Getting the Right Aquarium Heater for your Tropical Fish Tank
Lee Dobbins


A key piece of equipment necessary in every tropical fish tank is the
aquarium heater. Tropical fish are used to warm temperatures in many
species will not survive unless a heater is president in the aquarium
to warm the water up to their native temperatures.

When choosing a heater for your fish tank, it's important to get a good
reliable unit since fluctuations in temperature can be fatal to fish.
You'll need to about 5 Watts of heater or for each gallon of aquarium
water so a 20 gallon aquarium would need a 100 Watt heater. for large
aquariums it's better to divide up the load and have a heater on each
side of the tank so that the water heats up evenly. If you keep your
room really cold, you might want a higher wattage heater since it will
have to do more work to keep the water temperature between the 75 and
79 degrees Fahrenheit that most tropical fish prefer.

There are two kinds of aquarium heaters to consider, the submersible
heaters and the hang on heaters. to hang on heaters are named such
because they hang on the side of the tank. The entire heating unit does
not go underwater and the controls stick up with the glass part going
under the water This is not as efficient or as precise as the fully
submersible heater which can be fully submerged under the water. The
submersible heater sticks to the side of the tank with section and
gives you more precise heating and also the option of hiding it below
plants or decorations.

When buying an aquarium heater, you want to also make sure that you
have a thermometer either built into the heater a separate so that
you'll know the temperature of your tank. This temperature should
always be monitored as if the water is too hot or too cold this can be
very detrimental to your tropical fish. If you notice large
fluctuations, it could be time to get a new heater. Another thing you
might want to consider is having two heaters and keeping one in reserve
in case the one you are using breaks. This way your fish will not have
to suffer until you can get out to the pet store to get them a new
heater.

Since tropical fish are cold-blooded, they cannot maintain a body
temperature and must depend on you to heat up their water for them.
Making sure you have a good functioning aquarium heater will help keep
your fishes environment as close to that which they are used to in
nature and reward you with happy healthy fish that look great in your
aquarium!

Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.fish-tank-guide.com  we you can learn
more about choosing, setting up, and maintaining your aquarium as well
as find out about certain accessories like the aquarium heater.


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