? on Biocube 16 gal

[sadie]

When I first got my 16 gal Biocube, I bought a new heater.  there was nothing wrong with mine, but I'd had it for 1-2 yrs and thought Id replace it to avoid any problems.  I have no idea how long they last. I got this tiny preset 50w heater.  It keeps my tank around 77-78.  

 

It is really cold out right now and the temp in my tank is 76.  I was thinking of putting my old heater back in,( I can turn that one up) but it won't fit in the same chamber (the one all the way to the right)  In my middle chamber I have my tower with filtration.  In my chamber all the way to my left I have my pump.  The water level in there is usually a couple inches over my pump.  

 

If I filled my pump chamber up more, could I put my heater in there?

 

 

[biofool12]

You could but just remember that chamber 2 and 3 have a fluctuating level due to evaporation. If you have an ATO you should be good

[sadie]

It didn't work. It filled chamber 2 up too much and I don't think the tower will filter properly.

 

But I don't have an ATO.  

 

When I put it in the chamber all the way to the right, It's mostly submerged, but the very top (where the dial is to change the temp) sticks out.  I wonder if the WHOLE thing hsa to be in the water.

[Jackal227]

17 minutes ago, sadie said:

 

If I filled my pump chamber up more, could I put my heater in there?

 

 

I keep the water level in the 3rd chamber about 2 inches from the top.  It stays consistently at that level for me so I think it'd be fine to use temporarily for the heater.  Just keep an eye on it because you don't want it to run dry. 

 

2 minutes ago, sadie said:

It didn't work. It filled chamber 2 up too much and I don't think the tower will filter properly.

Keeping the 3rd chamber full will keep the middle chamber full as well.  It won't affect your media basket because the water will still flow downward through the filtration to get to the 3rd chamber. 

[banasophia]

Was just about to post the same thing as @Jackal227...

[sadie]

really?  Don't know why I thought otherwise...  Thanks, 

 

For right now, I just have it in my tank, in front of the back wall.  I will fill the chamber and see how it goes.

 

Thanks

[sadie]

wow, it took a whole gallon!  The heater fit no problem.  

 

I always had a little noise coming from the tank, but didn't mind, it was soooooo much quieter then my last tank.  Now my tank makes no noise at all.  It's totally quiet.

 

I wonder if it was a bad thing having it NOT filled all the way. 🤔

[Clown79]

Your return chamber should be filled up to 1 inch below the top of the baffle wall. And when it evaporates, it should be refilled with freshwater.

 

It's not a bad thing to not have it filled but can cause micro bubbles or the pump possibly running dry when water evaporates, it makes it more noisy.

 

The heater is safe in the return chamber if you have an ato, if not it's not safe as the heater will be exposed to air which is dangerous because the water level drops in this chamber due to evaporation.

 

 

When you filled the chamber, did you check your salinity to ensure it still is correct?

If you filled it with freshwater only, the salinity will drop.

[sadie]

2 hours ago, Clown79 said:

Your return chamber should be filled up to 1 inch below the top of the baffle wall. And when it evaporates, it should be refilled with freshwater.

 

It's not a bad thing to not have it filled but can cause micro bubbles or the pump possibly running dry when water evaporates, it makes it more noisy.

 

The heater is safe in the return chamber if you have an ato, if not it's not safe as the heater will be exposed to air which is dangerous because the water level drops in this chamber due to evaporation.

 

 

When you filled the chamber, did you check your salinity to ensure it still is correct?

If you filled it with freshwater only, the salinity will drop.

I don't have an ATO, but check it daily.  I filled the tank with a gal of salt water, checked both my tank water and the fresh made water to make sure salinity was good.

Thanks

[banasophia]

2 hours ago, sadie said:

I don't have an ATO, but check it daily.  I filled the tank with a gal of salt water, checked both my tank water and the fresh made water to make sure salinity was good.

Thanks

In a Biocube with a lid, you may not get any appreciable evaporation between weekly water changes... I do not have an ATO, and I have never once had to top mine off due to evaporation. I keep my temp probe in the third chamber, I lift the lid to feed my fish every day and always observe that the water level is normal because you definitely do not want the water getting low with a heater in there. 

[Mazzy21]

Sadie - I think you did the right thing by just throwing it in your tank. that way you don't have to worry about the chamber fluctuations or where it will fit. It isn't permanent. It's already warming back up outside, though there may some more cold jet streams cycling through before February is over, so this is just a temp situation to get through these cold spells. Don't make it harder on yourself than you have to. A day or two of a secondary heat source thrown in the tank is no big deal to the normal aesthetics of your tank. You're just going to pull the heater out in a few days anyway.