My Filter and Heater shut off over night. What do I do?

[FishFinatic77]

You didn't answer Lunar Jetman's issue of the temp though, and this is important going forward. What fish do you have that need 80F? This is very warm for many species which can cause issues.

I have a honey gourami, harlequin rasboras, cherry barbs, and a clown pleco. (I know the tank is too small and I will be upgrading soon.) Everything that I read said that these fish do fine in 80F. I would rather have the temp at 78F, but my heater is very hard to adjust properly and I would rather not mess things up.

 

[Waterstrider]

What brand do you use? I've been meaning to buy some, but all of the ones I looked at seem to be really cheaply made for quite a bit of money.

 

[Byron]

I have a honey gourami, harlequin rasboras, cherry barbs, and a clown pleco. (I know the tank is too small and I will be upgrading soon.) Everything that I read said that these fish do fine in 80F. I would rather have the temp at 78F, but my heater is very hard to adjust properly and I would rather not mess things up.

Considering the temperature on its own (not the heater issue), none of these fish need it as warm as 80F so it could be lowered. I would go down around 76-77F here. All animals require a certain internal temperature for their physiological systems to operate at their best. Fish being ectotherms, they cannot create heat internally so they rely on the temperature of their aquatic environment. Temperature of the water therefore drives their metabolism. The higher the temperature, the more energy it takes to maintain the basic physiological functions. So the fish "wear out" faster. Additionally, this causes stress which further weakens them, and can lead to many other problems.

When a reliable site (such as Seriously Fish, CorydorasWorld, Planet Catfish, etc) gives a temperature range for a species, in most cases the upper and lower temperatures are those at which the fish can generally manage but for shorter periods. The mid-range is usually the optimum temperature for the species on a long-term basis. The fish will have less difficulty maintaining their internal biological processes at this mid-range and that means healthier fish.

Aquarium heaters can be fussy. But another advantage to the slightly lower temperature is that the heater will last longer and be less likely of trouble along the way as it is not working as hard.

 

[FishFinatic77]

Ok, I'll try and change the temp. Thanks!