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RE: Heater Placement



Hi everyone,

Olga was wondering about heater placement - 

> Hi everyone -- gearing up for big celebrations?? Oh boy -- is it bad here
> - -- biggest dump of snow in 60 years bad, bad, bad!! Can't do anything
> except mess with aquariums.

Sorry but I can't resist - it's about time Vancouverites learned just what winter is all about. Those of us in colder parts of the country get pretty tired of hearing about how mild it is on the coast. Of course you can always take heart, February is just around the corner and you will be watching the magnolias bloom while we here in Toronto are still shivering in the snow and the slush.

I have a question. Where is the best location for a heater? At the moment I
have the heater in my 48 gallon next to the filter output. The filter
intake is at the other end of the tank. I used to have the heater close to
the filter intake but the water seemed to be cooling down too much at night
- -- so I moved it but it doesn't seem much better. Now I'm starting to
belive that the thermometer stuck on the side is in a "cool spot" because a
floating thermometer says the water is over 80F degrees though the stuck-on
thermometer says as low as 72F in the morning. The heater is a 200 watt and
should be plenty. Anyone have any advice as the best positioning of the
heater for even heating? Or does one have to have two heaters in a 4 foot
tank?

The location of your heater should be O.K., as long as there is a good flow of water moving past it. But your problem may not be related to your heater placement, it migh be your thermometer selection and placement. Is that "stick-on" thermometer an LCD job stuck on the outside of the tank? LCD thermometers aren't very precise nor very reliable, and if its stuck on the outside of the glass it is prone to flucuations in room temperature. I prefer a spirit thermometer inside the tank. As a check, I have a VERY precise mercury thermometer that I used to use for darkroom work. It reads to 0.1 degree C. and came in a protective plastic sleeve to avoid breakage. Using it, I can detect minor changes in the temperature of my 120G tank even though I have an Ehiem 1260 as a filter. You can pick up a really good thermometer at a camera store that carries darkroom supplies - in Vancouver try Lens & Shutter on Robson St. The brand to ask for is Ilford, they carried them this past summer wh!
en I was there.

James Purchase
In snowy, but relatively mild Toronto....

jpp at inforamp_net