# need help



## Joga Bonito (Oct 30, 2004)

would this be anough 50W Heater 8" for my 29 gallon since my other heater broke, would it work for a while? all i have in the tank is my oscar.


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## soulfly (Aug 7, 2003)

If you crank it up, it should be able to get the water up mid-high 70s. For a while I was using a 100w on a 60g and it kept it around 76-78.


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## Scolopendra (Feb 24, 2005)

I think you should be fine till the heater prematurly "burns out", a more proportionally sized heater should give you much better control over the temp and reduce stress on the heater.


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## Phtstrat (Sep 15, 2004)

You should be fine. Oscars can tolerate a pretty wide range of temperatures, and 50 watts is better than none at all.


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## Grust (Mar 2, 2005)

Scolopendra said:


> I think you should be fine till the heater prematurly "burns out", a more proportionally sized heater should give you much better control over the temp and reduce stress on the heater.
> [snapback]919192[/snapback]​


What causes heaters to stick in the on position and boil your tank is using an oversized heater for the size of tank you have. Every time a heater turns on, electricity arcs between the contacts. There is always a chance that the arc of electricity will spot weld the two contacts together.

It's much more stressful on a heater to be constantly on and off, than to be always on - as long as you have the heating coil submerged in water.


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## Scolopendra (Feb 24, 2005)

Grust said:


> Scolopendra said:
> 
> 
> > I think you should be fine till the heater prematurly "burns out", a more proportionally sized heater should give you much better control over the temp and reduce stress on the heater.
> ...


Not to start a war here....but WRONG!!!!there is not one cause of heater malfunction....only common ones.
The most common is not replacing evap and exposing too much of the tube leading to it literally "frying" as too much of the tube is exposed to the air which heats far faster than water. The second most common returns we get at work are from corrosion of the contacts, that also ties with people placing non-submersables underwater. Your logic is...confusing.....all heaters turn on and off constantly (not like every 2 seconds but very few types have a digital/proportional thermostat to regulate the power rather than simply turn it on and off), i said proportional to the tank. 50 watts is not proportional to his tank. No its not more stressful to be on and off than always be on, thats how they are designed (most), if it were always on then the water temp would reach the maximum of the heater...or even if the durations of on and off are longer that would lead to more exaggerated temp. fluctuations. A correctley sized heater does not faulter more than 1-2° from its setting before "turning on" and then "turning off" once the setting is reached. Also with the on off...they never completley turn off, there is always a small residual current between the contacts, other wise turning on and off completley would be very sressfull.


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## Scolopendra (Feb 24, 2005)

Phtstrat said:


> You should be fine. Oscars can tolerate a pretty wide range of temperatures, and 50 watts is better than none at all.
> [snapback]919247[/snapback]​


I agreethat Oscars are pretty tolaerant and probably could survive with no heater depending on where you live. BTW where are you....? Im assuming your in a warmer area on the west coast or along the southern states...


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## Feeding_Frenzy (Feb 12, 2005)

It's funny how nobody buys heater guards until they break a heater or lose a piranha to one when I bought my heaters I made sure they came with guards too.
2 X Fluval Tronic + Fluval tronic guards, they guard great eliminating the space inbetween the back of your tank and the heater virtually incasing the whole heater any piranha could slam into it and it would never break prolly just move a bit from the suction but hey thats better than a broken heater and a dead piranha/oscar.


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## g_low1515 (Apr 12, 2004)

it will work i broke my heater a few weeks ago and had to order a new one but i would be a week before it was shiped to me so i went to the LFS and got a 150 watt heater for $8.00 to hold me over and it kept my 120 gallon at 84 degrees.


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