Heater question and algae problems

[KerrySweetums]

Hi everyone. I haven't had an in years and just got one first of September. 36 gallon bowfront. I found a great deal on a 300 watt Aqueon adjustable heater. On sale $14. Is it to big for my tank or ok 9n lowest setting?
Also having lots of trouble with algae. I guess that's it. Pretty and clear, next day water is green. I tried something for algae growth, but didn't help and some of my fish died. Ideas?
Thanks guys

 

[OldNautical]

That size of heater will most likely be just fine for your tank. Having a heater that is a bit higher wattage for your tank basically just means that the heater won’t have to work as hard to keep the tank heated, which can save electricity. Just set it to whatever temp you want and you’ll be fine.

The algae and fish deaths could be any number of issues, but first and foremost did you let the tank cycle before you added fish? What are the water parameters and what fish do you have in the tank? Did the fish show any symptoms of being unwell before dying?/

 

[ForceTen]

I use the Aqueon 300 watt in my 40 gallon. Its just right.
The only cure for algae is you removing as much as you can, controlling light as best you can and keeping the tank clean and repeated water changes.
I do them each week about 40-50%.

 

[RayClem]

The appropriate size heater for a tank depends upon both the tank size and the required temperature rise on the coldest temperature expected in the fishroom.

For example, if you fishroom never gets below 72 degrees F and you keep the tank at 76 degrees,, you might only need a 50 watt heater. If the fishroom gets down to 55 degrees F, you are going to need a much larger heater. In one recent thread, someone was keeping a 20 gallon tank on his back porch where temperatures could get quite cold, so he had two 300 watt heaters. Normally a 300 watt heater would be recommended for a 65-90 gallon tank based on a typical 10 degree temperature rise.

The only disadvantage to using a heater larger than required is that if the thermostat sticks closed such that the heater cannot turn off, the tank can get hot enough to kill your fish. Of course, it is possible that the thermostat will stick in the open position such that the ;heater will not turn on and the tank will get too cold and the fish will get ich or some other disease. The ideal situation is to have two heaters both sized slightly less than required. I always did that when I kept expensive saltwater fish and corals, but with freshwater tanks I normally use only one and keep a spare in case one of my heaters fails However, keep an eye on tank temperature so it does not vary from setpoint without your catching it within a few hours. No matter what brand of heater you purchase, no matter what the warranty may be, ALL heaters will fail eventually. That is just as certain as death and taxes.

 

[KerrySweetums]

Hi. Thank you for all the information. Yes, I let it cycle before I added fish. We had a few days of algae about 2 weeks in. But it cleared up after a couple of days. The fish have been here about a month with no issues. My Angelfish are doing fine so far. Its the Groumis that haven't done well.
The guy told me to try a bottle of stuff to help get rid of the algae. But it really didn't help.

That size of heater will most likely be just fine for your tank. Having a heater that is a bit higher wattage for your tank basically just means that the heater won’t have to work as hard to keep the tank heated, which can save electricity. Just set it to whatever temp you want and you’ll be fine.

The algae and fish deaths could be any number of issues, but first and foremost did you let the tank cycle before you added fish? What are the water parameters and what fish do you have in the tank? Did the fish show any symptoms of being unwell before dying?/

 

[OldNautical]

For the algae I would try to keep the lights down to a minimum on the tank (if you have live plants, you will need to keep it on, if not, keeping the time the light is on to a shorter period of time and even dimming the light by attaching paper/fabric to the lights will probably help. Keep the tank out of direct sunlight from any windows. Also make sure you have a killer filter on the tank; I’ve seen that help clear up algae amazingly fast. Do frequent water changes as well, especially if your nitrates are a little high (they will just feed the algae).

 

[KerrySweetums]

H8. It's not by a window and I do have live plants, so I'm leaving lights on for a little while. Tgen yarn off. So they make a filter to help algae? Does it have a special name?
Thanks

 

[RayClem]

H8. It's not by a window and I do have live plants, so I'm leaving lights on for a little while. Tgen yarn off. So they make a filter to help algae? Does it have a special name?
Thanks

Generally, the best lighting for a planted tank to insure plant growth is a full specturm LED light that has a variety of LED colors rather than just white ones. I have a couple of Hygger programmable LED lights that allow you to change both the light color and intensity. I have mine set to come on rather dim in the morning, gradually increase in intensity and then start to dim in the late afternoon and turn off in the evening, following a normal dawn, daylight, dusk cycle each day. If you have algae eaters in the tank, snails, shrimp or fish, you want some algae growth so they don't starve, but you do not want the algae to overwhelm the plants. Bu controlling the light cycle you can achieve this.

However, I do have a 4000 K shop light I use over two smaller tanks and it is working just fine. A 5000K - 6500 K light might be even better. I had saltwater tanks before the LED craze and used 6500 K fluorescent lights to grow coral and anemones. Be sure you put the light on a timer so that it goes on and off the same time each day. If you get too much algae, just cut back on the on time or move the light further away from the tank.

 

[KerrySweetums]

Where can I find the Led lights you were talking about? Mine are all white. I have a 36 gallon bowfront tank.