Heater trouble

[Schwannsee]

So, my heater, a Hydor Theo, is not keeping my 10 gallon warm reliably, it was only 72 when I came in this am. Then the lights are on all day and the temp spikes up to 84+. Not cool. Suggestions?

[LebronTheBetta]

How many watts does the heater have? Hydor THEOs are really reliable IME. I have 2 for my 20G and 3G. Both keep the tank at a stable temperature. For 10G tanks, they need a 50 watt heater as minimum.

I don't think you should keep the light on. It's an incandescent light, correct? I think you should switch it to a fluorescent bulb.

[Schwannsee]

Nope, It's a planted tank so it's got a potent little flourescent light, and I cannot leave it off,or my plant life will die. If you have thoughts on how to redo lighting that would be helpful & I would be happy to hear them. The Theo is a 50W, thanks for checking that, I would be so annoyed if I missed something so easy!

[aokashi]

maybe the heater is keeping the water at 72. but the light brings the water up to 84. try turning the heater up a notch and see if the temperature rise/dip range narrows

[Schwannsee]

Thanks! I did check that, but the heater is set to 79.

[pittipuppylove]

I had a similar problem with my Theo heaters, only in reverse - it got cooler at night and eventually warmed up durring the day. Turns out the temperature in my poorly insulated dorm room fluctuated enough at night that the heater couldn't keep up with the changes. Does the temperature of your room change much?

And the thermostats on mine are all off to varying degrees. Tell one to heat to 83*F and it gets to 80*F, set another to the same temperature and it heats it to 76*F.
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[callistra]

I've had the same problems and finally give up on them. You'll find forums full and online supply store reviews full of these same problems too. I like Aqueon pro, jager and marine land visitherm personally

It might also have a little to do with the temp of the room the 10g is in. A 50w in a 10g will only be able to bring temp about 10 degrees above room temp.. But that doesn't explain it climbing to 84.

Make sure the tank is away from vents and cold air returns as well as windows. You want an interior wall ideally

[MadameDesu]

Originally Posted by callistra

I've had the same problems and finally give up on them. You'll find forums full and online supply store reviews full of these same problems too. I like Aqueon pro, jager and marine land visitherm personally

It might also have a little to do with the temp of the room the 10g is in. A 50w in a 10g will only be able to bring temp about 10 degrees above room temp.. But that doesn't explain it climbing to 84.

Make sure the tank is away from vents and cold air returns as well as windows. You want an interior wall ideally

2nd this, my Hydor Theo was bupkis as well. Not saying you should get rid of it if you can make it work, but just letting you know that sometimes you just get a dud.