Why does my heater only turn on

[diVer]

Lately I've been turning the airpumps to my tanks off at night since I read they really aren't that necessary. Just recently I noticed the heaters were letting the temperature drop too low and weren't on even when the temperature was lower than its supposed to be. Then a little bit after I got up I would find the heaters had started working again.
This morning I finally made the connection-the heaters turn back on as soon as I turn the airpumps back on.
Does anyone know why they do this? The heaters are submersible Tronic heaters.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi diVer

Unless you have your equipment plugged into an outlet controlled by a wall switch, I don't think that should be happening.

But, let me comment on turning off the air pumps. If you have them connected to airstones, it won't matter, but if you are shutting off your filters it's a completely different matter.

The beneficial bacteria in the filter media needs oxygen and food to live, and if you stop the water circulation over them they will not get any. It's better to leave everything going than to take the risk of losing them.

 

[diVer]

I never turn off the filters, just the airstones at night since they are pretty noisey. This morning I did a test to see if I was right and literally seconds after I plugged the airstone back in, the heater turned on. On one of the tanks all the plugs are in a power strip and on the other they are just plugged into the wall.
I'm not worried about anything happening since I don't plan to unplup the airstones again.
I wonder if unplugging the airstones created some kind of distubance in the flow of electricity (I don't know anything about this kind of stuff)

 

[Lateral Line]

If your airpump is affecting the elctrical supply, then you have problems with your electrical wiring. If there is power to the heater, it should function with an airpump plugged in or not. I suggest you check your wiring to make sure that switching your pump off is not at the same time powering off your heater.

A remote possibility is that the warm water from the heater is rising to the surface and the water has become thermally stratified, i.e. warm at the top and cold at the bottom. When you turn the air back on, it mixes the water and the thermostat kicks the heater in. Shouldn't happen in a tank with any water movement though, you are sure your filters are running aren't you?

 

[SirMinion]

Here's another point about turning off your airstones at night..
Is your tank planted?

If it is, then during the night those plants are sucking in the oxygen that your fish need.

In a planted tank aeration is more important during the hours of darkness than at any other time.

 

[konrad05]

lol, I don't think aerating a tank in darkness should be a concern for anybody. My tank is extra heavily planted and both plants and fish do fine without additional aeration.

 

[Lateral Line]

I agree Konrad. All my tanks are heavily planted, and 24 hour CO2 injected. Never use airation, never been necessary. If you have a tank where airation is necessary, you have an out of balance system, either too many fish, or not enough water movement.

 

[diVer]

Well it's not anything to do with the electrical lines. Last night I waited until one of the heaters was on and unplugged the airpump for a few minutes. The heater stayed on the whole time.

 

[corrosive]

Ahh **** if you say not to turn filters off, i turn my fluval 4 off as its really noisey because its so big it vibrates against the tank glass causing really big noises.

I have a smaller filter running though still... I dont seem to have any problems.

 

[Lateral Line]

Two seperate issues here, if the filter is vibrating against the tank, you really should stop it doing so. Not only is the noise irritating you, the fish will find it disturbing as well.

Second, the bacteria in your filter require Oxygen to live. If you turn the water flow through the filter off, they will start to use up the Oxygen, and after a quite short period, will start to die. You may not be leaving it off long enough for all of them to die, but it is a certainty that you do not have as many bacteria in your filter as it could have, therefore it is not performing it's job as well.

 

[Inchworm]

...its really noisey because its so big it vibrates against the tank glass causing really big noises.

Hi corrosive

You can fix that easily by just cutting off a piece of kitchen sponge and inserting it between the tank and the filter.

 

[corrosive]

Cool will try that... what do you mean though... the stuff u clean dish's with?

Oh and just to say i checked my levels today and there apsolute ACE and thats with having the filter off every night.

 

[Jimmy927]

to quite down the airpump put a sponge underneath it and it will quiten it down alot as i have done it and i can sleap like a baby.


james

 

[Dwarfs]

Cool will try that... what do you mean though... the stuff u clean dish's with?

Oh and just to say i checked my levels today and there apsolute ACE and thats with having the filter off every night.

I think you should just get one of those cheap ones from a store Make sure there are no chemicals in the sponges though, some do