Aquarium Heater

Temperature is one of most important control parameters in an aquarium fish tank. If temperature is not properly maintained and allows to drop drastically in a short period of time, the fish will be exposed to temperature shock and thus making them susceptible to aquarium fish disease. That is where the role of an Aquarium Heater comes in.

Certain fish like goldfish, which generally thrives at temperature between 18 to 22degC, does not need aquarium heater unless temperature changes rapidly especially during cold weather conditions. Other tropical fish such as discus, which is native to the Amazon River, are more susceptible to slight change in water temperature and thus, it is imperative that the temperature must be maintained around 27- 30degC. And because fish are "cold blooded", maintaining the right temperature is important in order to ensure that the metabolism of the fish remains at a certain level to be healthy.

It is very important to buy an aquarium heater for your fish tank and prepare in case of emergency. Other than a heater, placing a stick-on thermometer on the outside surface of the aquarium is also recommended so that you will know when to switch on or off depending on requirement. Aquarium heater also does not need to be on all the time. Sometimes, a slight drop in few degrees overnight should not affect the fish tremendously but for smaller fish tank, usually 5 – 10 gallons, a temperature drop is much more rapid and thus having an aquarium heater does come in handy.

Certain automatic fish tank heater also comes together with a built-in heat temperature sensor and thus it will automatically adjust itself depending on the temperature of the water. I would recommend this type of setup because a person would not be able to monitor the temperature of the aquarium all the time and thus, an automatic heater is the best option and most suitable to be used for all aquariums.

Before buying an aquarium heater, you must also know the wattage to match it to the size of your aquarium. Generally, a good rule of thumb is to take 5 watts for every gallon of water. For example, if you have a 10-gallon aquarium, you will need at least 50 watts of aquarium heater for it to function properly. Before buying, also check whether the manufacturer has a good reputation and get the best one, which you can afford.