Heater or no heater?

I've been doing some reading and I just wanted to know what you guys thought about keeping tanks without heaters. I know a few people do, but what about the rest of you. Would you go without a heater?

Some people say "Yes, fish NEED a temp of, say, 76F" and other say "no, the science of blah blah blah allows the fish to live in cooler than 74F water because of how they live in the wild blah blah blah"

The reason I ask is because I have several tanks laying around with filters and everything, but no heater! I want to set them up, but temps in my house can drop pretty low (68 is normal for upstairs and 60-65 for downstairs in the fishroom). I'm not saying I will be setting them up. I like to have a heater just to be on the safe side.

So what are your thoughts?

 

Tropical fish need the heaters IMO ....a fluctuating temp causes stress and we know what that can do to a fish....a few degrees up and down don't matter but here in NH , we were 80s last week and 30s this week...without heaters, I think id have a bunch of ICH fish on my hands

 

All of my tanks with the exception of the bettas have heaters. The bettas do nut until I get new bulbs for their lights as the lights heat the water and if I have a heater running the water gets up to like 90+.

I plan to have all of my tanks with heaters tho.

EDIT:
I even have one on my goldie tank but its only set to 72 degrees so it only kicks on when my house is cold. Which generally is in the winter since its right next to a door.

 

Tropical fish need the heaters IMO ....a fluctuating temp causes stress and we know what that can do to a fish....a few degrees up and down don't matter but here in NH , we were 80s last week and 30s this week...without heaters, I think id have a bunch of ICH fish on my hands

That's exactly what happened here! The temp in the house didn't change but a few degrees, but outside was just... Wow.

The only tank I have no heater in is my shrimp tank. They seem to do better for me in lower temperatures.

 

Probably depends on your home, most people with a large fishroom just heat the room to save costs instead of each tank individually. If your house is always warm you would probably be fine but if it gets as cold as you say then a heater would be required.

 

I kept a 55 gallon tropical community tank with no heater no problem... but the room they were in also housed the pellet stove, so it was never under 74, usually it kept a steady 76, so I think that that was a special circumstance... Normally I would never keep a fish without a heater...

 

Good morning,

I have moved your thread from General Discussion to Freshwater Tank Equipment/Heaters section of the forum.

I recommend heaters for your tanks.

Ken

 

Thanks Ken.

I just wanted to see what everyone's opinions were. I, too, think that every tank should have a heater.

 

I looked in my tank last week and the temperature was below 70 degrees. One of my fish had ICH. It turned out the heater was broken... probably no more than a day or two or I would have noticed and my fish was sick already!!

 

I think if your house stays at a consistent temperature it would be ok. My house is not only inconsistent, but we drop the heat or air considerably during different times of the day ie at night, when we aren't home etc. Our house can go from 65 to 73+ and back in the course of a day.

 

Hello!!! I've had a 10 gallon tank running for about 2 years. The supplies to set it up were given to me by a family member who could no longer look after a fish tank. The tank now consists of 4 glofish tetras, 1 dwarf gourami, and 1 pleco. The pleco was added today. But aside from that, the tetras and the gourami have gone without a heater for most of their lives with me since the heater given to me broke. My room that I keep them in is consistently around 70 degrees and its winter where I live right now. In the summer it's probably even warmer in my room and in the tank.

The thermometer in their tank reads 70 as well. And they've been completely fine for this long. Today when I got the pleco, the aquarium people who worked there suggested that I do grab a heater. The minimum temp that the heater goes to is 68 degrees. My mom who has taken care of tanks throughout the years kind of scared me into not using the new heater as they've been without one for such a long time. She says that they aren't used to it and they'll continue to be fine without one. So my question is, what should I do? Use the heater? Or don't? I'm afraid!

This is the heater I picked up today:



I appreciate any help/advice that I can get!

*Edit: The employees at the private owned fish store recommended that I get the type of pleco that stayed smaller than the common ones. My mistake though, I don't remember the type that it is. Although he will get bigger, they told me that that specific type of pleco is the only size that will be suitable for my sized tank.

 

Not sure on the heater, but the pleco is going to need a much bigger tank. They get to be pretty big. You're probably better off returning it, or buying a bigger tank.

 

+1 to what Mims said.

None of the fish in your 10gal are suitable for a 10gal. As Mims sad, I suggest you either return them or upgrade to a 30gal.

 

Thanks for your reply Mims! The employees at the private owned fish store recommended that I get the type of pleco that will stay smaller than the common ones. My mistake though, I don't remember the type that it is. Although he will get bigger, they told me that that specific type of pleco is the only size that will be suitable for my tank.

