Hi.. I just set up my new aquarium today.. this is my first, ever.. so i am still nervous and unsure of things. First of all, I don't think my heater is working. Please see my attached photo. Does anyone else use this type of heater? (Deep blue professional Heat Stik, 50 Watt) It says there is an on/off indicator, but nothing is lit up on mine. My themometer says 79ish, so i guess I did pretty well when filling to get the right temp. Bc of this I set the heater to like 86 to test and see if it was working. Sofar, it has not gone up. Any advice with this is appreciated. The rest of the pix just show my setup. Any tips or advice on how it should be improved, or anything you think I need to know would be great. I show how I setup the plugs. I have no fish, so the light isnt on the timer yet. But there is one plugged in. Is my setup drip proof enough?? Sorry, I am so new to this.. These are probably stupid questions! Also.. i have 4 cats. Are there any suggestions on how to deter them from trying to jump on top of the tank, or anything? Thats what makes me the most nervous! im afraid they will jump up and their weight will make the whole hood fall in. :( I am going to try and put things on top for now to make the jump look less desirable. But other ideas are ALWAYS welcome. Thanks everyone for reading!! Your advice will be appreciated!!
Hi Im new too. I dont know the answers to your questions, but wanted to tell you I love your setup. Your fish will be very happy! Bumping up so maybe someone will be able to answer your questions.
Well, your setup looks good to me. What size is the tank? It looks bigger than a 10 gallon. What are you planning on putting in there for fish? I also think that, unless your cats are extra fat, you don't have to worry about the lid falling in....my cats will occasionally get on top of my tanks...just make sure all the holes in the lid are covered so they don't go fishing!
As for the heater, I had a similar situation when I first set up my tank. It just wouldn't keep it at 78...it would always be like 74. Turns out the heater wasn't working....I just returned it and got another one and I've had no trouble. It might just not be working...
Thanks for your input! Yeah I think you are right about the heater. I am bringing it back tomorrow. As for the cats... i dont know. My cats run large :) 16 pds is the largest, the one I think that would try and attempt to jump up there. I also noticed that the middle of the tank is "bowing." I think thats the right word? This is why i worry about them falling in! Since the hood isn't sitting on there perfectly now. The middle of it is wider apart. I hope that makes sense. I wish there was a way to make that not happen :( If it wasnt for that, I wouldn't be as worried!
I actually have that same hood for my 20gal long...mine kind of bows too. I've never had any issues with it in terms of my cats collapsing it lol. If you are worried though sitting a couple little things on top of it would probably help.
Also, I love the stand you have your tank on and it's actually one that I was looking at for my tank. How do you like it? I'm still kind of thinking about getting it....
Well.. I just set it up yesterday. I am not sure I would recommend it. I hope its sturdy. Its definitely nice looking though! When I put it together, I think some of the materials were a little "cheap" to be honest. Since it was done and money was already spent, I kept it. BUt I will keep an eye on it, make sure it doesn't appear to lose its shape, and will be making sure some of the screws holding it together don't start to get lose. It was made to hold a tank, bought it at Petsmart. Made by top fin. So I hope it lasts!
As for the bowing.. i did some reading. Yes I worry about the cats, but now I also worry about a faulty tank. Some say its normal, some say its not. So conflicting. So being I just set it up today, not sure if I should consider getting a different tank :(
Very nice, 10 gals are so easy to cycle & maintain.The heater is a 50 watt and might not have the power to heat that volume of water much above 80*. Ah cats and high places and the heat from the lights it is a magnet that"s for sure. Try to keep a scatt matt or some other unpleasant tactile item on the top of your hood, or buy a all glass versa cover/ top that sits in the inner rim of the tank and your hood is placed on that, this is what I had to do to keep my cats from knocking the hood into the tank.
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