bad thermometer

[fallinapart]

I just installed a digital thermometer, replacing the floating glass one which was reading 80 degrees, and the digital was reading 83.8 So I had to adjust my heater down some. Just goes to show that if you go cheap up front, then you just spend more money replacing junk:mad:

Next will be my SeaClone 100 skimmer:rolleyes:

Norman

[crumbletop]

I hear ya.

Quick story -- I set up a 29 one time and within 3 or 4 days the heater stuck on and just about cooked the tank. From what I understand the way the thermostat is designed in aquarium heaters it is more likely to stick on than off. I realized that the inhabitants of my tank were worth a whole lot more than a $20 heater, so at that time I decided to get a temp controller and use a couple of smaller heaters to do the job.

So a consideration for you is that a temp controller (either a Ranco temperature controller, or a full featured aquarium controller of some type like an AquaController Jr.) gives you a level of redundancy and safety with regard to your tank. I set the controller to manage the temp around 79 degrees. I also hooked up 2 heaters that alone wouldn't be big enough to heat the tank, but together they could and plugged them into the temp controller. I set the temp on the heaters to 80 degrees. What this does is IF a heater sticks on, no biggy because the temp controller is doing the work of turning them on/off. If the temp controller fails (unlikely) then the 80 degrees set on the heaters should keep things okay. I would have to have both heaters and the the temp controller all fail in the on position in order to cook the tank.

Probably more than you wanted to know, but I thought I'd throw that out there. It has been real piece of mind for me.

[fallinapart]

Not more than I wanted to know, tidbits of info like that help all SW beginners make decisions on equipment, Thats why this forum and club are so helpful.

Thanks for the story and suggestion.

Norman

[fishdoc11]

Also if you can't afford a controller right now there are heaters that fail in off as well. Are you sure the digital is right and not the glass? I check my thermometers against several others and the consensus wins.
Chris

[DMBillies]

If you're new, you think you're likely to stick with the hobby for a while, and you have a bit of disposable income, I'd recommend going with a tank controller up front. Then all of the money you would spend on temp controller, light timers, etc, will be built into a decent controller. I'm not saying it will necessarily save you money, but it will make things easier up front and will help get around the temp issue.

On the glass thermometer... you might not want to trust that digital thermometer as much as you seem to be. Like fishdoc said, I'd take the consensus. I have a digital that consistently reads 2.5 degrees higher then all of my glass thermometers and about 2.0 higher than another brand digital I have. Here's my thought... they've been making glass thermometers for a lot longer than digital ones... so if you have 3 different brands of glass thermometers reading the same, I'd have to think they are pretty darn close. In any case, it can't hurt to have more than one thermometer, so leave the glass one in there and see how it reacts to temp differences in comparison to the digital.

[fallinapart]

Oh, Boy, Can't turst computers, I'm in trouble, I thought it was just the operators:p Any way I will take the thermometers out of my 2 FW tanks and put them all together in the SW tank and see how close they all read. Maybe I'll have an answer by the time I get back from work today.

Also, I do plan on being here for the long haul, since I live alone and talk to my fish:eek1: (so far none have answered me) they keep me busy, off the street and out of trouble, so guess I'll be checking out some controllers, Thanks all of you for your suggestions.

Norman

[Angela Short]

Whats bad is when you are looking at thermometers in the store and they all read something different! :rolleyes:

Also my 2 digitals read about 1 point off so I try to split the middle.

[c_stowers]

I would never trust a digital thermometer over a liquid one (especially not one purchased for the aquarium hobby). My guess is that the original one was reading correctly. I have 6 digital thermometers and the spread on them is about 3 degree.

[fallinapart]

Home for lunch and original thermometer reads 80 2 others moved from other tanks are reading 82 & 81. Digital is 81.2. So guess I'm in the 81 degree range:p

Thanks everyone for the help, Think I'll get 2 more and then have one at each end of the tank and one for the fuge, and split the difference:rolleyes:

Norman