Choosing the Best Fish Tank Heater

A fish tank heater is one of the best tools to help give your fish the environment it deserves. If you want your fish to live a longer and healthier life, you should try to mimic its natural habitat (as much as possible). Salt water and fresh water fish both do best in warm water that stays consistent. Angelfish is one example of tropical fish. Cold water fish on the other hand like Koi can survive without a heated tank. If the temperature in the tank is not well-managed, it can make a lot of fish vulnerable to certain kinds of diseases such as ich. Always pay close attention to the water temperature in your tank especially during season change.

When selecting a fish tank heater, don’t go for the cheapest one. We’ve all been there! We always get what we pay for. Yes you may have saved money now but in the long run, you would have to spend more. Cheaper brands have the tendency to break or malfunction in just a short period of time. Also, a lot of cheaper alternatives do not have an accurate heat setting. When it comes to your fish’s well-being, you need something that you can rely on. I personally go for mid-priced heaters because they don’t fail to deliver and they don’t really hurt my pocket. Most brands have reliable thermostat controls and they have the ability to maintain a constant temperature without doing some adjustments all the time. Make sure you check on your fish tank heater from time to time so that you’ll know that it’s still working properly and of course, you want to ensure accuracy.

Invest on a good thermometer that you can stick to the outside glass so you’ll know that your heater is working properly. I don’t suggest those floating thermometers because they’re often harder to read. You also have to put an automatic thermostat that can respond to the temperature’s fluctuations. The 3 types of fish tank heaters include Thermo Heater, Rod-type and Bottom Heater. The first one is a heater and filter conveniently built into one device. What’s good about this heater is that the water is cleaned and warmed at the same time. The Rod-type is attached vertically to the back wall of the tank and it can either be submersible or not. Read the user’s manual because it will tell you if you can submerse the heater or not. The last type, bottom heater, comes with heat cables that are supposed to be situated on the bottom of the tank before the substrate is added. They are good for plant tanks but they’re quite on the high-end side.