Top Fin Heater

So hello everybody, I bought a used Top Fin heater with my 5-gallon tank, and had a couple questions:

1. The heater has a red light when first turned on, then it turns green. Does this signal the turning on of the heater? There were no included instructions with the heater and I am not familiar with this model.
2. When the heater is turned on, and left on for almost an hour, the water is still pretty cold- room temperature, actually. Why is it not working properly?Should I just toss it and get a new one?

I can post some pictures if needed. The tank has some fish and inverts, are they at risk? Thank you!

 

Personally I would just toss it and buy a new one. Buying used heaters is the equivalent of buying used underwear to me.

 

How many watts is the heater? What is the heater temp preset? Do you have a thermometer in the tank?

My experience with Top Fin heaters is they cycle on and off for hours until they reach their temp preset.

 

I have a thermometer, but it's a few years old and has been exposed to the elements. I don't think it reads accurately anymore.
Plus, I don't know how many watts the heater is. It just came with the tank I purchased at the Goodwill.

 

I'm all for saving money, especially in this hobby, but when it comes to certain equipment, I will not buy used...heaters at the top of the list.
Get rid of it and look into the Aqueon Pro series. Great heater, very accurate, and unbreakable. If I were you, I'd go with a 200w.

 

I'm all for saving money, especially in this hobby, but when it comes to certain equipment, I will not buy used...heaters at the top of the list.
Get rid of it and look into the Aqueon Pro series. Great heater, very accurate, and unbreakable. If I were you, I'd go with a 200w.

We have no idea what the OP's financial situation is. A lot of people have been forgotten by all this economic growth I hear about on the news.

200 watts is way overkill for a 5 gallon. 50 watts would be a good choice.

 

Disn

200 watts is way overkil

Typo...meant to say 20...but 50 is ok.
Also she asked for suggestions, so therefore I didnt account for the financial side. Also, the Aqueon Pros are not that expensive compared to some of the others.

 

I'm all for saving money, especially in this hobby, but when it comes to certain equipment, I will not buy used...heaters at the top of the list.
Get rid of it and look into the Aqueon Pro series. Great heater, very accurate, and unbreakable. If I were you, I'd go with a 200w.

Disn

Typo...meant to say 20...but 50 is ok.
Also she asked for suggestions, so therefore I didnt account for the financial side. Also, the Aqueon Pros are not that expensive compared to some of the others.

That is true, Aqueon Pro heaters are nice for the price.

 

If I were you, I'd go with a 200w.

200w in a 5g! that's like a 100 gallon tank for one betta
edit: ha! just saw you meant 20. still got a good laugh.

i'd say 25w or 50w. and here's a link to a nice brand, cheap too, adjustable, small, and comes with a guard. I have a couple of them!

 

How many watts is the heater? What is the heater temp preset? Do you have a thermometer in the tank?

My experience with Top Fin heaters is they cycle on and off for hours until they reach their temp preset.

Which is exactly what a good heater should do. It measures the temp right around it and shuts off. Then the cooler water in the rest of the tank circulates and it goes back on. This lessens the presence of hot spots which you do not want. If the heater would stay on until the entire tank heated up, the water around the heater and the heater itself would be far too hot. For best circulation and operation, the heater should be close to either the filter intake or outflow. Intake is probably better.

Aqua 59
So hello everybody, I bought a used Top Fin heater with my 5-gallon tank, and had a couple questions:

1. The heater has a red light when first turned on, then it turns green. Does this signal the turning on of the heater? There were no included instructions with the heater and I am not familiar with this model.
2. When the heater is turned on, and left on for almost an hour, the water is still pretty cold- room temperature, actually. Why is it not working properly?Should I just toss it and get a new one?

It's going to take longer (and should) than an hour for the water to heat up. You don't want rapid temperature change. The red light means it is on and the green means it is off.

 

My aqueon pro heater does not cycle off until the thermostat opens.

 

My aqueon pro heater does not cycle off until the thermostat opens.

Well that's exactly what happens in any heater, but it is the temperature of the water next to the heater that triggers it, not the temperature on the other side of the tank which is where your thermometer should be.

 

Well that's exactly what happens in any heater, but it is the temperature of the water next to the heater that triggers it, not the temperature on the other side of the tank which is where your thermometer should be.

What I should have said is it doesn't turn off until it hits the temperature I set. No cycling on and off like the Top Fin.

 

What I should have said is it doesn't turn off until it hits the temperature I set. No cycling on and off like the Top Fin.

You must have strong circulation then and it's in a spot where the water flow is good.

I have a 20W TopFin Betta heater in my 3.5 gallon tank and it does the job very well. It's currently turned off because it's not needed though. I put an inline switch in the cord so I don't have to mess with the plug. When the temp in the room was staying at 69-70, the tank stayed at 78-79. Now it's staying at 80 with the heater turned off and room temperature about 77.