# Beware heater malfunctions



## PCFishMan (Oct 1, 2004)

Hello Everybody.. I havent really posted but a couple times years ago but Im a lurker often and enjoy all the information I have gotten from this forum. I am hoping you all will heed my disaster and not duplicate it. I had a colony of tropheus Ilangi F1s that I had started in 2002. Started with 15 and settled in to 40 or so.. gave quite a few away. I had only lost 2 fish ever and that was in the last year to what I determined was basically old age. In fact the two that had died were breeding females. Seems like they grow old faster than the males with the breeding cycle being as rough on them as it is. I always let them hold their eggs and spit in the tank... it seems like they would be awful skinny by the time they released.. Does anybody know the average lifespan of tropheus in a tank? All of my original fish were looking old at 7 years.

On the positive side, I think I had such good luck with the fish because they got well water at about 800 ppm TDS, no chlorine or other chems.. and they sure loved the water changes. so if you have well water good for you get a tropheus colony! anyway thats a side note and just an observation.

I am now looking to sell my 110 gallon Tenecor as I cant afford to restock it since I got laid off. But the point of my post is that we should all be replacing heaters every couple or few years. I come to this conclusion as my heater was 4 years old and was the best you can buy, a digital pro heat... anyway the thing stuck on full blast and fried my whole colony. They were fine the night before when I fed and observed... I spoke with a buddy about it and he informed me that in his experience, which has been life long, like mine, he had lost a full tank from the same thing years ago. I really miss my fish. I hope none of you have to wake up to such a terrible thing. Replace those heaters....

peace 
PC


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## frschul (Mar 10, 2004)

Sorry to hear that.  
This is a common problem as I have kept fish since I was 13 years old .... Today I am 60 LOL.
The same problem has existed since day one when I started out with guppies.
That is why I am an advocate of heating the area if at all possible and not the tank.
I now keep Petros.... Just think of it a $25.00 - $50.00 heater broiling $400.00 - $1500.00+
worth of fish. A bad, bad feeling. One of the weakest links in this hobby is the Aquarium Heater.
Once again sorry to hear that.
But more important , I wish you find work soon...
GREED ..., the Banks, Creditcard companies, drug companies, Wall Street, Outsourcing @$#@
Take care
good luck and enjoy the holidays the best you can.
Frank


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

Since it applies here, I'll repost what I just posted in the other thread on the same subject:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... highlight=


kmuda said:


> If you get an external temperature controller/thermostat you pretty much eliminate the concerns of a heater cooking the fish. The external controller does exactly that, turns the heater (or heaters) off and on, based upon water temperature and without the failings that come with combining the thermostat with the heater itself. If the heater gets stuck "on", it does not matter because the external controller will power it off when the designated temperature is reached.
> 
> But you are right, heaters are generally the "weak link". But as I mentioned, there is way to "fix" this.


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## PCFishMan (Oct 1, 2004)

Hey Guys, thanks for the excellent feedback.

Frank, Thank You. I guess I have just been lucky to have only had this heater failure happen once.. Im over 50 and keeping tanks since I was 19.  Im so totally in agreement with your comments on the jobs situation. I couldnt be more frustrated (knock on wood) since I have a very good resume showing longevity, success and professionalism... *** been working without exception since my first paper route in 1972.. but now I cant get an interview. Thank God I dont judge my value by the number of interviews Im getting... Im not alone and I wish all of you looking for work Good Luck.

Thanks Kmuda. A great solution! I hadn't thought of that but indeed that's a great idea and one I will use if I keep the tank. I sure wish I would have realized that before the disaster. Information like this really shows the value of this forum.

Thanks again and Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays! 

PC


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

One point that hasnâ€™t been touched, is heater size, in watts.
2 watt per gallon gives pretty decent protection against most all tank â€œboil outsâ€


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## myjohnson (Dec 28, 2007)

single stage temp controller man


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