Heater

[Fishy friend2]

Hi all I don't have enough money in my wallet to buy a heater for my 14 gallon tank and I was wondering since I have an extra 100 watt heater can I use it in there or will it fry the fish

 

[fluttermoth]

It'll be fine as long as it doesn't 'stick on' which is how a lot of heaters fail...

 

[Fishy friend2]

What do you mean by stick on do mean the little suction cup things if so It does have those should I lay it on the ground if you mean the suction cups

 

[Aquamaniac]

yes you can.Heaters are designed to shut down once the water hits the desired temperature.The one thing is it will spend more energy than required to heat up your tank but compared to buy a new one its better to use the one you have.I did the same when my 14 gallon tank's heater broke down.Replaced it with a spare from my bigger tanks.it worked fine for years.

 

[Fishy friend2]

Okay thanks will it work for a 10 gallon or just the 14 gallon

 

[Aquamaniac]

What do you mean by stick on do mean the little suction cup things if so It does have those should I lay it on the ground if you mean the suction cups

He means that when heaters stick they cannot stop heating anymore.But that can happen to any heater its a common failure.The one i said broke down well it got stick.
You'll be fine with your heater don't spend any money.If it one day something happens to your heater it won't be because its on a smaller tank.

 

[Fishy friend2]

Okay so it would work fine in a 10 gallon or 14 gallon

 

[Aquamaniac]

Okay thanks will it work for a 10 gallon or just the 14 gallon

Yes.Just make sure that the heater is all submerged.That heater is bigger than one normally used in that kind of tank. If it comes out of the water DO NOT USE IT.

 

[Proxo]

Recycled topic; 300watt heater in a 90 litre tank okay too then?

It's only temp while i use another heater for a Q tank.

 

[Fishy friend2]

Okay thanks

 

[Chris2]

Okay so it would work fine in a 10 gallon or 14 gallon

Yes, as long as you can install it normally it will work.

Also even though it is a larger wattage, it should not use more electricity to heat the tank than say a 25 watt heater. Follow along with me here, also these are just numbers...

Lets say the 25 watt heater cycles on and off once an hour for 10 minutes. Thats 250 watt of electrical usage per hour.

Lets also say the 100 watt heater cycles on and off once an hour, however since it uses more electricity during each cycle its total "on" time is less. Lets say it takes 2.5 minutes per hour to heat the tank to the same level as the 25 watt heater. Thats still 250 watts used per hour.

Now understand this is just some numbers and simplified, but this is how it works in our aquariums.

 

[Fishy friend2]

Okay thanks for the help

Okay I will set it up in the 10 gallon

 

[Fishy friend2]

I am gonna put it in the 10 gallon with a beta

 

[Fishy friend2]

The heater is working nicely thanks for the help guys and girls