Water temp too high

[Tropical_Novice]

Hi All,

After many years of wanting to, we've finally taken the plunge and bought our first tropical tank. we've gone for (what i thought was) a setup that's as straightforward as possible;

- Small tank (22l) housing a single betta.

Everything is going well, other than the water temperature.

We set up the tank with substrate, plants and bogwood and ran it for a few days before introducing our betta. Water tests all came back OK, so no concerns there. But the water temperature is hovering around the 30c mark, which I believe is a bit on the high side?

The fish seems to be OK - he's been in there a couple of days and seems to be behaving as expected, although he's not eating all that much. I don't know whether this is likely to be him acclimatising or due to the high temps?


Basically, we have a 50W heater in there - the guy in the aquatics shop advised that it would be perfect and we wouldn't need to adjust the settings on it (it doesn't have an in-built thermostat but does have a dial to turn up and down). My theory is that the heater is too powerful for the small tank. Am I correct?

We've ordered a new heater with a built in thermostat, in the hope that we will then be able to regulate the temperature at 27/28c. For the time being, we've removed the lid, to try and gradually reduce the water temps.

Can anyone tell me if that makes sense or if there's anything I've got wrong?

Thanks!!

 

[Back in the fold]

What’s a 22L ? Not quite a five gallon if my math is correct. The 50 watt heater may be a bit too much but it shouldn’t be. Is the aquarium in a warm room ? That will affect a preset heater. Let it ride for now. You may see things settle downwards in a day or two.
A word of advice. Don’t buy preset heaters.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

What’s a 22L ? Not quite a five gallon if my math is correct.

Just under 6g when converted to US gallons -we have all differently sized shaped tanks in the UK rather than the more standardised sizes in the US, so don't usually convert precisely, like my nano tank is 15.8 US gallons so I just say 15.5g.

I do wish we could buy 20g L tanks as easily as you guys can though. I think we can only get those custom.

The 50 watt heater may be a bit too much but it shouldn’t be. Is the aquarium in a warm room ? That will affect a preset heater. Let it ride for now. You may see things settle downwards in a day or two.
A word of advice. Don’t buy preset heaters.

I also think a 50w is more than enough for that size tank, but still shouldn't overheat it. But a thing to note is that heaters often aren't callibrated properly, so while you might have it set to 27, the dial might be warmer than that, so you need to set it at 24/25 or whatever to get it at the temp you want. That happens a lot, sorry!

Get a simple thermometer so you can check the temp accurately (also handy to have to check water temps during water changes) like this:

Only 2-3 quid from any fish store/amazon, but essential piece of kit.

I wouldn't mess with heater settings late at night though, in case something goes wrong. It's the kind of thing you do early in the morning and check on every few hours.
I'm not sure what to recommend when it comes to heating nano tanks, but tagging @Wills because I know he has some small tanks like this, and he's good with equipment too!

Lack of appetite is normal when a fish is getting used to a new home, and fish can go for a long time without eating, so don't worry if he's not very hungry in the first week, he'll be okay! But what food do you have for him?

Welcome to the hobby!

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Quickly scanned OP again, you don't mention a filter?
You're doing a fish-in cycle now, a filter is essential... you may need to do a lot of water changes for the next while too...
Hopefully @Essjay or @Slaphppy7 can help more here.

 

[Byron]

Basically, we have a 50W heater in there - the guy in the aquatics shop advised that it would be perfect and we wouldn't need to adjust the settings on it (it doesn't have an in-built thermostat but does have a dial to turn up and down).

If I'm reading you correctly, you can adjust the heater up (warmer) and down (cooler), correct? If yes, can you turn it down? Not too much so as to create a sudden change, but you can do this each day until it keeps the temp where you want it. A thermometer like the one pictured in post #3 is fine.

As for the cycling/filter issue, I would not worry. You have plants, and provided they are growing they will take up all the ammonia a single betta could ever produce, and more. If you want to do water tests, no harm, but action should not be necessary.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Hi All,

After many years of wanting to, we've finally taken the plunge and bought our first tropical tank. we've gone for (what i thought was) a setup that's as straightforward as possible;

- Small tank (22l) housing a single betta.

