# Which heater is better for a 1 gallon fish tank? 25w or 50w?



## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

which one is better? i need the heater for my fry mollies, which one works better and which one will not make the water hot? the tank looks like this http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hawkeye-1-Corn…


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## GwenInNM (Feb 2, 2011)

I Love Tetras And Oscar said:


> which one is better? i need the heater for my fry mollies, which one works better and which one will not make the water hot? the tank looks like this http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hawkeye-1-Corn…



_I'd go with a 25 watt for a 1 gallon, but think even that may be to much wattage for a 1 gallon. I'd go for one that is adjustable, and not pre-set

Gwen 
_


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

I would be careful trying to heat a tank that small.

Placing the tank near a source of heat would be better.


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

but can i adjust it to the lowest number? and you know what i mean right? adjust it to the lowest number so it wont make the tank hot.


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

A slightly higher temperature than the fish need within 1-2 degrees is actually GOOD for fry.

It speeds up their metabolism and they will grow quicker. They need to be fed slightly more though.


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## 4shi (Feb 25, 2012)

1 gallon? Huh! For that even 5 W would be dangerous. What is the temperature of your room?


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## GwenInNM (Feb 2, 2011)

I Love Tetras And Oscar said:


> but can i adjust it to the lowest number? and you know what i mean right? adjust it to the lowest number so it wont make the tank hot.



Can be tricky. The lowest setting could still be too hot for a 1 gallon. You may be better off with a preset, that would shut off at 78, but the problem with that is 78 may not be the "right" temp.

Gwen


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

You also need to factor in the ambient room temperature the tank is in as well.

Shutting off at 78F, if you have a hot room will raise the temperature slightly anyway in that small amount of water.


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

i dont have a warm room, so a 25 watt wont work? can i just give it a try?


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## 4shi (Feb 25, 2012)

You should get a thermometer. Well, 25 W is enough to rise like 9 Fahrenheit in 6 gallons. Since you can't set the temperature on such a small heater like that, it will. In your tank it could go upon 100 Fahrenheit, which is far more than deadly. I asked the temperature of your room, because it's not equal everyhere. On the top of an armoire it can be +2 or 3 Fahrenheits, or you also can put it close to the radiator. But use a thermometer for this, and forget about the 25 W heater.
But wait... If it's for mollies, get at least a 12 gallons tank for them.


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

The tank will NOT go up to a 100F. It would have to be very very close to a heat source such as an electric heater or heating duct to get that high.

I have 2 x 25w in a 15g gallon and they cannot keep the temperature at even 78F which is there preset value.

I would recommend you get the heater,
If you have a thermometer, find a container and add slightly warm water, using the thermometer, record the temperature until it gets to 78F. This will give you an idea of the "feel" of the water.
That way you can manually check the tank and see if it "feels" too warm or cold. (using the thermometer as well)
I have used this method for small tanks which I absolutely only use in a TOTAL emergency until I can short the problem out...never had a fish die and a few degrees temperature + or - will not affect them...water temperature in nature rarely stays stable, there is change due to rain and sunny days etc.

5-10g tanks are not very expensive and it would possibly be in your benefit (budget allowing) to look at getting one of these. It gives you a more stable environment for the fish than a small 1g tank would.

Hope this helps.


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## 4shi (Feb 25, 2012)

Once i overheated the tank. Trust me, only my Betta could survive it.


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

can the light be the heater


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

It will give some heat but I dont think it would keep the temperature high enough. 
I have a 10g with a fairly powerful led lamp and it only raised the temperature by a small amount.

I think the 25w heater would work or look at getting a slightly larger tank. Given the right conditions the fry will grow quick and will need a bigger tank if they are still too small to go back with their parents.


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## 4shi (Feb 25, 2012)

I think the light really can heat up the tank a little, since this tank is really small, but depends on the lamp. I still say 25 W is dangerous. If it's not automatic, and you can't set an exact temperature, as long as it's plugged in it will just be heating and heating. You can read about the heaters, it's something like ~1W/liter... I don't really know, I don't like using small tanks, and for the big ones I can set the heaters.


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## lovehatepassion (Feb 5, 2012)

buy a lamp dimmer switch and an aquarium thermometer. plug the dimmer switch into the wall. plug the heater into the dimmer switch. adjust until you have the right temperature. presto.

this is how i regulate temps in my 10 gallon as well as the heat pads in all of my snake tanks.


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## GwenInNM (Feb 2, 2011)

I Love Tetras And Oscar said:


> can the light be the heater



In incandescent bulb could definately be a heater for a 1 gallon, however at night, you'd have a temp drop, which may effect whatever you have in the tank. What are you putting in a 1 gallon by the way? 

Regular light bulbs can get very hot, and do contribute to heat in a tank. If you are using a bulb such as LED's your a florescent bulb you won't have to worry about that.

Gwen


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## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

I think the key word here is adjustable. 

I've never tried to heat less than 1-1/2 gallons but 25w adjustable heaters worked just fine in that size.


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