How far can you submerse a Submersible Heater?

[Isabella]

HI all And hI to Butterfly and Gunnie because I know you're reading this, lol ;D OK, here is what happened: my crappy clip-on heater broke today so I quickly run to the store to get a good submersible one. And so I did. I got a 150 watt "Tronic" for my 30 gallon tank (I mean, I hope it's good!). The problem is, I never had a submersible heater before. I know you've to submerse it in the water lol, but what about the temperature setting dial and the water seal below it? Does the whole heater totally go underwater? Even the temp. setting dial? Do you set the temp. on it underwater? Or does this part (the dial) have to stick out of the water? And how to position the submersible heater? Vertically or horizontally? And in what part of the tank (so that the water temperature is uniform throughout the tank)?

By the way, Butterfly ... I finally got some wood, lol. It is not as nice as yours and I'll never find anything that I like here in NY, but those pieces of wood I found today were much better than all those I've seen before in my pet store. Also got some new plants and new gravel. So basically I am ready for a setup change I will start soaking and boiling of wood tomorrow. And Of course boiling of stones

 

[Dino]

Isabella,
everything needs to be underwater.
I plase my horizontally, as to get a more spread out heating area.
Also, put it in an area were there is a good amount of water current, so that the heat gets spread around.

Dino

 

[Isabella]

Thanks Dino

 

[Butterfly]

That's why I love the submersible heater so much. The whole thing goes under water. Heres what I do. Set the tenmp, place where I want it under water, let it sit about 15 minutes to adjust to water temp, THEN plug it up. Put a thermometer in the tank and monitor the temp over night. the next morn if the temps not high enough then raise the temp just a degree or so, if its too high lower the temp. That way you'll know how accurate your heater dial is. Don't take it back out of the water to set the temp, the cooler air will break the heater.
As Dino suggested it needs to be near the water flow, I think mine are all under the filters in the water flow or close to it, and near the bottom so they can be hidden easier.
ooooohhhhh you got stuff!!! that's so cool!!! Remember boil, boil, boil and please be careful to cool your stones gradually as they can explode if cooled too fast.
Carol

 

[Isabella]

Thank you Butterfly I placed the heater close to my filter yesterday. I positioned it vertically - is that OK? It's basically in the same place and position as my clip-on heater was, only now it's completely submersed. The water reached the temperature I set on the heater after maybe only one hour of turning the heater on. And it has been stable like this since yesterday. I see a light go on and off on the heater. Does that mean it turns itself off automatically when the water is at the set temperature? I think it's the thermostat, right? I love it. I don't have to do anything with it, and it's so easy to use. The old clip-on heater had to be constantly adjusted. Maybe it's even better that it broke, lol.

Seriously, the stones can "explode" if cooled too quickly? That's scary LOL! I'll boil them and leave in the boiling pot until the water cools by itself, then take them out. I'll do the same with the wood. But I'm not sure if the driftwood won't crack or even break when boiled. Do you think it could? Should I leave the wood in the water until the water cools off too? The wood I got is labeled "driftwood safe for freshwater aquaria." Does that mean that it doesn't have to be soaked and boiled a lot? Or should I soak and boil it as much as I would the wood, say, found in the forest? How many times do you recommend to boil it? And how long and how many times to soak it?

THANKS

 

[Butterfly]

Yes the heater will be fine there, and the light going off and on means the thermostat is turning it off when it reaches the temperature you have it set at. Isn't it great?
If you boil your rocks the pour cold water over them then yes they definitely can explode. you can boil them and let them cool off naturally or pour part of the water off and add cooler water to it.
Since your wood says safe for aquaria , just boiling it for a short time and rinsing it good after should be good enough. the wood shouldn't break or crack when boiled. or rinsed after.
Carol

 

[Isabella]

THANK YOU BUTTERFLY !!!

 

[Butterfly]

WELCOME ;D
Carol

 

[Isabella]

Some more questions Butterfly!!! I am so sorry! LOL OK, I am soaking this driftwood now. And actually the color of it underwater looks quite nice - the opposite of what it looked like when it was dry. The driftwood kept coming up to the surface of the water, so I put some stones on it to keep it totally submerged underwater. But I guess it will keep floating too when I put it in the tank? What can I do to keep it at the bottom of the tank? As for the soaking, I will soak the wood (and my stones) for 24 hours. Is 24 hours too long? Then I will boil it and rinse it tomorrow. And then I will soak, boil, and rinse it again to see if any more coloration will be coming out of it, I guess until it doesn't stain the water. Can I boil the sea shells too? Or will they crack?

 

[Butterfly]

you've got the general idea and yes the wood will probable keep floating. Most driftwood has a rock/ rocks attached to it to keep it from floating. You can either drill a stainless steel screw through the rock and into the wood or you can use aquarium silicone and silicone the rock to the wood. Place the rock in a place where you can hide it with gravel/sand/plants. That piece of wood in my 75G that you like has a huge rock on the bottom and is hidden with gravel and plants. It also has one on the back that is exposed(but you can't see it) and the loaches love it because it makes a cave for them
The only thing I can tell you about the shells is that mine didn't crack when I boiled them. If you got them at the store they probably are pretty well clean and shouldn't have to be boiled long. On the other hand if they came from the beach they need to be boiled for a good while, soaked and the boiled again.
Carol

 

[Isabella]

Thank you again I will try not to bother you anymore ... but don't be surprised if I come up with more questions at any time, lol. Thanks a lot!

 

[Butterfly]

Questions are never any problem!!! You know I love to talk about all things aquatic
and your welcome
Carol

 

[Isabella]

Great, because here I come with the next question, lol! About the silicone. I want to glue some rocks together. Do I use a regular silicone or is there some special silicone for aquaria? What type is the silicone with which the tank walls are glued? A regular one?

 

[Butterfly]

You could get silicone for aquariums at just about any pet store. Just any silicone has stuff in it to protect it from mildew which could be harmful to your fish.
Carol

 

[Isabella]

So, you mean a regular silicone (not form a pet store), would be safe to use? Because I have a regular one at home, but of course I had to ask someone knowledgeable if it's safe to use before actually using it.

 

[Dino]

Any silicone that has "food safe" on it is safe for aqauarium safe.I get mine at Lowes.

Dino

 

[Isabella]

Thanks Dino

 

[Isabella]

Butterfly! More questions! The driftwood is almost ready. I soaked and boiled it for a couple of days now. It is not leaking any color anymore. I think it may be ready. I will also be changing the gravel in my tank and will be adding more plants. My quarantine tank is newly cycled and ready for the fish (I'll have to transfer all my fish temporarily to the small 10g. tank during the changes I will be making to my 30g. tank). The readings of the Q tank are: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite (I added decor from the main tank to speed up the cycling process and it worked), and 10mg/L nitrate, and pH is neutral (7.0). However in my main tank the pH is around 7.4. Will this affect my fish when their pH suddenly changes from 7.4 to 7.0? As for the temperature, it will be the same in the Q tank as it was in the main tank. How long after changing my aquarium setup should I put the fish back into the main tank? Also, should I put the filter from the main tank to the Q tank, so that the bacteria are saved? I will save the water from the main tank in the buckets and put most of that water back in as well. But I still think there may be a mini-cycle due to gravel and decor change. How long do you think that mini-cycle will take? Ok, maybe that's enough of questions for now! Thanks in advance for answers !!!