[romster]

Hello there,
the weather getting cooler and i think the time has come to purchase a heater for my tank. I am having hard time finding information on how they are used, specifically if they can touch the leaves of my plants or if they are usually somehow insulated in case fish touch them. I really do not know how hot the heaters can get, therefore I worry about these things.

Thank you.

 

[Discusluv]

Ive never had issues with fish burning themselves on heaters. I know it has happened because I have heard about it a couple times in the last 31 years Ive been keeping fish.
But, in general, I dont think it is something to be concerned about.
Also, never had them burn plants.
At this point, I have several different types of heaters in my tanks.

IN one 30 gallon with Rams I have A Fluvel Neotherm. These have been my go-to heaters for many years. Recently, though, I had one stick and lost a group of fish. I decided that my go-to had lost its luster. So, to replace it I bought an Aqueon Submersible Pro heater. Its okay. It really doesn't maintain temperature that well; but keeps it above 82 degrees- so its all good.

My 60 gallon and my 180 have sensitive fish that demand high and stable temperatures. With these tanks I use temp controllers with temp probes/heater. For both these tanks I use JBJ True Temp Digital Heater Controllers. These have been the best Ive ever used to maintain a consistent temperature. The probes do have a tendency to go out. but, they are not that much to replace. the heaters themselves are workhorses.

 

[romster]

@Discusluv thanks for yoour reply. Ok, I understand the fish are probably smart enough as to go around the heaters, but what about the plants? I have never had a heater in my tank so forgive me if I sound silly. Do the heaters get hot enough to burn a leaf of a plant? My Tank is fairly small and at the same time quite heavily planted, it will be quite a challenge to find a suitable wall with a space big enough to place a heater on.

 

[Discusluv]

@Discusluv thanks for yoour reply. Ok, I understand the fish are probably smart enough as to go around the heaters, but what about the plants? I have never had a heater in my tank so forgive me if I sound silly. Do the heaters get hot enough to burn a leaf of a plant? My Tank is fairly small and at the same time quite heavily planted, it will be quite a challenge to find a suitable wall with a space big enough to place a heater on.

I have never experienced plants being burned by a heater, no. I dont think that is something you should worry about either.

 

[Oughtsix]

What is your current tank/filter configuration? There are inline filters that you can insert in the return tubing between a canister filter and the display tank if you have a canister filter? I like this approach because it keeps extra equipment out of the display tank. Personally I keep my heaters in the sump but this isn't an option for most tanks.

 

[romster]

What is your current tank/filter configuration? There are inline filters that you can insert in the return tubing between a canister filter and the display tank if you have a canister filter? I like this approach because it keeps extra equipment out of the display tank. Personally I keep my heaters in the sump but this isn't an option for most tanks.

I have an internal filter so this is not an option. But thanks for the insight.

 

[PlantedRich]

Heaters could burn a plant leaf in some situations but then it is just a single leave or portion of one and is not a big problem that I have ever worried much about as it is way down the list of things that cause problems. Far more likely to get damage from snails of some types or fish like pleco who rasp on leaves. Just not one to give too much thought! For fish, I think it will take a pretty dumb fish to stay on the heater long enough to do damage. I've always felt the folks who found a burned fish might be more likely to find a fish which died and then drifted to the heater where it was burned. Kind of like us picking up a hot rock? Most of us know what to do before we manage to damage ourselves! :grin2:
One of the biggest problems with heaters is that they often fail in a way that they stick on and cook the fish and kill them all, so I give far more thought to how to avoid that by putting a temperature controller on the heater.
If the thermostat on the heater sticks, the temperature controller thermostat will then control the temperature until you notice the change. I run controllers on all tanks that have fish to bother me and set the controller a couple degrees different than the heater and if I see the temp is off, I look for the cause before letting both fail at the same time.
Somebody mentioned controller probes going bad and that does happen but we can avoid the problem with simple things. The problem is that the probes are not fully waterproof but more watertight for a bit, so I keep them from staying in the water all the time by putting them in a water tight "sleeve" of some sort. If you don't want to buy something special, try sealing the end of a soda straw and sticking the probe in the straw to keep it dry! Sealing most straws is simple as you can set one end on fire and then crimp it out with pliers, stepping on it, etc. which makes the melted plastic seal as it cools.
Or you can get heat shrink in very long lengths and seal it. I like the straws as they hold the probe wire stiff so I can hide it better like on the back of filter intakes.