NANO heater question

[Knox_Legend]

I am currently involved with an annoying heater issue in my 5 gallon nano and was seeking advice but first some background. My temperature fluctuates between 72 - 78 sometimes 80 that is if I leave my ceiling fan on which I do not want do all day like I currently do. Now if I turn the fan off the temp goes up over 80 up to 82 which I don't want. The corals don't really seem to mind the swings so much except for the frogspawn.

I have a nova 18" 2 bulb t5ho and a mini 4 bulb led strip zip tied on for some shimmer effect. I know the led isn't heating it up and the t5 is about 4 inches or so from the top of the tank and I don't think that is giving off much heat.

So my question is are there any heaters out there that anyone could reccomend for a small tank like this? Maybe a titanium or should I just get a controller of some sort? My current heater is a Hydor 25w.

Thanks

 

[macclellan]

While it may not seem so, the heat swing is from the lights. Consider adding a small, quiet fan (one of the low DB computer fans with an AC adapter) between your lights and aquarium top, and have it on the same timer as the light. That should do wonders to stabilize your temps.

If you want a controller, just get the reefkeeper lite. It's only $99 and does so much more than a simple temperature controller that costs nearly as much.


For now, I'd turn the heater up so the swing is less and keep the fan going for at least part of the light cycle.

 

[Knox_Legend]

Sounds good. I'll look into the reefkeeper and the small fan for between the lights and tank. The thing that I have noticed is how fast the water evaporates with the ceiling fan on. I have a small plexi cover for it but it just seems to keep more heat in than really helps with the evaporation.

Also what does everybody think of the titanium heaters and is there one small enough for a tank of this size?