Fullofit343

So the temperature in my room is about 72 degrees and it's been like that all day. I have a 300 watt heater in my 75 gallon that is set to 78 degrees. i just tested the temperature in my tank and for some reason it is at 85. why would it be so high?

agabr123

your heater could have malfunctioned. what kind of heater is it? did you forget to unplug it during a water change?

Fullofit343

Nope, well i never do in my other tanks but i haven't done any water changes in my saltwater tank yet. i'm going to do my first this weekend. I haven't had any reason to yet but now i do. What's the point of unplugging it during a water change?

au01st

If the water drops too low and exposes the heater while it's still hot it could crack the heater and leak current into the tank (electricity and saltwater don't mix well, especially when you go fiddling around with stuff in the tank).

Also what kind of lights and pumps are you running? What kind of surface agitation are you getting with powerheads? More agitation means more evaporation and better cooling.

Fullofit343

I don't think it's cracked because i only started having problems with it yesterday and like i said i haven't don e any water changes yet soo...Lights i'm not sure because i bought the entire set up from someone but i'm pretty sure they are 10,000k because of how white and bright the light is. it's 2 48 inch bulbs. also i have the current from the flow of my protein skimmer (which obviously isn't much) and also a maxi-jet 1200 in the tank.

aquarist48

I would suggest purchasing a marine land stealth heater if you have the means. I have 3 of them and they are VERY accurate.

Fullofit343

I'd really rather not since i already bought this heater. It's a theo hydro. I'm gonna keep track fo the temperature for the few days and if there is no other option then i guess i'll go out and buy a new one

agabr123

knowing the type of heater that you have (i actually have several of them and am really not a fan), try just turning it down to a much lower temperature. i have to constantly adjust my hydor theos (except for the 7.5 watt minis) to be at the correct temperature, one of them is set at 73 and keeps the tank at 81

cerianthus

Wondering if there are fluctuation of temp thru out the day.
what temp is the heater set at?
Is the heater on when temp is higher than temp set at?
Would never plug/unplug during WC as long as Heater is down low and submerged. It seems to me that constant plugging/unplugging mayshorten heater's life expectancy!