Everything is going well, other than the water temperature.

We set up the tank with substrate, plants and bogwood and ran it for a few days before introducing our betta. Water tests all came back OK, so no concerns there. But the water temperature is hovering around the 30c mark, which I believe is a bit on the high side?

The fish seems to be OK - he's been in there a couple of days and seems to be behaving as expected, although he's not eating all that much. I don't know whether this is likely to be him acclimatising or due to the high temps?


Basically, we have a 50W heater in there - the guy in the aquatics shop advised that it would be perfect and we wouldn't need to adjust the settings on it (it doesn't have an in-built thermostat but does have a dial to turn up and down). My theory is that the heater is too powerful for the small tank. Am I correct?

We've ordered a new heater with a built in thermostat, in the hope that we will then be able to regulate the temperature at 27/28c. For the time being, we've removed the lid, to try and gradually reduce the water temps.

Can anyone tell me if that makes sense or if there's anything I've got wrong?

Thanks!!

Welcome to TFF

First rule of fishkeeping: NEVER trust the advice of pet store employees, they are there to make $, not give good fishkeeping advice; the majority of the time, they are clueless about proper fishkeeping

A few questions: What is the brand/model # of the heater?
What kind of test kit are you using?
Is your source water treated with chlorine, or chloramine? If so, what kind of water conditioner did you use to render the source water safe to use?
What kind/how many plants are in the tank?
And as asked above, is the tank filtered?

 

[seangee]

I wouldn't mess with heater settings late at night though, in case something goes wrong. It's the kind of thing you do early in the morning and check on every few hours.

Just in case you are still up...
Assuming your reading of 30C is roughly correct I would turn the heater off tonight. Its not freezing in the UK at the moment (at least not the southeast). Your room is probably heated to somewhere around 20. Even if the heating is off overnight the temp in the tank will likely not drop enough to do any harm and you can get up in the morning and monitor if you need to put the heater back on and when to turn it off. There is no coming back from an out of control heater left on all night.

 

[Tropical_Novice]

Thanks all…

Yes, the tank is filtered. Apologies, I thought that was a given so I neglected to mention it.

We have gradually turned the knob on the heater over the last 24hrs but it’s now in the lowest setting and the temperature hasn’t dropped at all.

We have a new thermometer arriving today, so hopefully that will resolve the issue.

 

[GaryE]

If the first rule is to mistrust store employees you don't know and who haven't earned your respect, the second is never trust a heater.

30 is tolerable for a Betta, as their air breathing adaptation is a response to lower oxygen in warm slow water. But it's an expensive heat to maintain, and 26 would be a lot better. I have kept very long lived Bettas at 22-23, but they prefer a little warmer. The new heater will probably help. Some heaters are wildly inaccurate, and I have a couple here that are locked into temps. One goes to 28 no matter where I set the dial. It lives in the back of a drawer in case I ever need such a high heat. That hasn't happened yet.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Thanks all…

Yes, the tank is filtered. Apologies, I thought that was a given so I neglected to mention it.

We have gradually turned the knob on the heater over the last 24hrs but it’s now in the lowest setting and the temperature hasn’t dropped at all.

We have a new thermometer arriving today, so hopefully that will resolve the issue.

I am confused as to how a new thermometer would solve heater issues(?)

I agree with @seangee above, turn off the heater, and invest in a better one...it's good practice to have a reliable thermometer (I use a digital pocket thermometer) to spot-check tank temps...as well as an in-tank thermometer, for everyday use

 

[BikerGeek]

By any chance do you have a UV filter? UV lamps will add heat.

 

[GaryE]

A misread can cause a lot of trouble. It's always good to double check to be sure it is 30 degrees, and not 25 with a wonky thermometer. I use an infrared temp reader, but have a couple of reliable electronic devices I can cross reference with.