Tank Temperature Too High

[TheAmazingLoaf]

I have a Juwel Vision 180 with all of the standard Juwel kit. It had been out of action for quite a while but since I got it started again I am having trouble controlling the temperature so I wonder whether my heater might have given up the ghost.

I have only a few fish in there, Cardinal Tetras, Green Tiger Barbs, a Clown Loach, Zebra Loach and a Golden Nugget Pleco.

The temperature doesn't seem to want to drop below 29. I have turned the heater as low as it will go, but nothing changes.

I thought about adding cooler water at my next water change but I am concerned that if I do this I may shock the fish by changing the water temperature too suddenly.

I should say that the fish seem quite happy... it's only me who is worried about it, because I know it's not right!

Can anybody suggest what would be the best thing to do??

Thanks

Loaf

 

[TropicalJuwel]

Hi, where abouts is your fish tank and this may be a wierd question but do you have your central heating very high, also whats the highest the heater goes to? just trying to rule as much out as possible.

 

[TheAmazingLoaf]

Hi, where abouts is your fish tank and this may be a wierd question but do you have your central heating very high, also whats the highest the heater goes to? just trying to rule as much out as possible.

Hi, thanks for replying so quickly!

The tank is in my living room next to the window, but there is no central heating.

I'm not sure how high the heater will go as I have only ever set it to the right temperature for the fish I have.

When I first set up the tank (which was a few years ago) I put water in that was about 26 degrees and then I just kept monitoring it for a few days to make sure it stayed the same, if the temperature dropped I turned it up and left it a day longer and so on until it stayed at 26. Since then the tank was out of action for a while but when I started it up again I just assumed that the heater was already on the correct setting so just left it alone. It was OK for the first couple of weeks but then has gradually climbed an now won't go below 29, which leads me to believe the thermostat might be a bit out of whack.

Like I said the fish seem quite happy, I guess they just got used to it as the temperature gradually rose, but I want to put in more fish and am reluctant to do this until I can get the temperature right.

Thanks again

 

[TropicalJuwel]

O.k well it cant be that then, if the temp isnt changing then that seems the cause, I've only really heard of horror stories of fish being cooked by faulty heaters so maybe best waiting until someone with more experiance with them can help. How long are you leaving it until you check the temp as it would take a while to change?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The best way to lower the temp in an emergency is with a water change. Yes, too drastic a change can stress the fish, but if you add the cooler water slowly, then you won't have to worry about that. Fish can handle fairly drastic changes in temp (where it drops), since that emulates a rainfall.



The bigger issue is why your temp is so high in the first place though. Obviously, you want to deal with the high temp, but you also will need to find the cause. Is the tank actually getting direct sunlight on it? If so, then there is your culprit! You don't want direct sunlight on your tank... for two reasons. 1 - as you see the temp can spike due to the excessive radiation coming into the tank. 2 - lots of light means lots of algae!


What is the power rating of the heater (Number of watts) and what is the size of your tank? The bigger the power rating of the heater and the smaller the size of the tank, the more likely the heater will put too much heat into the tank and the result is a temp spike. The heater once it comes on, will always stay on for a certain amount of time minimum before it will cycle off, even if the temp is higher than the thermostat is set for. It's just want happens.

if for example you have a 200W heater on a 10G tank, it could raise the temp too much, too quickly and that would be a problem. And then it would take some time for the temp to drop again, especially near a window (with sunlight on it) or you have it near a radiator, etc. The temp can only drop so much so quickly, especially if the temp difference is small.

 

[TheAmazingLoaf]

O.k well it cant be that then, if the temp isnt changing then that seems the cause, I've only really heard of horror stories of fish being cooked by faulty heaters so maybe best waiting until someone with more experiance with them can help. How long are you leaving it until you check the temp as it would take a while to change?

I check it every day and it has been a constant 29 for a few weeks.

Do you think if I add cold water with my next change that this will reduce the temp TOO quickly? That's the only solution I could come up with but I'm worried about shocking them or something.

 

[guppi]

Sound like thermostat to me, Check the heater in the dark to see when its turning off and on. Its always best to have a backup heater anyway I would buy a new one.

