15 Gallon Tank Is it ok for a heater's light to be on all the time?

I bought a new 12 gallon long aquarium (L x W x H: 35.5" x 7.9" x 9.9"). It is outdoors under a covered patio. Heating setup:

• Eheim Jager 50 watts.
• Tank is 80% covered by plexi glass.
• Night time temp can drop as low as 40 degrees. But normally night time low is 50. Day time is generally 50 to 70 degrees.
• The temperature is set at 75.
• The thermometer shows 75 degrees, but the Eheim light is always on, day or night.

Is it ok for the Eheim to be on all the time? Just to be safe I purchased a higher level model (75 Watts). Would that solve my problem? The new one won't come until 30 days for now, will I be ok with the current 50 watts model?

 

Yeah I would think a bigger heater would be better for those temps. If the light is on all the time then a bigger one would be better.

 

Those temperatures are too much for your heater, you can try getting a second one, But keeping the tank outside may not be possible, too cold in the winter, too hot in the summer.

If the light is on, that means the temperature in the tank is under the temperature that you set it. So if the temp is always on, then the temp is never where you set it. do you have a reliable thermometer to see what temperature the tank water is?

I would be concerned that the heater could malfunction in a way that hurts the fish, maybe with an electric shock, or overheater, or turning off altogether. I hope the species you chose can handle the temp outside, there is always a power outage once and a while.

 

It's a big waste of electricity trying to heat an outdoor tank....should just remove the heater and keep something that can survive those temperatures

 

Thank you StarGirl , Noroomforshoe and Cherryshrimp420. You've convinced me to add more heaters. What is the best combination of heaters for my set up? Something like:

1. One 150 Watt Jager
2. One 100 Watt Jager
3. Two 100 Watt Jager
4. Two 75 Watt Jager
5. One 50 Watt, One 150 Watt Jager
6. Some other combination?

Aesthetically one bigger heater is preferred. But then my worry is if the heater goes haywire it will fry the fish. Also, for reference, this tank will have pygmy cories (not yet added) and RCS. Also, I live in Southern California near the beach. So while the temperature are a bit low right now, they will go up soon in a month or two.

My apologies but I cannot bring this tank indoors. At the moment I'm not allowed to have tanks indoors so I can only have one in the covered patio.

Yeah I would think a bigger heater would be better for those temps.

Those temperatures are too much for your heater, you can try getting a second one

It's a big waste of electricity trying to heat an outdoor tank.

 

Thank you StarGirl , Noroomforshoe and Cherryshrimp420. You've convinced me to add more heaters. What is the best combination of heaters for my set up? Something like:

1. One 150 Watt Jager
2. One 100 Watt Jager
3. Two 100 Watt Jager
4. Two 75 Watt Jager
5. One 50 Watt, One 150 Watt Jager
6. Some other combination?

Aesthetically one bigger heater is preferred. But then my worry is if the heater goes haywire it will fry the fish. Also, for reference, this tank will have pygmy cories (not yet added) and RCS. Also, I live in Southern California near the beach. So while the temperature are a bit low right now, they will go up soon in a month or two.

My apologies but I cannot bring this tank indoors. At the moment I'm not allowed to have tanks indoors so I can only have one in the covered patio.

I suggest you keep a good watch on the temp to see if its working. And keep fish that like it a little colder. It may not look as nice, but it is better to keep multiple low wat heaters, than to keep one higher wat heater, as the larger one could brake and over heat the tank.

 

keep multiple low wat heaters

Thank you that makes sense. So do you think I should go for two 75 watts, or two 100 watts, or two 125 watts, etc? I put them horizontally so there's no problem in fitting them.

 

I think that two 75 watt heaters would be good. two 100 watt would also be ok. I would probobly choose two 100s, its a little extra oomph to keep them from overworking, but should not be enough to boil the fish in an accident. let's see what others think.
Also consider an "Inkbird controller" to monitor the temp and alarm you if the temp goes too high or too low.

 

The part of a heater that can wear out is the thermostat part not the heat coils. If a small heater can maintain the temperature by being on all the time it will last longer than a bigger one that that has to switch on and off because the switching parts will fail after a certain number of uses.