Rene Posted March 29, 2004 Share Posted March 29, 2004 So, who's done a tank without a heater? How's this worked for you? I ask because I've got a 3 gallon set up and initially put a Hagen thermal compact in there for heating. But between the 2 13w lights and the aquaclear mini, the tank seems to stay pretty warm...and I decided that in addition to soft corals, the feature critter in the tank shall be a mantis, which may or may not break that heater. So I'm running the tank for a few days now with the heater unplugged to see how stable the temp stays. So if you run a tiny tank without a heater, how stable has it stayed for you? What've you been able to keep in there? Any problems/warnings? Link to comment
spongebillyboi Posted March 29, 2004 Share Posted March 29, 2004 depends... i have a FOWLR 10 gal next to baseboard heating and i cannot get it to maintain stable temp.. usually goes down a couple degrees overnight and then back up a couple during day but nemo don't mind 6months going Link to comment
sdbeazley Posted March 29, 2004 Share Posted March 29, 2004 my ten gallon goes from up to 84 on hot days down to 78 at night. Link to comment
slickchick Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 When it is hot outside, I unplug my heater because we don't have air conditioning and the tank gets too hot for my liking. Try it and just see what happens. Link to comment
Reefmaniac Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 So far this winter, my 20 has stayed around 80, with no heater. I have had to put a fan nearby to get it down, a couple of times. And that is just from the lights (I run 2, 75Watt VHOs), the temp I keep the house at was between 65 to 70. Link to comment
Rene Posted March 30, 2004 Author Share Posted March 30, 2004 Faugh. I tried it yesterday and while it's sure possible to run a tank with no heater, it isn't a good idea in the room where this nano is. That room has temperature swings probably up to 20 degrees in a day. The tank lights and pump just can't compete with that, so I plugged the heater back in. Good thing there's only LR, sand, and cleanup crew in there. Unbreakable titanium heater, here I come... Link to comment
Reefmaniac Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 With a 3 gallon, I don't think that you could get away without a heater...I missed that in the original post. You just don't have enough water volume to keep the temp stable. Link to comment
Rene Posted March 31, 2004 Author Share Posted March 31, 2004 Maybe if the room temp was really stable it'd work out, but as is, the temp only stays stable with heater in there due to the tiny volume and temp swings in the room. On the bright side, with the heater, it's a constant 78 degrees day and night On second though, now that the heater's so well adjusted, it might be worthwhile to just get some stiff plastic mesh to protect it. Given that the tank is staying so consistent I'm loathe to change anything since everything's working well. Link to comment
sox Posted April 1, 2004 Share Posted April 1, 2004 I have a 3 gallon with a heater... I just never have it plugged in . The temp stays stable for the most part, I just keep the lid to the hood open so it doesn't get too hot. Link to comment
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