 

[Proxo]

A cold water change of about 4c shouldn't be a problem, sometimes done it to get my small tank temp down as it's in a room full of 24/7 running PCs.
People sometimes put sealed bottles of ice into the tank too, aint managed to do this myself as somebody in my house always throws the bottle out

 

[TheAmazingLoaf]

The best way to lower the temp in an emergency is with a water change. Yes, too drastic a change can stress the fish, but if you add the cooler water slowly, then you won't have to worry about that. Fish can handle fairly drastic changes in temp (where it drops), since that emulates a rainfall.

The bigger issue is why your temp is so high in the first place though. Obviously, you want to deal with the high temp, but you also will need to find the cause. Is the tank actually getting direct sunlight on it? If so, then there is your culprit! You don't want direct sunlight on your tank... for two reasons. 1 - as you see the temp can spike due to the excessive radiation coming into the tank. 2 - lots of light means lots of algae!

What is the power rating of the heater (Number of watts) and what is the size of your tank? The bigger the power rating of the heater and the smaller the size of the tank, the more likely the heater will put too much heat into the tank and the result is a temp spike. The heater once it comes on, will always stay on for a certain amount of time minimum before it will cycle off, even if the temp is higher than the thermostat is set for. It's just want happens.

if for example you have a 200W heater on a 10G tank, it could raise the temp too much, too quickly and that would be a problem. And then it would take some time for the temp to drop again, especially near a window (with sunlight on it) or you have it near a radiator, etc. The temp can only drop so much so quickly, especially if the temp difference is small.

OK, Thank you I will do a water change tomorrow and add some colder water. Do I just need to make the fresh water I put in a few degrees colder so it is a gradual change? For example if it is 29 now, maybe put in water which is 23-24?

My tank is 180litres, which I believe is approximately 50gallons. The heater is the one which came with the tank, I think it is 200W.

The tank is by a window, but it doesn't really get that much direct sunlight as that side of the house in in the shade for most of the day. It has always been in the same place and I have had Malawis in it before now. The temperature was never an issue before, it's just since I started the tank back up again.

I can't really move the it to a place with less sunlight as my living room is long and narrow with two massive windows along one wall, so wherever I put it there will always be about the same amount of sun on it.

 

[TropicalJuwel]

As you didnt have this problem before would seem to point towards the heater. If it's stuck on 29 then it may be a sign that it's on it's way out, may get stuck on or even not work at all so I would look at getting a new one as soon as really. As said above a cooler water change would bring the temp down but add slowly not to stress fish to much but the heater will only bring temp back up again say overnight so you would be fighting a losing battle there. What fish are you looking at adding?

 

[smokeyjo]

I had this same problem with my small tank the temp wouldn't drop below 29.5 (I've got a digital thermometer) turned the heater all the way down and it still wouldn't drop it the heater was knackerd so I got a new 1 and didn't have any problems after that

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I would agree with the heater being the culprit. A 200W heater is appropriate for your tank size, but it might be better to get two 100W heaters than just the one 200W for the future. First, having smaller ones will not raise the temp as high as fast if it starts to go, and if it does you can keep the temp up for longer with the remaining heater.


Yes, adding water in the 23-24 degree range will work, but only temporarily as your heat will just raise it again. Instead, I'd just pull the heater out and replace. Having no heater for a little would be dangerous normally, but in your case, unless your house heat drop below 24C you don't have to worry about it. The tank won't drop below the temp of the room. I'd get two heater and you'd be all set.

 

[CrazyAirborne]

why not unplug the heater and see if the temp drops or not. would let you know right away if it was the problem. and with 180L it will happen gradually, the fish would be fine.

 

[creeker]

What type of lighting do you have? Could the heat be caused by that?

 

[cms091]

I don't like Jewel heaters. Iv'e got a rio 180, got it from new. The first heater (included when I bought the tank) didn't work at all. Got a replacement which was free of charge.

I don't like the fact that there are no numbers on it. I check with a thermometer anyway, but it's nicer to have a start point. It took me ages to get the temperatute to what I wanted. Luckily there were no fish in the tamk at that point.

After about 18 months - guessing time but was out of the guarentee - the temperature started creaping up. lowered setting gradually until I was on the lowest setting but water was still too warm. Gave up and got a different make, which I've still got running and it's in the place in the filter that the jewel one would sit in.

Cathy