# Heater killed the fish



## flash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

I got home yesterday to find that my heater had malfunctioned and all my fish were dead. I guess the thermastat didn't work and the water termperature just rose too high. Lost about 15 mixed lot of various tetras

I have a 30 gal high, lightly planted with java moss & java fern and some nusance algae. At present I'm kind of leaning towards getting: 
2 -dwarf gourami, 
2 -german rams (like these but never much success in keeping)
1 -albino bristlenose pleco
15 -neons

I realize I won't be able to restock the tank all at once and would like some time to decide if the above inhabitants are really what I want.

I am leaving the tank lights turned off however the tank does receive natural light. 

My question is: about how long will the beneficial bacteria survive without fish? I plan to keep the water circulating & at room temperature. I really don't want to have to cycle the tank.


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## TankCla (Dec 31, 2010)

flash53 said:


> My question is: about how long will the beneficial bacteria survive without fish?


As long as you will have water in the tank.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

how long bacteria lasts is iffy, if your tank is well planted it can probably go many days or even longer.

Decaying plants give ammonia which keeps the cycle going. So you need to judge how much you think the plants will do

I would feel safe stocking it up with the whole list if within a day or two but monitoring closely.

If longer, I would put the fish in slow and still monitor closely

Make sure you keep the filter running and get a new heater in soon as possible because some of the plants may not do well in cooler water


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

Well, that's horrible, having all your fish die like that. 
I agree that the bacteria are likely fine, though.


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## supergourami (Apr 12, 2011)

TankCla said:


> As long as you will have water in the tank.


+1..................................


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

sorry about the loss, that is very sad...

maybe, do like i do, and dont put heaters, and choose species that like it, or can tolerate it (specially in a heated room). Many cories can (specially the pepered), white mountain minnows (get the normal ones and the albinos), BN plecos, rcs, snails, amanos, goldfish, etc... Thats what my 75g has, but with your smaller tank, you could do all except the goldfish. Corydoras are really cool, and many of them will be fine without heaters. I even have zebra ottos and aspidoras albater without a heater, and those are lovely fish too. but if your room is cold, then maybe skip the ottos.

good luck


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

Just make sure the next heater is high quality


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

That sucks... What was the tanks temp when you got home? Hot I assume lol. Sorry about the loss, maybe try with no heater and get more temperature tolerant fish.

White clouds come to mind, Rosy Barbs. hill stream loaches. Just to name a few.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

Sorry for you loss

Only heater I have had fail on me is a jäger 
High quality just gives you a false sense of security ime lol


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

I had a TopFin heater explode on me... and that's why I don't use topfin equipment... just their tanks (cheap lol)


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## zfarsh (Apr 7, 2011)

i honestly think this can happen with any brand, its electronic.


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## Tbird (Oct 5, 2009)

Sorry for your loss! I have had this happen a few times over the years but twice in the last couple of years. I lost quite a bit of fish in both instances.

If you need anything to get your system going again please let me know. I'm in Oakville and could give you some dirty filter floss out of one of my filters. Unfortunately I don't keep the same fish you do otherwise I would try to help you out. 

Later
Wil


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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

zfarsh said:


> i honestly think this can happen with any brand, its electronic.


You're right, this can happen with any brand of heater however the older heaters used bi-metallic strips rather than electronics. They were prone to getting stuck in the on position when they failed and therefore cook the occupants of the aquarium.

Its also important to get a right sized heater because if it does get stuck in the on position, in theory it should only be able to heat the volume of water to a few degrees above normal.

Just curious what brand of heater you were using. And sorry for your loss.
--
Paul


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## Merman (Nov 23, 2009)

*Stealth?*

...had the very same situation a couple of years ago using a 'Stealth' heater. Within a couple of weeks afterward they issued a recall and I ended up taking the two I had back to Big Al's/they issued a full refund.


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## flash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

Y2KGT said:


> Just curious what brand of heater you were using. And sorry for your loss.
> --
> Paul


It was a marineland that I got about 3 years ago. I believe rated for 50 gal. Maybe I'll go with 2 smaller heaters next time.

One thing that I have started to do is remove the heater and wipe it down whenever I do water changes - maybe not a good thing to do?

Is 29 gallon high too small for African ciclids (still wondering on restocking)?

Thanks to all for your comments
Steve


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## flash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

Tbird said:


> I'm in Oakville and could give you some dirty filter floss out of one of my filters.
> 
> Later
> Wil


Wil
Thanks - I may take you up on the dirty filter floss. I'll PM if I get to that stage.

Steve


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

As already mentioned, get a properly sized heater. More isn't better when choosing heater wattage. Ideally, a heater should run constantly to maintain the temp you want. The fewer times a heater cycles the less likely it is to fail. The fish forums are full of stories of cooked fish, involving many brands of heaters. The problem in every case was a heater too big for the job.


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## flash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

BillD said:


> As already mentioned, get a properly sized heater.


Good point - This heater was a replacement and recommended by person at the LFS. Seems you need to do your own research before almost any purchase and not rely on staff expertise (or lack of).


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

That totally sucks! Thanks for sharing and reminding us that this can and often does happen. 
There are several heater controller options out there, they are relatively cheap (compared to replacing livestock). You plug the heater into the controller and they work with a temp. probe, when the temp. goes above the desired temp they will shut the heater off. Do a google search on Temp. controllers.


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## Mlevi (Jan 28, 2012)

I don't believe it matters what brand of heater you get anymore. Atleast with the bi-metal thermostats. For example used to be a time when eheim heaters were hardly ever any trouble. The old timers still have those 'made in germany' heaters working in tanks for years. Now that they're mass produced in 'cheap labor' plants, you have to calibrate them carefully. My last two were so off that the true temp was out of the range for the calibration ring.

I am not sure about the new type of heater that use a chip instead of the bi-metal thermostat. Maybe someone who uses them can share their experience? 


Al.


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