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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V4 #562




>Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2000 22:27:59 -0500
>From: "collector at startrekmail_com" <alonzo at altinet_net>
>Subject: Heartbroken
>
>I came home today to find all 6 of my beautiful Discus dead.  I have a
>heavily planted 49 gal. bow front tank, looks like the heater had
>malfunctioned.  I feel so bad, I feel like I let my little friends down.
>When I left for work they all looked fine, but to be honest I didn't
>bother to check their temp.  I lost 4 gorgeous Blue Diamonds and 2
>friendly as a button Pigeon Bloods.  This is the most terrible that has
>happened to me in this hobby.  I don't see how I shall ever recover.
>I've kept planted aquaria and Discus for over 4 years, so I thought I had
>a good idea of what it takes to keep them, apparently not.
>
>- --Tim

Tim-

I had the same thing happen a couple of years ago and wiped out a tank of
Yucatan Mollies, took me a couple of years before I found them again.

Anyway-there are 2 kinds of heaters on the market. The old style have a
contact that closes to turn the heater on, when these heaters fail, they
fail closed and the heater stays on.

What I would look for if I had a large tank and expensive fish is the
newer electronic heaters. These have a little printed circuit board and if
the fail, they fail OFF. Your fish may get cold till you notice but
that's lot better than the alternative.

I think there is a size limit on these electonic ones, possibly 50 or 100
watts, I'm not sure which. But for a 49 gallon you should have no problem
finding one. They are a little more expensive but worth it.
 
       Gerry Skau
       Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow.
       -Oscar Wilde