The Importance of Aquarium Heaters
December 3, 2009 by FishTankLover
Filed under Aquarium Care Tips
If you have tropical fish in your aquarium, you will definitely need an aquarium heater. The place where the fish came from is warm and if you live in a cold climate, the temperature of the fish tank aquarium can drop below their usual temperature. A major drop in temperature can hurt the fish and even kill them. Even though the fish are cold-blooded, many kinds of aquarium fish need the heaters to thrive.
Aquarium heaters are designed to stabilize the temperatures of the water so the fish can survive. Most fish, especially tropical fish, can’t withstand inconsistent conditions. Fish can’t regulate and produce their own body heat and this is why they need the water temperature to stay constant.
Within each aquarium heater, there is a regulator that is used to maintain the temperature of the water. Preset the heater to a specific temperature and the heater will turn on when the temperature of the water drops below that limit.
There are many types of aquarium heaters that you can purchase. The most popular one is the immersion style heater. This type of heater is a glass tube that encases a ceramic or glass heater. For small aquariums, you will just need one to heat the aquarium. For larger aquariums, you may need more than two.
There’s also a heating cable and heating mat that you can purchase. These type of heaters will be buried under the gravel. They are great if you have a lot of live plants in the aquarium. However, they are not very effective when it comes to heating the whole tank.
No matter what fish you get, you should still have an aquarium heater in place. This way, if the room temperature changes, it won’t have any effects on the fish. Most fish can tolerate a small change in temperature, but if there’s a lot of changes, it can kill the fish. So to be on the safe side, always have a heater in place and preset to a specific temperature.
To get the most of out your fish tank aquariums, check out our aquarium care ebook today and find out how you can keep your fish healthy, safe, and happy.
