Yeah i just got my first tropical tank

[Jht]

woho i just got my first tropical tank but i think there may be a problem with the heater it has a red light on it which indicates when its on but every 5 mins it goes off and then 5 mins later it comes again it heats the water fine on the website it says automatic heater heres a link to the page about the heater could someone please check it out, half of it i do not understand.
http/www.sicce.com/pdf_sicce/acquariologia/scuba.pdf

 

[Dragonslair]

What kind of heater is it?
Different heaters behave differently. It sounds to me as though the setting may be incorrect. There's usually a knob or some sort of dial on the top of the tube to adjust. Have you placed your heater anywhere near turbulance? ie outlet tube of you filter or in your bubble flow. All this will affect the running of the heater.

 

[Jht]

no it was a all in one tank, it has a dail on the top and i set it to 26c i am just wondering if it is how it is supposed to be because its says its automatic and it has a temperature sensor and it keeps the water at a steady temp just wondering if its faulty?
its 50 watt

 

[Pufferpack]

Some of our heaters do the same thing, I always figured that it stayed on long enough to raise the water temp in the area around the heater and would then shut off until the current mixed the cooler water in which causes the heater to kick in again.

 

[Jht]

yeah, all i can think is that it shuts off to keep a steady temp theres no like problem with it because it keeps the temp constant and warm enough. anyone know how much thermometers are i forgot to buy yesterday. thnx 4 ur help.

 

[Nik]

Pufferpack is right the heaters have a thermostat inside them which is adjustable usually via a dial on the top on the unit. When the heater sensor drops below your desired temperature it turns itself on. It stays on until it climbs to the right temperature and then turns itself off again. The red light is on to indicate when it is actually heating the tank.

Only things to remember with heaters is to make sure the sensor is under the water and that the filament is always submerged when on.