# Heater malfunctioned :(



## Tracy (Aug 4, 2006)

I just discovered all the fish in my 7 gallon hexagon aquarium,  _ dead._ At first I didn't realize how this could have happened but when I started removing the dead fish with the net I noticed the water was hot. Apparently the thermostat on my heater malfunctioned, and the heat just stayed on. The fish were fine last night, so this malfunction would have occurred sometime in the past 20 hours. How disturbing  . It was 100 degrees F in the tank, just like a hot tub. :evil:


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Sorry to hear that.:blueworry:
What species of fish died? What is the brand of your heater?

It is scary when you hear stories of heaters malfunctioning and eventually cooking the fish.:blueshake: :blink:


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## joeshmoe (Aug 2, 2006)

Blue said:


> Sorry to hear that.:blueworry:
> What species of fish died? What is the brand of your heater?
> 
> It is scary when you hear stories of heaters malfunctioning and eventually cooking the fish.:blueshake: :blink:


 i no this things allways get me worried :roll:


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

I'm more worried about heaters with dodgy brand names and often unusually very low price tags. A lot of people keep telling me that the heaters they used which were manufactured by China keep malfunctioning and eventually killed almost all fish in the tank. The lfs where I always buy my fish and equipments once warned me against choosing heaters with dodgy brand names particularly those with names originating from China. It was unfortunate that most of the fish that died were very expensive.

Mine is Sera. No problems with it. I just don't use it during summer days for precautionary measures even if I knew already that the heater will automatically switch off once the temperature is above or below the given temp on the thermostat.

Eheim is also a good option but I still haven't experience using it although some people did say it was good compared to those manufactured from China.


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## joeshmoe (Aug 2, 2006)

i have a top fin it 27.00 bucks so i dont no if u call that cheap or not but ihas a ground wire and every thing in it  8) . what was the brand tracy?


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## JouteiMike (Oct 7, 2006)

Sorry to hear about the heater problem.

I recently picked up a new heater, wanted to try a new brand, so I picked up a 50 watt All Glass Aquarium brand heater for my 10 gallon. And it's got a lifetime warrenty!

http://www.all-glass.com/products/other/aga_heaters.shtml

It's the only other brand I have tried other than Ebo Jaber, which is in my opinion, hands down the most reliable heaters out there.


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## caferacermike (Oct 3, 2006)

That Ebo Jager is the best. Of course it's made by Eheim. For truly expensive tanks it's best to buy a chiller controller for your heater. What? Why would I say that? Because they are more accurate and hardly fail. You set a probe it in the water and plug the heater into the body of the controller. you set the temp you want on the heater and then set it on the controller. the controller will only allow the heater to work when it says so. And also since the heater has another thermostat if ever the controller does not tell the heater to turn off, and provided the heater is not broken as well, the heater will automatically shut off. Double redundancy.


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## Tracy (Aug 4, 2006)

joeshmoe said:


> i have a top fin it 27.00 bucks so i dont no if u call that cheap or not but ihas a ground wire and every thing in it  8) . what was the brand tracy?


Joe, _*get rid of it![/*i] It was a TopFin 25 watt (Top Fin is PetSmart's store brand, they own the company). It had been in use for less than 3 months._


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## Tracy (Aug 4, 2006)

Blue said:


> Sorry to hear that.:blueworry:
> What species of fish died? What is the brand of your heater?
> 
> I lost 3 platys and 2 cories. I think my snail may have survived (it doesn't smell dead).


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## crazie.eddie (Sep 1, 2006)

Sorry to hear about it. Many people have issues with heaters so they use heater controllers such as the Otto heater controller or Jehcmo heater conrollers. Otto heater controllers were once offered at AngelsPlus for $15 (USD), but is no longer offered.

Fortunately for me, I have not had any problems with any of the heaters I have (knock on wood), which include Wonn Brothers Titanium heaters, ViaAqua Stainless Steel heaters, Hydor ETH inline heaters and a mix of some glass heaters.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Ebo Jeager is surely the best, and one of the most expensive. If you want just as sturdy and a lot less money, try a brand named "AquaEl" for heaters. They're awesome, and the only brand I will buy anymore. They hold up as well in saltwater as in freshwater, and I have yet to have any problems with one after 4 yrs of running non stop. I have replaced all of my heaters with these over the past few yrs, and have not had any further heater problems since.
Very sorry to hear about your fish, Tracy.


