Temperature problems

[Billdemart]

I have my 10 gallon nano with nothing in it yet but water, instant ocean, and two powerheads. I set the Ebo Jagr 50watt heater to 78 initially and the temp is reading 80-82, so I turned it down a degree and waited a few hours. No change. Same thing this morning. So I turned it off and the temp dropped down to like 74. I let it sit for about an hour with nothing on in case the heater needed to stabilize or whatever and then turned it back on and set the heater at 75. The temperature is now back up to 81 degrees.

 

The tank is near a window but it doesn't receive direct sunlight and the window is covered in Heavy curtains. The room is also air conditioned at 70 degrees. I bought one of those 2 dollar strip thermometers that sits on the outside of the tank. Is there a possibility it is reading incorrectly?

 

Thanks,

 

Bill

[myelin]

I don't know if I would trust a thermometer to give a true reading outside of the tank. My apartment is about 70 degrees F, and the heater gets the water temp to 80-81 degrees F just fine.

 

Also, give the heater some time to bring the water to the temperature you selected. I read on the box that you should give the heater 12 hours to reach the desired temp. That might not be the "problem" in your case, but it doesn't hurt to add it to the equation.

[surfy]

I had the same problem with my stick on thermometer, I would get a thermometer to go in the water if I were you and put it towards the bottom of the tank away from the lights.

[donkeykong]

The thermometer doesnt get an accurate reading of the water but the glass. I would deffinetly get a in tank thermometer

[Billdemart]

ok thanks guys. It seems pretty stable now, I will get an in tank thermometer though to get better readings.

 

Thanks,

 

Bill