Heater

[madgap]

I've noticed this on a few pictures and can't help but wonder, .....

Why do people put their aquarium heater right in the middle at the back on a 45º ish angle?
It's almost as though the heater is the focal point in the tank.

So if you don't fall into this heater status symbol thing, where do you put yours?

 

[gourami_fan]

I think the reason people place their heaters at an angle is because of the heat. Heat rises upwards, so if you place a heater vertically, then it will rise up towards the thermostat and cause the heater to turn off prematurely. By placing the heater at an angle, the thermostat won't be affected by the rising heat. Although heat rises upwards in the atmosphere, I'm not so certain the same conditions apply for underwater.

Another reason I can only think of is that it's just too long for some aquariums to place it vertically.

I place mine vertically and have no trouble with the distribution of heat to the tank as well with the thermstat. Maybe that's because my water circulation is appropriate for it to be in that position.

 

[Spinal]

I place mine vertically with the filter return aimed straight at it... never had any troubles and its hidden by the eHeim bar...

 

[madgap]

Mine is vertical because it is positioned in the filter casing. So I never have to look at it. I think it is a marvelous invention. But not so great that I'd want to put it on display.

 

[Tolak]

I'm surprised there aren't any heater that are brownish colored like driftwood, or greenish like plants. The ones that seem to blend in the best are the Visitherm Stealths, using a black background.

With show tanks I try to angle them a bit to hide behind any decorations. I literally toss them in breeding tanks, not stuck to anything. Sometimes they are towards the middle, sometimes towards the front, it doesn't matter.

Be proud of the technology behind your heater, stick it to the front of the tank, dead center.

 

[madgap]

Hahaha yeah, a splendid idea. I like the idea of a camoflaged heater too. You're maybe onto a money maker with that one

 

[drtim]

Another possibility if you have an external filter is an inline heater, then the heater is hidden away with the filter
T.

 

[Ian H]

i've got mine at an agle too

dont know why, i guess i must of seen it on some ones tank before i set up my first

although its not in the centre, but its fully in view.

 

[Underwurlde]

Copy & paste time again kiddies. My humblest apologies of course:

Heaters should be mounted at 45° angle: You see the thermostat is at the top of the heater. As the heater heats up the water it will rise and if mounted vertically the just heated water will go straight past the thermostat giving the thermostat a false indication (or more importantly an unstable indication) of the temperature of the surrounding water.

It is the heat of the water of the entire tank you are trying to target & stabilize, not just the immediate locale of the heater. Also for this very reason the heater should not be placed in a stagnant region of the tank, better still in a fast flowing region. Again the heater should be placed in the middle of the tank, not at the bottom, not at the top so that the temperature sensed by the thermostat is a true meridian.

Similar situation to having a thermostat in a house mounted above a radiator. Yes the heat you set is correct for immediate area, but in the rest of the house it is all over the place. Conversely if the thermostat is one end of the room and the radiator the other, and then the temperature you set on the thermostat will be a truer indication of the temperature of the room as a whole.

You don't want it horizontal / flat either - hopefully it's placed it in fast flowing water, so make the best of the volume of water flowing past it.

All pretty anal of course. Some manufactures of heaters state that the heater should actually be mounted vertically....


Andy

 

[dane261]

if you have plecs i advise to to have the vertical as they enjoy going to sleep on them resulting in the gettin burnt

cheers dane

 

[Underwurlde]

...you can get over-priced bits of plastic you'll be glad to know.... heater covers they're called.

Andy

 

[dthoffsett]

I'm surprised there aren't any heater that are brownish colored like driftwood, or greenish like plants. The ones that seem to blend in the best are the Visitherm Stealths, using a black background.

Yup, I have mine at an angle, and it blends into the background really well. If you look closely at the picture, you can see part of it to the right of the middle plant. It helps if you view the picture at it's original size.