Heater On This Tank?

[millie1]

this is probably a stupid question so forgive me lol!

i have a cycled 17 litre tank,,, that id like to put something in... BUT! its plastic.... with a lid etc....


i have a spare heater... can i use this???

just think heater+plastic tank?? = disaster?

thanks

 

[Robot_Rooster]

tropical water ain't really warm, their just not as cold as cold and if its a tropical heater it should turn off at a certain tempurature and turn back on when it needs heating again, im guessing

 

[millie1]

but can the heater go on a plastic tank???

 

[waterdrop]

Its a good question millie, the heater tube can get quite hot and I believe I remember a member one time posting a link that showed some sort of heater "protection cage" but I haven't been able to search anything like that out just now. It would be better to be safe than sorry and take measures to keep your tube away from touching the plastic wall (until and when you hear from some other members that its ok, I guess.) It certainly is not an issue in glass walled tanks or the big tanks that use clear acrylic I believe. As a temporary measure, in a pinch as it were, I'm sure it would be safe to devise a positioning of rocks or decorations that keeps the tube away from the wall if your cord is long enough on a submersible one, or some sort of non-heatable wedge on a side hanging heater.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[millie1]

its a heater that uses suckers to stick on....

so they actual heater shouldnt touch the wall.....

its not problem if it cant! just need to look at another type of fish to keep the tank going!!!

the tanks been running for aggggegesss now and its just ok now (goldies tank) which is now cycled........

sooo when they go (tomorow) i want something else init by next week at least.....

 

[waterdrop]

As long as the suckers hold it out ok and are reliable (some suction cups can be not reliable in tanks sometimes) then I'd think its fine. If you can, feel the outside of the plastic "glass" occasionally and see if it feels overly hot. The water is going to be quite good at carrying the heat away as long as the heater is even a little way away from the wall.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[millie1]

thanks

are there any other types of heaters i can get which will be safer

just seems a waste of a tank tbh if i cant use it ?

 

[Corleone]

There's some HOB and canister filters with heaters built in, but they may not be easy to find in your area or may not come in the right size. You should be able to find a heater cage at most fish stores, as they're popular for keeping fish from resting on or brushing against the heater and getting burned. These should work for keeping it off the sides of the tank, as well.

If the suction cups are good and the heater can't tough the sides of the tank, it shouldn't be a problem - I've used regular heaters in buckets and big tupperware dishes as getto fry and quarantine tanks. A lot of heaters have plastic guards on the bottom end, so if they do tilt towards the tank, the plastic will touch the tank and won't get nearly as hot as the glass itself. If there's no contact, it's fine - water is a good heat insulator.

 

[millie1]

thanks guys

im wanting a quarrantine tank now.... but need to keep it cycled..... its now fully done

my new tank is brill as well.... nitrite has gone up ever so slightly, but im doing another water change in a bit to bring it down (first wter change in 3 days...!)

my fish are swimming about loving it and the tanks that big i can never find them

 

[minxfishy]

Ive used a heater on a 21litre plastic tank (if you can call them plastic!) and no problems at all, I also know that others here do it too, as I asked the same ? a while back.

 

[OldMan47]

As you have already surmised, a proper submersible heater will be no problem at all on a plastic sided tank. A space as small as 1/4 inch between the tank wall and the heater would be plenty to prevent any damage to the tank. Most of the heater suction cup mounts will give you twice that much space.