The Aquarium Company - Aquarium and Pet Products

If you need to buy a heater you need to know how many Litres your tank holds.

To Calculate the Litres in your tank measure the length in cm x width in cm x the height in cm (allowing for gravel and water height) than divide by 1000 = your litres.

eg. 120cm x 45cm x 45cm = 243000 divided by 1000 = 243 Litres

Heaters should be kept in the aquarium all year round and not taken out in summer, it not only prevents the heater from eroding but it prevents disease and stress in the case of a cold snap. We recommend the heater is turned down to 22o - 24o in the hottest part of the year and then turned back up to 26o as the weather cools, Some parts of Australia tend to have unpredictable weather, so a sudden cold night can bring on disease and sometimes death.

Some customers will argue that their tank does not reach low temperatures but their ignorance is usually their loss, I’m sure they do not check there aquarium temperature at around 4.00am in the morning. It is better to be safe than sorry. The heater has a thermostat and will only turn on, if the temperatures goes below 26o (if the heater is set at 26o) it will make a tank get hotter than 26o regardless of the outside temperature, unless of course it is faulty.

Equally important too, is that you understand that a tank cannot be over heated by the size of the heater, again the thermostat keeps it at the level set, you cannot over do the heater size. If on the other hand a heater is undersized it will constantly be turning on and off trying to keep up with the volume of water in the tank, this leads to increased power usage and sometimes will cause the heater to burn out.

Before I talk much more about the heaters, I would just like to mention the confusion customers find between tropical fish and goldfish, they feel that tropicals are too difficult and goldfish are easy, it is true goldfish are generally pretty tough but the main difference is the need for a heater in a tropical tank, some people will use a heater in a goldfish tanks as well and that‘s O.K. it certainly can‘t hurt and it will lower stress in your fish and often prevent disease in your goldfish tank. Tropicals should be kept at around 26o, goldfish can also be kept at 26o but they can tolerate temperatures between 10o and 30o. Discus have special needs and must be kept in an aquarium that is 30o constant all year round, it is not to make them feel comfortable but a necessity for them to survive. Marine fish only systems are best suited to 26o and a coral or reef tank should be set at 25o

Another benefit in using a heater is when you are treating for white spot, turn the heater up to around 30o to inoculate the disease quicker for the duration of the medication.

When breeding fish raise the temperature to 30o and it will help promote natural spawning and also help eggs to hatch.

Always make sure the heater is covered by water before you turn it on and if you are going to remove the heater turn if off and let it cool down before you take it out of the water or drain any water. The heater can be placed on an angle at the back or the side of the tank however it should not have any parts of it buried. Most heater are now fully submersible and can be completely placed under the water however check your packaging before submersing your heater.