaters or something?

 

[dwdenny]

Entropy what controller are you using?

 

[Entropy]

I am using the ReefKeeper 1 (www.digitalaquatics.com), but there are several cheaper options out there. I know a lot of people are using a Ranco, or others. The nice thing about a temp controller is that it is independent of the heater itself and is usually very reliable. The technology (although similar) in a $100 controller is quite a bit better and more reliable than the technology built into a $15-50 heater.

 

[RichConley]

Re: HELP! Plagued with heating problems

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6996521#post6996521 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DesertBandits
In my 29gal I have 2 150w heaters. At night the room temp gets to about 65deg, and for some reason my heaters just arent coming on. I wake up to check my tank and the water feels ice cold. I believe this has been going on for some time, but everything has survived because I have hardy corals/fish and all their other perameters are good.

The one Thing I must mention is that my heaters are not the completely under the water kind. Do i need to go get some submersible heaters? Do I need to put a lid on my tank? How do you guys get your tanks to stay warm? Also, this is a sumpless tank.

Desert, a lot of the time the thermostats in the heaters arent accurate, but they are precise. IE if I set my ebo to 80, it keeps the tank at a rock solid 78. If I set it to 82, it keeps it at 80. Yours may be an issue like that. 2x150w heaters should be a able to cook a 29.