Do I need a heater for 90 gallon tank?

Cats2u · 03-01-2008, 04:49 PM

we just set up a new 90 gallon aquarium. Moving up from a 55 gallon. Previously we had no heater in 55 gallon tank. We put a heater in 90 gallon tank but my husband just broke it, do we need to replace it? The tank has been running a little warm at just below 90..

Live Rock Ricky · 03-01-2008, 05:14 PM

sounds like you need a chiller right now

Cats2u · 03-01-2008, 05:17 PM

thanks... that is what we are thinking. the tank is too hot... store recommended heater, we were skeptical... now temp is showing we were correct to be hesitant.

Live Rock Ricky · 03-01-2008, 05:21 PM

my ? to you you is why is it so high right now? what's the temp in the room? and what's the temp in idaho now? lmao...

is it next to a heater?

Live Rock Ricky · 03-01-2008, 05:22 PM

and when did you set the tank up? i can tell you that when i set my tank up years ago it took a good few days for the temp to drop.

Cats2u · 03-01-2008, 05:35 PM

had it going for two weeks now, used water from 55 gallon tank and added.. so it really shouldn't be increasing in temp, we don't think.. started at 78 and is increasing

Live Rock Ricky · 03-01-2008, 06:13 PM

there's a reason why its increasing and you need to find that out. i keep my temp at 76.

Cats2u · 03-01-2008, 07:39 PM

thanks for advice. old heater was set to high. bought new one and have it set at 75... temp is coming down with heater turned off. thanks.

Cats2u · 03-01-2008, 07:42 PM

temp in Idaho is 45's. tank in basement. not by heater... also reset timer on halli lights so they aren't on as long..

Live Rock Ricky · 03-02-2008, 07:29 AM

you could have a few things going on here

1.) heater settiing is not accurate or "sticks" in the on position. This is common. My setting is way off - say like 5 degrees- and sometimes it sticks ON for a while which is not good. It should be replaced if sticks.

2.) MH lamps will throw off a ton of heat. Do you have a fan to cool this area? How many MH lamps do ou have?

**Ninong** · 03-02-2008, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cats2u

we just set up a new 90 gallon aquarium. Moving up from a 55 gallon. Previously we had no heater in 55 gallon tank. We put a heater in 90 gallon tank but my husband just broke it, do we need to replace it?

Yes, you need a heater, even if it rarely comes on.

Quote:

The tank has been running a little warm at just below 90..

That's more than "a little warm," that's "too hot." You need to keep the temperature below 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you get above that, you're asking for trouble and once you get above 87-88 degrees Fahrenheit, trouble will have found you.

There are two sources of heat right now: your lights and your water pumps/powerheads. You might want to tell us exactly what you have right now so that we can figure out why your tank is running so hot. If you're running a metal halide fixture, does it have any ventilation fans? Do you have an enclosed canopy over your tank? If so, does it have any built-in fans? What pumps or powerheads are you running?

Something is seriously out of whack if you're seeing water temps close to 90 degrees in a tank in a basement in Boise, Idaho in early March.

Cats2u · 03-04-2008, 09:34 PM

Thanks for all the help. We have problem fixed. New heater installed with setting at 75. Lights on timer for shorter period of time. temp is running at 75 now...

Live Rock Ricky · 03-04-2008, 09:43 PM

cool.. good to hear