Zodiac007

I'm going to get a 50 or 55 gallon soon. And its gonna be a tropical freshwater aquarium. I already have a 10 gallon tropical. But i don't have a heater in it because its always a room temperature. Its always at around 20 - 25 Celsius. Which is around the right temperature for tropical fish. This is because I live in Vancouver, BC Canada, and its usually quite warm and my house always has heat.

So would I still need a heater for a 50 or 55 gallon?

Thank you.

Angela_96

Yes, you do need a heater, their will be shifts in the temp even w/ a heated house that will be bad for the fish health. You could get a stealth heater that you can set the temp, and it will cut off at a certain point (78 degrees is what all of mine are set at).

agabr123

i agree. unless you've got goldfish that prefer a little temperature drop at night, keeping the temperature at a steady 78F will keep your fish a lot healthier .

Miriam and Joel

Hey hi there!

I live in Vancouver too! Where do you live? I live in North Van.

My first betta moved in 3 weeks ago. He lives in a 4 gallon tank. The first week I didn't have a heater because every body (in pet stores) told me that room temperature is good enough for a Betta. The water temperature was around 18 Celsius. It was because my apartment is not very warm during the day and because it was pretty cold outside. My poor Betta didn't like it!

Usually the water is a little bit colder than room temperature and I'm wondering how the water in your tank can be 25 Celsius without a heater?
I found the cheapest and smallest heater in wall mart for 11$. The ones at the pet stores are more expensive, probably also better.
Since I put the heater in my fish is much more activ and makes bubble nests (I heard they don't do that in cold water).
So I guess it's worth to invest some more money if your fish will be healthy and happy!

All the best,

Mirjam

pepetj

If you get a digital thermometer with a submersible probe that you place inside the tank, and log info on the range of tank temp variation (most come with built-in memory for highest and lowest temps) you could be sure if, in your particular case, it is safe or not to go without a heater.

However, keep in mind that if for whatever reason, the room temp goes down, your tropicals could suffer the consequences.

Pepe
Santo Domingo

Dozey

And keep in mind that the digital thermometer will likely cost you as much or more then an aquarium heater.

sirdarksol

It is possible to go without a heater, but to do so means keeping the room the aquarium is in at a steady 80-82 (F, of course. I don't know the C equivalent) degrees at all times. Many people find this uncomfortable and expensive, so aquarium heaters are the best way to go.
If you've got a number of aquaria in a single room, it may be cheaper to heat that room to the proper temperature.