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## Amphitrite (Sep 8, 2006)

Sorry to hear about your fish Tracy.


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## crazie.eddie (Sep 1, 2006)

I actually use these in all my tanks...
 and set them to alarm at +-5 degrees of my normal temp. That along with my ViaAqua stainless steel heater, Wonn Brothers titanium heaters, or Hydor ETH inline heaters, my temps are usually +-1 degrees.

As mentioned previously on my posts, allot of people use heater controllers for worries of failing or failed heaters.

I do not like using glass heaters and prefer stainless steel or titanium heaters or even Inline heaters, since the controllers are outside the tank and seem to be very accurate. I prefer NOT having the heater element inside the tank, since there is a chance a fish may accidently get burnt.


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## Tracy (Aug 4, 2006)

Thank you to everyone for all your replies and kind words. In my 12 years of fishkeeping, this was the first time it had happened (and hopefully the last). I'm very thankful that it did not happen in my large community tank, or my cichlid tank, or, God forbid, to my African Elephant Nose. The fish I lost were not expensive fish, but I still feel awful about the horrible way they died.


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## joeshmoe (Aug 2, 2006)

i u sure it was the same one? ive allways use topfin stuff and never had any problems


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## dprUsh83 (Sep 11, 2006)

joeshmoe said:


> ive always use topfin stuff and never had any problems


Same here....I'm going to keep an eye on mine after hearing this though :shock:


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## joeshmoe (Aug 2, 2006)

crazie.eddie said:


> I actually use these in all my tanks...
> and set them to alarm at +-5 degrees of my normal temp. That along with my ViaAqua stainless steel heater, Wonn Brothers titanium heaters, or Hydor ETH inline heaters, my temps are usually +-1 degrees.
> 
> As mentioned previously on my posts, allot of people use heater controllers for worries of failing or failed heaters.
> ...


 i asked for one of those moniters for christmas so mybe ill be ok


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## Tracy (Aug 4, 2006)

dprUsh83 said:


> joeshmoe said:
> 
> 
> > ive always use topfin stuff and never had any problems
> ...


I did a Google search on Top Fin, and found a link that talked about heaters, and even there they mentioned that the Top Fin heaters are prone to malfunctioning  

I would never buy another heater from Top Fin. I do use a lot of the Top 
Fin products, but if a filter malfunctions I won't have dead fish in less than 24 hours and will be sure to notice that it is not working. Unfortunately, heaters are 'silent' and you don't know until notice the malfunction until you see dead fish and feel the hot water.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

Tracy said:


> Unfortunately, heaters are 'silent' and you don't know until notice the malfunction until you see dead fish and feel the hot water.


That's one thing I hate about using heaters.:redmad: I had to check my heater all the time to ensure it's not malfunctioning otherwise it'll boil even my discus and rams to death.:blink:
Oh no!! Not my expensive fish.:blink:


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## joeshmoe (Aug 2, 2006)

ill just pray it works till i have enough to buy two new ones


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

joeshmoe said:


> ill just pray it works till i have enough to buy two new ones


I hope so, Joe. I don't want to hear another horrible story of heaters malfunctioning and eventually cooking the fish.:blueshake:


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## joeshmoe (Aug 2, 2006)

ya the only prob is trying to tell my mom this. O yeah i need a new heater or my fish will die :roll: they allways get upset when i short notce them


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

joeshmoe said:


> ya the only prob is trying to tell my mom this. O yeah i need a new heater or my fish will die :roll: they allways get upset when i short notce them


Lol..Better tell them to pack their wallets or you'll only get angry remarks from them for the short notice.:tongue:


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## joeshmoe (Aug 2, 2006)

hey mom i need three new heaters asap :? well ill probly go when i get the mollies and buy two or three new ones


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

joeshmoe said:


> hey mom i need three new heaters asap :?


:bluelaugh: Is that it? Nice.:thumbsup: If not, do her a favor by cleaning the house or even your room.:mrgreen:


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## girlofgod (Aug 22, 2006)

i use a Rena cal heater...anyone have any experience with these? it's a 200W

bri


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## joeshmoe (Aug 2, 2006)

here is petsmarts owen web sites i found. im going to try to bring mine back today and see if they'll take it http://reviews-cdn.petsmart.com/4830/10202/reviews.htm


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## JouteiMike (Oct 7, 2006)

girlofgod said:


> i use a Rena cal heater...anyone have any experience with these? it's a 200W
> 
> bri


Do you have the Basic or Excel model? I think the only difference is a lighted top so it is easier to see the temperature dial. These are good heaters, and are worth the few extra bucks.


