# Help - Visitherm heater toasting fish!



## ianmartyn (Nov 1, 2007)

I arrived home tonight to find two of my rainbows dead. I immediately went into the tank to retrieve them and start testing the water. I discovered quickly that the water was a steamy 92 degrees. Is it possible for heaters to lose there thermostat and cook a tank? 

I have unplugged my heater, turned all my filter outputs straight up to increase surface aggitation and unplugged my co2 system. Should I be doing a water change to decrease the temperature? Or try and wait it out.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Yes, heaters can die and cook tanks. 

Don't lower the temp too much too fast. If the rest have survived, try several small water changes to bring the emp slowly. And keep any other heater off.

Good luck with the survivors.


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## ianmartyn (Nov 1, 2007)

Thanks for the help. It looks like I'm in the process of losing another (on the bottom of the tank, upside down). I'm thinking a water change would just shock them to much. 

I'll just dump some cold water into the tank to top the water level up. 

Keeping my fingers crossed!


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Good luck with saving them.

Don't dump it in. Use airline tubing to slowly siphon it into the tank, and have it enter the tank in front of the filter output to mix and disperse the colder water. Dumping it in will only shock them and possibly kill more.


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Yea - just small 10-20% water changes every hour or so from room temperature water should bring it down slowly enough.

Surface agitation should help too.


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

I have had three heaters run away with me in the first year and a half of keeping aquariums properly. I have decided to stick to JAGER and TOPFIN heaters, and let the rest of the stuff be, because every other brand I've tried has died on me. 

Anyone with more experience, got a heater brand preference they'd like to share?

W


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## duffgrot (Jul 4, 2008)

It's always safest to use many small heaters rated for smaller tanks that add up to your size, than one big one. That way if one of the goes on the blitz, your tank takes much longer to overheat and you usually catch it in time. Most tanks can also survive on heaters rated much lower, as long as when you are doing water changes, the water you are putting in is as close as possible to the current temperature. Having a lower rated heater doesn't mean you can't reach the same maximum temperature, it just takes longer to get there, which helps when they go on the fritz.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

KhuliLoachFan said:


> I have had three heaters run away with me in the first year and a half of keeping aquariums properly. I have decided to stick to JAGER and TOPFIN heaters, and let the rest of the stuff be, because every other brand I've tried has died on me.
> 
> Anyone with more experience, got a heater brand preference they'd like to share?
> 
> W


I like the stealth Visitherm (plastic) heaters, and have them on two of my tanks. I also use a Jager heater on the 75g, and older Elite heaters on two other tanks, but they have worked faithfully for years.

I also had a visitherm (glass) blow up on me, but luckily I caught it before it toasted my whole reef tank...


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## sawman88 (Sep 29, 2008)

sorry to here mate. cooking fish is never fun :*(


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## Tigercga (Mar 26, 2006)

I had the same problem cooking half of my fish population two months ago. I used Hagen brand and it went out of control.


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## sympley2003 (Sep 24, 2008)

I use Jager heaters, and so far 3 years later no problems...knock on wood.

I also run my heaters on a Aqua Medic Biotherm Temperature controller, so even if my heaters gets stuck once temperature goes up too high my controller will shut it off.


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