lyndatu

Are heaters a necessity? We are going on a lot of electronic activity here: power filter, multiple air pumps, light, and now a heater? Come on, I'm running out of money! But it's my responsibility because I chose the hobby of being an aquarist. But still! Our electric bill is sky rocketing! And I can't remove any of the electric things we are currently using now! The only electric equipment I don't have is the heater. Can I skip it? I live in the Philippines, so we have a tropical climate here. It's often hot here, but there's still also cool times. So, can I? I heard heaters are expensive, usually big and cramps up space in the aquarium, but I actually never seen one before. Please give me some positive info on heaters. Thanks in advance!



Oh, and my aquarium is 20 gallons, freshwater.

captain jack

Well I'm a bit of a newbie but I'll take a crack at it...first do you have a thermometer in the tank and what is the average temp.I would say if it drops below 70 on a cool night then yes if it does not then you might get away with it.IMO a small 50 or 100 watt would be just fine it also depends on what kind of fish you are keeping.If your doing goldfish then you should be fine if they are a tropical species then you might look into a heater.How many air pumps are you running you could run one to make room for the heater if you had to I suppose.My tank is a 29 gallon and i have 1 air pump 1 heater 2 filters and 2 lights 1 main and 1 moonlight.But as I was saying start with you average temp then go from there that will tell you if you really need a heater or not..If it gets hot during the day the heater wont kick on but if it cools at night too much then it will.I hope this helps you out a bit.I think this is a good place to start if I am wrong then maybe someone else in this forum can narrow down anything I might have missed...

Allie

You can keep goldfish without a heater but they get huge but your 29 gal is too small. If it doesn't get too cold where you live you could get away without a heater...depending on the fish you keep. I'd stay away from fish who need high temps to thrive.

Isabella

You'll need a heater in a freshwater tank, unless: (1) you'll have coldwater fish like Goldfish, and (2) the climate in which you live is warm and stable, and will keep your tank at a warm and constant temperature.

griffin

however, to save on outlets, reducing/eliminating the air pumps would be fine. also, if your tank is usually warm, the heater won't do much work (won't cost much)

Cody

heaters dont really take up any room if you ask me..and all so..you could turn you could unplug the air pumps at night if you wanted also...heaters can be expensive...now i would recomend the marineland stealth...its very acurate and reliable ..alot of cheaper ones are unacurate and break ..so if you think about it..you could have heater that last 5 and most likely more years..or pay less and have to replace it ever 6 months

Chief_waterchanger

A heater for a single tank should raise your electricity bill by LESS than $1 a month... Honestly that is, even on minimum wage of 5-6 dollars an hour not that much extra work.

Cody

chief makes a good point

BlueGreen

I live is SW FL and have had a 36g for over 6 yrs w/out a heater. Not saying that was/is a smart move. However, my water temp. does fluctuate between 72 and 77 degrees. After some more research, I am going to add a heater ASAP to control a more constant temp.

sirdarksol

The White Cloud Mountain minnows can survive in temperate (read: unheated) water, as can goldfish (which get too big for the tank, as was mentioned), and so can a number of really interesting invertebrates.
Most of the fish at the pet store, however, need a water temp that stays above 74 degrees.
Some people with a lot of tanks choose to heat the room they're in rather than heating the tanks. This is doable, but kind of pointless for a single tank.

You can, however, ditch the air pumps, as someone mentioned. It's also possible, if you severely understock your tank (like half the fish you would normally keep in it), plant a lot of frilly plants (like water wysteria), to have an aquarium without any filters. However, this is very difficult to do (After a year, I finally got my betta's tank to the point that there is enough surface area on plants in order to run a filter-free aquarium for him. It takes a while for the plants to grow enough) Of course, this usually requires extra lighting, so it's often a tradeoff of expenses.

Butterfly

Heaters are necessary to prevent fluctuations in temperature. If you keep your heater set at 78F and the room is warm the heater may never come on at all but if it needs to keep the temp steady it's there.. Fluctuations in temperature and chilling are two of the main causes for ICH outbreaks.
Carol