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## joeshmoe (Aug 2, 2006)

i went to petsmart and ask if i can bring my heater and get new diff heater so they said yes, i think ill get the rena cal.


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## joeshmoe (Aug 2, 2006)

im going to buy the Visi-Therm i here its realy good what do u guys think?


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## jinithith2 (Oct 23, 2006)

I HATE TOPFIN PRODUCTS!!! I bought a heater from them and it stopped working completely. luckily, it shut off and stayed that way and didn't cook my fish...My filter from TopFin sux as well. I have to clean it every week. Strip it down and scrape out grunge from all nooks and crannies of the filter...and yet it still fails to function as well as a same size whisper filter.

Im sorry to hear about your fish Tracy. Hope you have better luck with other heaters


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## Tracy (Aug 4, 2006)

joeshmoe said:


> i went to petsmart and ask if i can bring my heater and get new diff heater so they said yes, i think ill get the rena cal.


Good for you, Joe! Glad to hear it  I know that Rena is a good brand name.


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## Tracy (Aug 4, 2006)

jinithith2 said:


> Im sorry to hear about your fish Tracy. Hope you have better luck with other heaters


I replaced the faulty heater with a "Neptune" glass heater, manufactured by Marineland. I have those in two other tanks and they do a good job and also have a 2 year warranty. I bought some little tetras to replace the fish I lost.


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## crazie.eddie (Sep 1, 2006)

Otto controllers are on sale for 50% off at Ultradirect...
http://www.ultralifedirect.com/heater_controller2.htm

I'm thinking of getting a couple.

FYI, you should use the correct wattage for the heaters, otherwise, the fuses will burn out. The fuses can be somewhat easily replaced, they are soldered onto the board, but with a soldering iron, anyone can remove/replace the fuse on them.

Jehmco controllers can handle higher wattage and some models are 2 stage controllers (one plug for heater, another for chiller).


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## love_my_fish (Sep 17, 2006)

Usually I'm worried that I forgot to plug the heater back in, but I just discovered that the thermometer on my 20 gallon wasn't reading at all (can read up to 84F). Used another thermometer -- 88 F! I can't tell you want the brand name is, all I can make out is Supreme Heetmaster? And it must be at least 5 years old.

The fish all seemed quite active and healthy, but I did a 10% water change with 80 F water, bringing it down to about 86F, and I turned the heater down, so hopefully it will keep temp. (I usually keep it at 76-78F)

But what a scare!


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## girlofgod (Aug 22, 2006)

mine is an excel...with the toplight


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## Tracy (Aug 4, 2006)

love_my_fish said:


> Usually I'm worried that I forgot to plug the heater back in, but I just discovered that the thermometer on my 20 gallon wasn't reading at all (can read up to 84F). Used another thermometer -- 88 F! I can't tell you want the brand name is, all I can make out is Supreme Heetmaster? And it must be at least 5 years old.
> 
> The fish all seemed quite active and healthy, but I did a 10% water change with 80 F water, bringing it down to about 86F, and I turned the heater down, so hopefully it will keep temp. (I usually keep it at 76-78F)
> 
> But what a scare!


No doubt, what a scare  Glad your fish seem alright though. Wow, we are certainly at the mercy of the companies that manufacture the heaters, eh?


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## jinithith2 (Oct 23, 2006)

the most trusty heater is NO heater!!!... actually not really, but (I've said this a million times before and I will say it again) just plain old flourescent lighting keeps my temp steady +- 1 degrees.
of course, I don't have a timer, so I leave me lights off during breaks, and I'm forced to purchase a heater...


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## Tracy (Aug 4, 2006)

It is far too cold here to have no heater in the aquarium  although my betta does alright with just the heat from the incandescent light in his 2 gallon hex aquarium.


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## crazie.eddie (Sep 1, 2006)

With all my years of fishkeeping, the only heater problem I had was a broken glass heater, when I accidently bumped a rock at it during a water change. Ever since then, I switched to titanium and stainless steel heaters, like the Wonn Brothers and ViaAqua. I can leave either heater, plugged in and take it out of the water without damaging the heater. I now prefer inline heaters, since you don't see the heater in the tank PLUS there is no posibility of the fish burning itself by accidently making contact with a hot heater.


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