# Warm climates and aquarium heaters



## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

No one ever really talks about it, but I have strong suspicions that those of us who live in places where it rarely gets cold don't really need to be wasting money on aquarium heaters. I want to talk about this...

I keep my house regularly at 74-75 degrees via air conditioning or open windows, throughout the majority of the year. In those remaining few moments when it's cold (or at least dips below the point where keeping the windows open is no longer the best idea) a heater comes on, keeping the temperature just a few degrees cooler than it would otherwise be throughout the rest of the year. So, my question is, do I really need a heater in my aquariums?

I have been running an experiment on my 5g planted tank, filled with a multitude of crypts, snails, and a single honey gourami, for 4 or 5 months now, without a heater, and I have noticed no ill effects. When I put my hand in the water, it doesn't feel even as cool as a glass of room temperature drinking water feels to me. Also, recently I noticed that the heater on my 10g doesn't have any lights or indicators to tell me it's currently heating, and it got me wondering if it ever even turns on? The temperature of the water in that tank feels no different that the 5g to me.

So I ask, has anyone discussed this or thought about this before? Can I finally just throw away all those ugly things I was programmed to believe I need, all because the authors of aquarium books are all probably from Canada or someplace else where it gets cold?

Why do I need a heater in my aquariums, when I live someplace with almost similar climate to where these plants fish snails and shrimp come from?

If anything it seems like I should be spending money on a chiller...


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## imeridian (Jan 19, 2007)

In warmer climates the heater serves to keep the temperature consistent more so than heating the volume of water significantly.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

So if the temp in the house is pretty consistent, say plus or minus 2-3 degrees or so, does it really matter then?


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

i dont have heaters on my tanks, the temp is always around 76


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## imeridian (Jan 19, 2007)

I prefer to not have that much temperature fluctuation within my aquarium. Consistent to me is within a particular degree at all times, preferably no more than half a degree plus or minus within the day. I don't know if it really matters though, but my heater keeps the temperature that consistent.


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## EdTheEdge (Jan 25, 2007)

Living in SoCal I seem to have a slightly different problem. My heaters don't turn on from approx Mar to Oct. From Oct to Mar they can be on quite a bit. I don't have air conditioning and I don't turn on the heat in the house. When I have a particularly long hot summer my heaters may not turn on for 9 months or longer. When it then turns cool my heaters will turn on constantly but are all out of whack....nowheres where I set them. I have to replace heaters every two years or so to keep them accurate. Over the years I've tried all the "better" common brands of heaters. But I've settled on Vistherm as they seem to last the longest.

Churh, I would think that if your house remains at a fairly safe temp for your tanks then you could probably get away without using heaters. Your tanks should stay pretty close to ambient temperatures.


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## Raul-7 (Oct 17, 2003)

The way I see it is that it's a safeguard, I mean why risk it - just to save $20?


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## JDowns (Mar 6, 2008)

I keep my tanks 70-74F. Owned a heater once, cooked my fish, and never looked back at owning a heater.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Raul-7 said:


> The way I see it is that it's a safeguard, I mean why risk it - just to save $20?


It's not that, it's that they're ugly.


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## redman88 (Dec 12, 2008)

if you don't like the look of them in the tank then use canister filters and setup an external heater.


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## EdTheEdge (Jan 25, 2007)

Setup a gallon fish bowl next to your tank with a thermometer in it. Keep track of that for a while. Your tank will be approx the same temp. If you find you don't need it then take it out.

Add me to list that agrees that having a heater is better than not having one. But if your house stays the same year round then I don't see a problem. Maybe it might be a bit slower to regulate after a water change if your change water is a different temp. Otherwise a heater that never turns on is a waste as well as an eyesore.

An external will solve your problem but they are way overpriced IMO.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

It takes a lot of heat to raise the temperature of a big tank of water even one degree. Once you get much past a 10 - 20 gallon tank the water temperature cannot change fast without a lot of power being supplied. I depend on that by not using a heater at all in my 45 gallon tank except occasionally in the coldest part of winter, which is right now. And, then, I only have a 50 watt heater in there.

A far bigger problem for me is the temperature rise during hot summer days. My tank tends to be 81F most summer days, just from the lights and room air. It cools a degree or 2 at the most at night, then back to 81 before the day is over. During this month, which has been colder than usual, and we are keeping the room temperature lower than normal, the tank has dropped to 74F, before I put the 50 watt heater back in. Now it stays around 79F all the time. When I kept the room temperature above 70F all the time, even in winter, I never did use a heater.

