# Temperature drop



## harrow (Aug 23, 2011)

Hello fish friends

Since its getting cold outside and I have no control over the apartment building heating, my fish tank temperature drops from 76 during the day to 72 at night is this to dramatic for my fish?


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

don't you have a heater in the tank?


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## harrow (Aug 23, 2011)

yes i do but it cant keep it stable


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## harrow (Aug 23, 2011)

During the day the light keeps it at a good temperature and the room temperature is also warmer


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## jiayaw (Jun 10, 2011)

How big is your tank and how many watts is your heater? if anything, it won't hurt to add another heater to the tank if it gets too cold! 

In my 75gal tank, I have two 150watt eheim jagar (one on each end of the tank) and that keeps my tank stable at 82 degrees F even in this cold winter... and in my house... I can't really up the heater too since if the heater turns on for too long my nose gets all stuffed up... so I have it at 20degrees Celcius (approx 68F)... so in my case having 300 watt of heat evenly distributed in the tank was enough to keep it stable at 82 degrees


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## harrow (Aug 23, 2011)

its only a 10 and i believe a 25 wat is the dropping temp to much for the fish


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## jiayaw (Jun 10, 2011)

Depending on what fish you have, it might be too stressful especially for more sensitive ones. I'd say a 50 watt is probably what you'd want for something around 10 gal...


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

I highly doubt that the temperature drop will be too detrimental to your fish in a 10g tank. However, sounds like your 25W will not be able to keep up with the heat loss.

Why not add another 25W or 50W heater in there so you can sleep better  That is just the cost of losing a few fish - or the cost for medications when problems develop. A heater at $20 will last you for years.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

25w is not enough for a 10g. That is usually for tank 2.5g to 5g. I would get a 100w for your size of tank.

We have some new one for $20. Check our equipment section for more detail if you like.


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## harrow (Aug 23, 2011)

thanks for the help, just been really busy with the semester starting spending my time and money, so i was just worried about my fish as the season gets colder. Hopefully my fish will last this little cold period because by the time I get one the snow will be gone. But charle i might have to come down and buy a heater


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

It would help to know what fish you have.
Some fish (certain goodeids for example) come from enviroments where day/night temp fluctuation is normal, and that needs to be duplicated in the tank. Other fish come from more stable enviroments and don't handle the fluctuation very well at all.


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## harrow (Aug 23, 2011)

a pair of bolvian rams


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

I think the rams would appreciate being above 75 degrees if possible. I don't think that the occasional slow swing from 76 to 72 and back again, over several hours each way (which is probably what happens), would hurt them. However, it sounds like your heater is struggling and I agree with the others that it would be a good idea to put in a bigger heater, not only to prevent the swings but also to keep it a little warmer in the first place. Your lights might be helping with the temp in the daytime.

The other thing you could do is make sure that your tank is well covered and insulated. If it's near a cold window, perhaps a sheet of styrofoam at the back would help.


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

Good for you for even noticing the drop in temp! What you could do is add a second 25W heater at the opposite end for more uniform heating. A 25W will do a 10 gallon but if the room is on the cold side, a 50W heater or a total of 50W would be best.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

Morainy said:


> Your lights might be helping with the temp in the daytime.
> 
> The other thing you could do is make sure that your tank is well covered and insulated. If it's near a cold window, perhaps a sheet of styrofoam at the back would help.


I use coroplast around my tanks to reduce air movement and keep the cold off, but it's the same principle as styro. It's really effective!


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