heating question, help please

[divy]

hi every one

i have two tanks divided into 3 and wanted to know what is the best way of heating them?

i dont want to buy 6 heaters an i cant put one heater in an let the water flow over the dividers into the other tanks because the glass divivders go to the top

so what do you all suggest?

i was thinking of using those reptile heating mats that go under the tank, has anyone used them before to heat a fish tank?

im open to suggestions help please

[Ned]

im experiencing the same dilema as you so im waiting on suggestions too :)

[Stuart Elflett]

Have you considered building a cover, adding a thermostat, and heating the immediate area of the tanks that way? You could duct the air from a small fan heater into the cover, having it kick on or off by the thermostat - In the 'good' old days, dedicated fishkeepers who didn't have a shared, heated sump for their tanks heated their fish room, instead... same principal, smaller area...

[Chuckie]

I heat my fish room. It's still the good old days in my house!

There is a thread going somewhere here about the reptile mats, have a look at that.

[Callatya]

Glass is a pretty ordinary insulator in this type of situation, the heat just travels right through. If you heat one compartment, the temperature should transfer to the other compartments quite well. You will have some temperature variation, but it should be within 1*C. I haven't done it with completely sealed compartments, but I've managed to get tanks to heat up a little by jamming them next to other tanks or putting bowls on top of larger heated tanks, so I'm pretty sure it'd still work.

Before you do that though, what size are your tanks? I wouldn't want to try that with a compartment size of 15L or less.

There are other options for smaller tanks that aren't too pricey, it all depends on your set up.

[y2jdaze]

just get a heater and stick it in one side next to the divider.

the heat will travel through the glass, there'll be a little variation but each fish will be in a confortable safe range of temperature

I've got a 3 bay tank and i've got a heater in the middle bay, heats both sides just fine... and i have a 12 bay tank with a compartment at the back, i put a heater at either end of that tank and all 12 bays are heated just nicely :)

[Jess]

I've run air stones in with the heaters and it helps. Putting a towel over the tank at night will also hep keep the temperature up during the coldest part off the night.

[Bettarazzi]

I have airlines going near my heaters as well. And I reckon if your tanks are divided into 3, putting the heater in the middle compartment is the way to go.

[Figure_8]

someone was running mini heaters like this with success a while ago.. not sure where they got them from though... perhaps eBay might be an idea if you are interested in them and can't get them local.

HTH

[Daniel]

they are avaliable at AOA http://www.ageofaquariums.com.au/prod1208.htm not exactly cheap though...

[Ned]

having two 3 way tanks and a 4 way tank would be quite costly with those heaters, i also wouldnt trust them as temperature cant be adjusted.

[divy]

that hydor mini heater seems to be my best option

it says no damage if left running dry so does that mean i can put it at the bottom or on the side of the tank on the out side not in the water??

but i just seen a post of some one using a reptile heat cord that also looks like a good idea

[Figure_8]

I doubt it will do much good on the outside of your tank.. but you could run it outside the tank and not fry the heater unlike the other types. Very good if you tend to forget to unplug your heater before doing a water change like me ;)

[Ned]

if i was you id look into the heating cord, similar price, you'd get more out of the cord though, its all up to what ever suits you. im looking into the cord.

[Daniel]

i think it means if water was siphoned out of the tank it wouldnt cook itself rather could keep functioning.. kinda like a reptile mat...

[Bettarazzi]

it says no damage if left running dry so does that mean i can put it at the bottom or on the side of the tank on the out side not in the water??

Send an email to Hydor and ask. I think they mean that it won't burn out if you accidentally leave it out of the water. Have you seen one of these in real life. I strongly recommend that you don't buy one online you need to have a look at one of these before you buy it. They're small. I'm not convinced that they'll suit what you need them for. And yes, you can return it but you'll have to pay for shipping it back.