Just got heater, have question

[MarieBettaMom]

I received my order of fishy goodness today. Yay! One of the items I got was the Marineland 25-watt VisiTherm Stealth Heater and the package says it is "fully submersible". But I just wanna make sure.

I see markings on the heater that say and point to "Minimum water level". So I figure the water level must be above where this arrow points.

Now if the water level is higher, I'll have the power cord UNDER water. Are you sure this is OK? My mind keeps telling me that power cords IN water is not a good thing. I don't want to electrocute George. So just to make sure, is it completely safe to have the power cord IN the water??? So the red dial/control part of the heater at the top will also be in the water too?

One more thing, do you rinse the heater before first use? Or does it not matter?

Also, any tips for getting the suction cup backings go through the hole on the heater holder rings? I push and twist, and the round part just doesn't want to go through the hole. Still working on it...

[JingleAllTheWay]

Yes, if it says fully submersible then you can put the cord under the water. That's how mine are, and it has been fine so far. I wasn't sure about that either. :)

It probably doesn't matter if you rinse it. I think I rinse everything before I put it in the tank; I don't know why, I just do.

I'm not sure about the suction cups.

[Elisew]

Hi MarieBettaMom,

Glad you managed to get your heater. I too have the visitherm heaters in all 3 of my tanks. they are fully submersible, i had the same thoughts as you at first, electricity going into water doesn`t seem right....but it`s ok.
The suction cups....push them in and twist so that the small rubber plug fits and sits inside the hole, they are fiddly but they don`t come off easily which is what you need if/when you need to take the heater out of the sleeve for any reason.

Your Bettas gonna be a warm little fella now!! lol

Lise x

[MarieBettaMom]

I finally got the round part from the suction cup through the hole on the heater holder thing. I had to moisten the round part a bit to get it to slide through. Those things are never gonna come apart now. Then I slid the heater unit through the round heater holder thing.

I put the heater in tank. Losing real estate quickly here with the heater, the filter, the plants, and the gravel. I think I need to larger tank now. I mean, this heater pretty much dominates the back wall of the tank! (2 gallon) It just barely fits diagonally.

I am happy about how the heater seems to be warming up the water relatively quickly. I've got it set to 79°F right now, will give it some time to see what my final water temp ends up.

I had to move George's plant forward. I'm not yet sure he likes the new arrangement. I feel him staring at me, thinking, "Mom! Move it BACK!!!"


Any danger of George getting "singed" if he swims too close to the heater? Or will he learn to ignore it and not swim too close to it?

[dramaqueen]

I had the same questions that you asked, MarieBettaMom. I had a hard time with the suction cup things, too. I was worried, too about electrocuting the fish. I didn't rinse mine and it didn't even dawn on me to do it. Everything was ok, though. I think they pretty much ignore the heater.

[MarieBettaMom]

Now I wish there was some sort of indication (light?) on the heater to let me know when the heater is on/off.

[dramaqueen]

I just got a whisper heater and its supposed to have an indicator light but I'll be darned if I can find it. The visitherms don't have an indicator light. It would be nice so you'd know if it was working or not. You just have to go by your thermometer.

[MarieBettaMom]

Good thing I got a digital thermometer. I set the heater to ~79, and the thermometer read 79.6 the last time I looked. Looks like it works for now.

[Elisew]

All 3 of my heaters have indication lights on them I did have to turn the heater in it`s sleeve to find the light though....just a thought?


Sounds like it`s all working properly though, glad you got it sorted

Lise x

[Chicklet]

The suction cup that holds the heater in place, try moving it, It may be covering the small red light,

The heaters will not burn/scorch your fish, Some actually like getting close to it for the added heat it radiates off,
Just like us when we feel a tad chilly we tend to hug closer the the heat source in our homes until we shake the chill.