Natural bodies of water don't stay at exactly the same temperature, so why should an aquarium?


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## SdJaCK&SaLLy (Dec 20, 2008)

imeridian said:


> In warmer climates the heater serves to keep the temperature consistent more so than heating the volume of water significantly.


 Yeah like I live where it's humid, and the weather changes from hot to cold every day.



JDowns said:


> I keep my tanks 70-74F. Owned a heater once, cooked my fish, and never looked back at owning a heater.


 That's bad.



redman88 said:


> if you don't like the look of them in the tank then use canister filters and setup an external heater.


 What if you can't afford a canister filter?


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## Rod Hay (Feb 11, 2006)

Where I live they are predicting an over night low of 11F. Yes, most of my tanks do have heaters. However, when it gets to May, I usually unplug most of them. I don't plug them back in until late October. (The tanks I do leave plugged in are my _Apistogramma_ spawning tanks where temperature can affect the sex ratios in their fry.) I think like most appliances, even when not being used they pull a small amount of current. I also figure that keeping them unplugged for five or six months will, hopefully, prolong their lives.


There are, of course, a lot of variables in this. Some of the points Hoppy made are also my reasonings. And yes, more worry w/ summertime overheating on high light tanks - especially w/ more than one tank in a room! Just as many fish and plants deal w/ natural daytime vs., nighttime fluctuations, I think small and gradual changes do no harm. Perhaps rock-solid temps are more of real concern for saltwater. 

Church, since you've mentioned you keep the home already heated to 72-74F, your tanks are going to stay pretty warm. Especially if you have medium/high lights on them, and certainly on larger tanks. Unless you are dealing w/ fish that particularly prefer warm temps, like the German Blue Rams, I think you'd do fine with no heater.

Some other issues I've noticed. One, even though water doesn't feel too cold/cool, sometimes it's hard to tell w/o using an actual thermometer. When using a thermometer, w/o extra heating from lights the tank water temp will usually be around two degrees cooler than the air temp. Two, positioning of the tank also affects how well you can get away w/o a heater. IE., upstairs or downstairs; in front of, or below a window; next to a door, against an exterior wall vs., interior. My 29g tank that sits against a floor to ceiling window definitely stays cooler. Fortunately, "I'm smarter than the average bear, Boo Boo", and this is my cool water fish tank, WCMMs, Danios, etc., etc.

Third, if you allow the temps to fall much below 72F, I've found that it can really slow down - or stop - the growth rate of many plants. 

I have experimented running some natural tanks w/ very minimal equipment, including no heat in winter. The plants did okay even in a 10g gallon upstairs, where the tank is more sheltered from drafts, and the light heated it enough in the daytime. Daytime temp was 72F, night would fall to 70F. I did edit my plant selections to those which tolerated cooler temps - meaning, would not die on me, and would not go dormant. The same plant selection could not cope downstairs next to the large window, and w/o heating from lights. The heat in my home is set to the same temp for both areas thru the winter - 72F, yet that tank (unheated) would barely reach 68F, not even 70F. Just saying, besides tanks size, location will also matter.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Church, I'm running heaters on my tanks now for the first time in a decade. I didn't run heaters on my tanks when I lived in Texas, either. I did have an ich flareup once, but that was my own fault b/c I hadn't QT some new fish I got a month or so before a cold front moved through.

Only reason I am using heaters now is just b/c I've got canister filters on all my tanks and I can run Hydors inline, and I've started to get a taste for more expensive fish than I used to keep; so I'm just taking a little extra precaution.

I've got them all plugged in but I rarely ever notice them come on. Occasionally the heater light comes on my 90gal, since I"m keeping that tank at 80F for the GBRs.

I think you could be very successful without using any heater if you don't want to. Just be careful to turn on your home heater if you get a cold snap.


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## davemonkey (Sep 21, 2008)

I don't use a heater at all and my temp is always in the mid-70's. During winter I use a glass cover on the tank (it holds in heat from the lights) when I know I'll be away and it'll get cold. In the summer I take the glass cover off.

I think Hoppy has a good point. Bodies of water are not constant in temperature. They fluccuate from day/night and winter/summer. No point in going out of your way to keep the temp constant in a planted tank.

-Dave

Side note: when I say no point in keeping the temp constant, refering to no need in buying a heater, I mean for areas that do not get very cold. If your aquarium water is dipping into the 50's, you may have problems (with your tropical fish).


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