We had a power outage for 2 days from a storm, and since then my two aquarium heaters don't seem to be working( I know it takes a couple hours to warm up & the light only comes on and off when heat gets to the point...) But it's been like a week and I haven't seen the light come on in either of my two tanks, and I don't have a thermometer to test the heat.. and my apple snails are so slow and nearly come out of their shells.. and I have 2 pregnant guppies ready to pop- but I don't think they will at this pipnt because it too cold? Are the heaters dead? How can that happen? Ps. I know I really need the get thermometers.. Plz help!
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2 Answers
Aquarium heaters die all the time. Just buy new ones.
I always keep spares in case one dies.
You should really get a thermometer to monitor the tank temperature as the settings on those things can be off. And even a stick on thermometer can warn you of a heater failure. The other thing people do is touch the glass whenever you walk by as an additional check.
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Touching the glass can be rudimentary check whether the thermostat works, but can't replace a thermometer. Commented Feb 20, 2018 at 22:46
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Touching the heater is more direct and fast; It will warm in a few seconds, if on. Commented Mar 10, 2018 at 3:46
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you do need a thermometer and even if your heater is working it takes time for the water to heat,i did change a lot of water in one of my aquariums two days ago the temparature was 18c and 40 hrs later it is 24c. Commented Mar 10, 2018 at 6:32
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@trondhansen you don't preheat the water before doing water changes? Commented Mar 10, 2018 at 6:34
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yes i do pre heat the water but i let it outgass overnight to get rid of the chlorine and it is hard to heat 6 containers to the right temparature before i use it. Commented Mar 10, 2018 at 6:48
For starters, I'd recommend always having thermometers on hand. They can be quick to verify things.
Secondly, at home, I can normally tell the difference between whether the heaters are working or not by simply sticking my hand in the aquarium. There's a noticeably temperature difference.
I'd recommend starting by taking a quick look at the thermometers. Maybe they got bumped so that the temperature was lowered. I'd also recommend looking at the light held slightly above the water, sometimes when my aquarium gets some algae growth on the walls, I can't see if the light is on.
You could also try filling a bucket with a few gallons of cold water, setting the heater to max, and placing it inside. If you come back in a few hours hours and the water's still cold, the heaters are likely broken and you probably need new ones.