 

It'll most likely either be a Bristlenose, Bulldog, or Clown Pleco - they are the only types that stay around the 3-4 inch mark. However, they still require at least a 30gal. A 20gal at a BIG push.

 

On the heater if the tank stays at a stable temperature year round (not dropping too far below 70) no heater should be fine

Good Luck
Tim345

 

Danjamesdixon

Thank you for your reply as well! It's odd to me that the employees at the aquarium store didn't warn me about this though. They knew how big my tank is. Also, it wasn't a place that doesn't care about their fish like walmart, or meijer, or any other big company. Like I said they're a private fish store that I've been recommended to by other friends who keep fish. So I would think that they would have warned me. I will return the pleco, the last thing I want to do is stunt it's growth or anything like that.

But I'm still confused about whether to use the heater or not? I don't want anything to happen to the existing fish in there if I were to start using the heater.

Tim345 Thanks so much. The other threads on here regarding the same issue have been confusing me lol. I know it really depends on the fish, and the environment the tank is kept in. I had to make sure though. The employees at the store today kind of had me worried. But yes, as of now the tank is stable at 70.

 

Remember - regardless of how private/recommended they are - LFS are out to make a sale. Despite how backwards it sounds, once those fish leave their store, they have no duty of care over them - they have your money, that is what concerns them.

It's generally good practice to take everything LFS say with a pinch of salt - do you own research! What I'll generally do is if I see a fish I like, I will go home and research it until I know as much about it as possible before I take one home with me.

It's usually advised to use a heater - that way you can control your temperature much easier. However, like I said, your DG and Tetras will also stunt eventually in a 10gal. I suggest you take them back as well.

 

I ran my 10 galllon for a long time with no heater, you should be fine. I only added a heater because I upgraded to a 29 gallon and thought it would cool quicker than it heated so you know the rest.

 

+1 danjamesdixon.....
maybe they werent out to purposely give you wrong information but I honestly don't know of any pleco that can or should be housed in a 10 gallon tank unfortunately, take him back. Either way, Id use the heater, fish's immune system works better at the proper temperature and those fish really would prefer 77-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Use the heater. Your mom is I guess..."sort of right"... you shouldnt bring up the temperature of their water from ~70 -> ~78 in a matter of an hour... that will very likely shock the fish causing undue stress. bring up the temperature gradually, today bring it to 72 tomorrow bring it up to 74 etc. higher heat may also make them more active which imo is a good thing.

 

higher heat may also make them more active which imo is a good thing.

Usually that would be a good thing, but in a tank this small they don't have the space to be active unfortunately.

 

Don't forget that the higher the heat, the faster the metabolism and the faster they age. (Means shortened life).
I don't think it will make a noticeable difference though.

So if you live in a tropical region where throughout the year it is hot, your fine without heater.
If you live in temperate regions like me, you would need one just for cold winter months.





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Don't forget that the higher the heat, the faster the metabolism and the faster they age. (Means shortened life).
I don't think it will make a noticeable difference though.

So if you live in a tropical region where throughout the year it is hot, your fine without heater.
If you live in temperate regions like me, you would need one just for cold winter months.





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At the same time, a temperature lower than their ideal range is also potentially stressful to their immune system, etc. making them more susceptible to disease and an untimely death.

Like said above, definitely don't just ram the temperature up to 78 overnight. Also, be cautious with the settings on the heater, because it might not be exactly calibrated--when first setting up the heater, be sure to actually watch the thermometer to make sure it's not going somewhere different than you expect.

 

I would personally return the pleco and gourami! Little glow light tetras will get to about 2" or so? So in a 10 gallon I would say a max of 4 for schooling purposes. If an algae eater is needed maybe you can look into getting an Oto, I stick with the one Oto per 10 gallon deal. But as for your heater, I have mine set low enough where it only comes on if the nights get frigid otherwise my water temp stays at about 74-75 on its own throughout the day and I have Danios, Neons, Panda Corys and Otos. Just do a little research and find suitable fish for your size tank that would interest you (I would say 5 Neon tetras) as they can handle 68-78• temps and from what you said that's an ambient temp in your house and tank.

 

Don't forget that the higher the heat, the faster the metabolism and the faster they age. (Means shortened life).

vvv exactly thisvvv rather live a "shorter" more comfortable life than a "longer" stressful life

At the same time, a temperature lower than their ideal range is also potentially stressful to their immune system, etc. making them more susceptible to disease and an untimely death.