catfishlover123

Well, I noticed on my thermometer that it is over the "safe zone" on the thermometer. The mercury goes up to around 89. Is this bad? My fish don't seem to be affected.

aquarist48

IMO yes. You should lower it SLOWLY to about 76 or 78 degrees. If you reduce it too fast it could really harm your fish. Being that high is really going to cut into the oxygen supply.

catfishlover123

Well, here's a picture of the heater I have. Or at least the closest to mine. It's supposed to keep the temp just right. Hope this helps. Thanks for your time.

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aquarist48

What setting do you have your heater on? They are adjustable (or should be, all the ones I have seen are).

agabr123

how old is your heater? 89 is definitely too high, could you have forgotten to unplug it while doing a water change or something like that? it sounds like it's malfunctioning if it isn't adjustable, because generally heaters that aren't adjustable are pre-set to 78.

catfishlover123

I didn't know you had to unplug it. About the oxygen thing, would getting live plants stop the problem?

aquarist48

Morning Catfish....you only need to unplug your heater during a water change if the heater itself is going to be above the water line in your tank. Another good reason to have your heater a couple inches away from the bottom of the tank horizontally. (assuming you have a submersible heater) If you have a hang on back heater then I would shut it off with every water change, about 20 minutes prior.

I don't think plants would add enough oxygen that the fish would need with a tank temp of 89 degrees. I'd get a new heater as soon as you can and throw the old one out. Check for cracks in your heater too.

catfishlover123

Well, it is a couple inches away from the bottom. The heater is about 5 months old. Should I do another water change now?