sticky thermometers vs in-tank thermometers

[ch0g]

hey all,

i would just like your guys oppinions on the outside tank sticky thermometers. i have never had a problem with mine until now. this time of year its starting to get colder and my temp is only showing 27 on the sticky thermometer. i checked my heater and it was set at about 31c. the light was not on the heater so i suspected a problem with it. i checked the water temperature by hand, and it didn't feel like 31c to me. i panicked and went out and bought a new 300watt heater (i have a 190lt tank). but this brand new better quality heater and is doing the same thing when set to 32c. it stayed on for a few minutes, but now it's off again.

i gave my in-tank thermometer away as i found it easier to read the sticky labels. but now i'm having second thoughts...

im suspecting it is near impossible to have two faulty heaters? do you think the sticky thermometer is picking up room temperature. which is pretty cold at present.

thanks in advance,

ch0g

 

[Lotus]

Yes, the stick-on thermometers can be inaccurate if the room temp is a lot different from the inside temp. I don't really like the stick-on ones as much, and don't think they're as accurate. The digital ones are really cool

 

[TurbineSurgeon]

I think that the stick-on thermometers are more accurate with small, thin-walled tanks than larger tanks that utilize thicker glass. This hunch has some logic to it, since glass is a fair insulator and the thermometer is being affected by ambient room temperature. Obviously, the same would hold true for acrylic tanks.

The best use I have found for the little stick-on thermometers is to place one on the faucet that I hook my Python up to. No more guessing about the temperature of the water going back in my tanks.

 

[ch0g]

hmm thanks for the replies.

i think i might try to hunt down a digital one. sounds cool

i'm guessing the heater would be accurate enough for the next day or so?

 

[NoDeltaH2O]

I have found the stick-on thermometer to be consistently about 1.5 degrees off, but since I know that, then I just add a degree and a half to whatever it says. I think their unobtrusive appearance outweighs any slight inaccuracy they may have. THere's no room in my tank for another piece of ugly equipment in my opinion. A degree or two is not a concern for me at all.

 

[ch0g]

im just a bit concerned as to why my tank has dropped to 27.5 degrees. normally it sits around 30-32 degrees. i'm guessing it is related to the cold weather (18.5 degrees room temp), but i would expect the heater to be operating constantly to reach the set temperature of 30-32.... isn't that what a heater is meant to do? or does it increase slowly over a 48 hours period?!?!?!?!?!??!

 

[phOOey]

i prefer the look of the sticky ones to the alternative of a thermometer with a suction cup on it. those digitals ones are cool, but quite pricey, quite few round her ranging from £10 to £25.

 

[NoDeltaH2O]

heaters operate according to the principle of hysteresis, meaning there is a minimum threshold that the temp must reach before it comes on, usually a degree below the temp you desire, and they stay on in heating mode until the temp is actually above the desired temp. They do this so that they do not have to continuously turn on and off.

I had a heater in my 29gallon tank that worked well until wintertime when my place dropped to about 65 degrees at night. The heater could not keep up, so when I would wake up the temp would be 68, the heater would stay on all day trying to catch up, and by night the temp would be 83. I think the heater was frankly junk merchandise, because a hysteresis loop should not be this big.

What I took away from this was that it pays to have a heater too big than either too small or just the right size, especially if the tnak will be in a room that gets really cold.

 

[ch0g]

thats what i thought a heater was meant to do. this is a brand new heater that is design to heat up to 380lt of water, when i only have a 190lt tank. temperature has hit an all time low of 27 this morning. the heater is set to 31, and is currently not even operating....?

 

[FroggyFox]

I would definitely get a thermometer to dip in the tank and at least have something to compare the sticky temprerature to to see if its your heater or what. I had an issue where my lights were heating up the sticky thermometer WAY above where the actual water temperature was. The suction cup ones only cost like 2 bucks (I dont know what the difference in your money is to the US)

 

[lordroad]

I have one dip in thermometer and the rest are stickies. The dip-in is in the 55 gallon tank, and I've found the sticky to be 2 degrees off... lower temp. because the 55 gallon always stays at 80-82.

In my ten gallons I've found the stickies to be dead-on.

On a kind of unrelated note, I use a sticky thermometer for my land hermit crab tank, and I've found it to take a decent reading of in-tank temp.

 

[ch0g]

bought a didgital thermometer and dipped it into the tank. very accurate reading by the look of it. found my water to be 27.5c

even though my heater is set to 31, i can't seem to raise the water temp. any suggestions on an easy way to do this? coke bottle full of hot water?

 

[2e0raf]

why would you want it any hotter????? 27 dec c sound as litte to hot or is it jus me?

 

[ch0g]

i was told by a discus breeder to keep the temp at 30-32 and feed more often. i installed my old heater so i have two and my temperature is fine now.