Snowflake Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Hi everyone - I'm running a 25W Aqua Vital Heater in my 10L tank, my question is if I leave the glass thermometer in the tank will it over heat and destruct? PS I've never run a heater before and of course I had so many questions for the guy at the aquarium that I forgot to ask this most basic one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betta_Di Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 In my experience they have been fine in-tank (located in the corner furthest away from the heater). However, they have been know to explode. I don't know what the liquid is that is in them nowadays but it once was (and may still be) Mercury - which is definately not good for your fish should it break, and neither will the glass shards be HTH, Di Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowflake Posted January 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Di thank goodness someone's replied I was getting worried. Yes it's got mercury in it. I'd better then take it out. I've been running the heater for about 3 hours or so and it's sitting at around about 26 or 27 degrees. I'm out at work tomorrow all day, in your experience have you known the temperature to rise during the day even though late afternoon it's been sitting around 26/27? Oh BTW the actual heater reads 22 but the thermometer reads 26/27 - damn little lines I can't see the blasted things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Najoha Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 If the thermometer 'over heats and destructs' I would worry about the inmate. Good idea to check new heaters for a couple of days in an unoccupied tank ( or bucket). Most of my heaters are set at a different temp to the one the tank runs at. Just depends on water volume and flow etc. Plus most cheap thermometers read at different temps. I only use mine as a guide for big swings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betta_Di Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Oh and I had better add that I only use plastic or electronic thermometers - and usually just spot check every once in a while, with the exception of fry tanks (always monitored) and hot days :panic: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowflake Posted January 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Thanks Di - just took the thermometer out of the tank and felt the water - wow wee I want to jump in! :lookaround: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figure_8 Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 I had a thermometer explode last summer.. Not fun! Made a heck of a mess of the tank. Glass, metal balls.. UGH. I came home to very cloudy water and a tank full of floaties. It wasn't until I put a siphon hose in to drain some water and it snagged on the remains of what once was my thermometer that I realised what had happened. I won't use the glass thermometers in my tanks unless I'm desperate and definitely not in summer any more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betta_Di Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 ahh Mouse *slaps forehead* I knew it was someone from here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 really? I have them in 19 tanks and have never had a mishap. (Famous last words). I would be surprised if the thermometer would explode unless the tank got hot enough to have already cooked your fish, anyway. Sorry to be morbid! But they are designed to be kept in fish tanks in a range of temps. About 5 or 6 years ago I used to keep a thermometer in a discus tank set at just under 90F (32.2C) and I never had a thermometer explode (the discus never did fantasticaly well, but that is a different story). I honestly don't think it's a big (as in likely) risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 Most 'mercury' thermometers these days are made with red spirits, and are pretty non-toxic if they break within your tank. If you do a 50% water change IF it happens, all should be fine. About the only way you'd break one would be through sheer force or carelessness, so I wouldn't worry. You'll lose the steel balls too, pick those up with a magnet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Najoha Posted January 9, 2006 Report Share Posted January 9, 2006 I hate cheap plastic nasties with the metal balls. Will never forgive the batch I bought where the ends fell off and was siphoning little balls for weeks, yuk. Now I have a couple of digitals that have a probe that you can stick in the tank. More expensive, more accurate and easy to check a few tanks quickly. Also measures air temp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figure_8 Posted January 10, 2006 Report Share Posted January 10, 2006 really? I have them in 19 tanks and have never had a mishap. (Famous last words). I would be surprised if the thermometer would explode unless the tank got hot enough to have already cooked your fish, anyway. Sorry to be morbid! But they are designed to be kept in fish tanks in a range of temps. About 5 or 6 years ago I used to keep a thermometer in a discus tank set at just under 90F (32.2C) and I never had a thermometer explode (the discus never did fantasticaly well, but that is a different story). I honestly don't think it's a big (as in likely) risk. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> mine went in a massive record heatwave that we went through. The water temp went through the roof! I wasn't around when it happened because I had taken the babies and gone to hide at my mothers in her aircon (that wasn't coping). I highly doubt the fish would have survived it regardless of the thermometer blowing or not since the air temp of my house when I got home after the heat had subsided was still in the mid 40's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettabegood Posted January 10, 2006 Report Share Posted January 10, 2006 I used to use the plastic thermometers in my tanks without any mishaps ... that is, apart from clumsy me breaking them! But after buying my first digital one, I threw all the plastic ones away. Although it's more expensive to buy initially, one digital can monitor several tanks, it's much easier to read the temperature and it's more accurate. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillieOrCory Posted January 16, 2006 Report Share Posted January 16, 2006 I have 30+ glass thermometers in my tanks. I never had a mishap. I also do not think they'll explode and if it got so hot to make the therm explode, then your fish would have cooked a while back anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figure_8 Posted January 17, 2006 Report Share Posted January 17, 2006 its also possible that the themometer I had blow had a flaw of some kind in it. It was far from new and any scratches etc that it may have had could have easily created a stress/weak point. In well over 10yrs its the only one I have ever had blow on me. I'm with Sue on the digital thermo's though.. they are definitely my preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted January 18, 2006 Report Share Posted January 18, 2006 Digis are only about $10 now aren't they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figure_8 Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 not around my neck of the woods :rofl: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 I want a digi thermometer, because I am getting tired of sticking my pinkie into one tank and then into all my other tanks to make sure they are the same temp... I only got one trustworthy thermometer atm :rofl: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.