Heating your aquarium and maintaining a stable temperature is a vital part of keeping any tropical fish.

Many people are unsure of what size heater they require. You may have heard or read that you need a certain amount of watts per gallon. This is true, but what is more important is how far above room temperature the aquarium water temperature needs to be. Obviously, an aquarium kept 15C above room temperature is going to require a much larger heater than an aquarium that only needs to be heated to a few degrees above room temperature. Water is a very good insulator, and therefore does not require such a large heater as some may think. If the heater is too small for the aquarium it will be unable to maintain the desired temperature. While heaters available today are very reliable, if the heater is too large and it sticks on it can overheat your aquarium with catastrophic effects. To help you choose the correct size heater refer to the table below. 

What temperature should my aquarium be?

This depends on the type of fish you keep. Ensuring the temperature is stable is as important as the actual temperature, as if it fluctuates this can cause disease problems.

Below is some recommended setting for various types of livestock.

These recommendations are based on many years of experience in our shop. They are a general guide only, not all species will be able to cope with these temperatures. The maximum and minimum is where an increase in fatalities occur.

We stock Visitherm, & Rena combined heater/thermostats.

A Visitherm combined heater thermostat.