Djm9288 Posted June 7, 2002 Share Posted June 7, 2002 Hi i have a proquatics hydromatic heater. It says its submersible on the package, but in the petsmart article it says it isnt, currently i have is submerged. Is this a problem? Petsmart Article: Proquatics Hydromatic Heaters A reliable heater is an important part of maintaining a safe and healthy aquarium environment. Proquatics Hydromatic Heaters should be mounted vertically, and submerged up to the indicated level only. A star-shaped heating element distributes heat efficiently and the indicator light clearly shows when the unit is in use. Hydromatic Heaters are uniquely designed to remain accurately calibrated, even if the knob is turned too far. The size of the heater you use is directly related to the size of your aquarium; a general rule is 50 watts per 10 gallons of aquarium capacity. Sincerely Daniel Link to comment
My Alife 7 Posted June 7, 2002 Share Posted June 7, 2002 I would go with whats on the package. Is there an instructions manual that came with the heater? That should tell you exactly if it's submersible or not. Link to comment
reefinready Posted June 7, 2002 Share Posted June 7, 2002 I work at petsmart and everything i have heard from customers is that it is fine totally submerged i also have one totally submerged but i have only had it a month. i think the main idea behind those heaters is that if you are doing a water change and the water level drops to low the heater will not short circuit. hth Link to comment
HuBu Posted June 7, 2002 Share Posted June 7, 2002 some of the heaters may say its only submergeable to a certain point. on the heater itself, theres a line where the line of your tank water should be. but so far, my water has been above that and there hasnt been a problem. Link to comment
NINReeferX Posted June 7, 2002 Share Posted June 7, 2002 if its a hydromatic don't submerge the top portion their should be a water level maker line, now if it's a hydrosafe than you have no worries Link to comment
Sahin Posted June 7, 2002 Share Posted June 7, 2002 I read somewhere that these heaters tend to be cheaply made and prone to failure at times. Well, just thought I'd mention this. Link to comment
bautin2 Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 I bought the "Acura 1000" heater from Petsmart and have had it submersed up to the "water level" line for a couple months now. Just recently, I noticed a flash of light accompanied by a "snap" sound coming from the tank. I know that sounds horrible. I don't know if it's water that seeped into the heater, or if the heater is just shorting out or something. The only other electrical devices I have in there are two Hagen powerheads. I don't know exactly what the "snaps" are coming from, but I'd bet on the heater. Regardless, the fish/snails/hermits appear unaffected. They just go about their business through the "once every two or three day 'snap'"... anybody have any ideas? Toss the heater? Has this happened to anyone? Link to comment
Twins Guy Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 bautin2- put you hand in the tank! j/k my buddy works for the emergency desk at a large natural gas supplier up here on the tundra and every time we prank call him he tells us to light a match...blahblahblah. its funny to me! if your heater's freaking out which it very well maybe there could be stray current in the tank. i used to be the pee on at the LFS that had to figure out whether it was the heater or the ph shorting and zapping everyone. trial and error of course-no ground wires of course-unplug ph put hand in tank, unplug other ph put hand in tank and repeat...that prolly explains alot! stray current may stress your critters a little (remember they're not really grounded) but it'll really stress you the first time you get zapped. got a voltimeter? otherwise unplug appliances and test for that tingle (at your own risk)! carefully-i don't want no law suits! Link to comment
bautin2 Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 I'm a second year law student and have been working for an attorney for quite some time...you would not get sued if someone took your advice. If you would, they wouldn't win...haha...anyways.... I have stuck my hands in there quite a bit since, and no electrocution. Do you think I should just swap out the heater? Or do you think the problem could be the powerhead? I would think the heater is more susceptible to this sorta problem. Is it possible there could be some stray current in the water that I'm not feeling but the fish are? Link to comment
Twins Guy Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 the tanks that shocked me all the time were full of seemingly happy fish so i guess what i'm saying is even if it did exist (and were undetectable to you) it prolly wouldn't bother the critters too much-in the short term. long term-i believe stray current has been related to lateral line disease-often thought to be a nutritional deficiency. you should be able to take care of the probem before it ever comes to this however. you're right about heaters being more succeptible to these problems than phs. but powerheads with manufacturing defects-incompletely epoxy sealed motors do exist. heaters are more often victim to abuse or accidents which break the glass leading to the short... have you noticed wierd fluctuations in tank temp? or whether the heater's been turning on and off regularly? when these flashes occur is the heater on, does it turn on afterwards, etc? if you're convinced that it is the heater i would talk to petsmart (where you bought it right?) and see about replacing it (most heaters are warranted). if they're not amenable to the idea i might look at replacing it anyways, try an ebo jager-prolly the most dependable-widely used heater available. i'd say spending the $20 online (including shipping) would be more than worth it to avoid: getting electrocuted, treating your critters for lateral line disease, or replacing all your animals and heater when the thing freaks and bakes the tank. later, tg Link to comment
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