Heating Fish Tanks

The usual way of heating aquarium water is with one or more heater/thermostats. These are glass tubes with an electric element and thermostat inside them. On the top there is a small adjuster that usually turns by hand and controls the thermostat inside. When you buy ah eater/thermostat they are usually set at 24°C(75°F), which is about the ideal all-round temperature. In fully submersible models the whole of the heater/thermostat goes in the tank and the wire comes out through the lid to he attached to an electricity supply. Heater/thermostats are available in various wattages, so you need to choose the right size for your aquarium. As a basic guide, allow 10 watts of heating for every4.5 liters(1 gallon) of water in the aquarium. Of course, during the summer months or if the tank is in a particularly warm spot you may not need as much heating capacity. You can install a higher wattage heater/thermostat to be on the safe side. These usually cost very little more to buy and indeed no more to run as they will burn more electricity while on but will be working for a shorter period. The only disadvantage of using a larger wattage heater/thermostat is that they are usually slightly larger than the next size down.

There are heater/thermostats available that have the adjuster built into the external lead, enabling you to adjust the temperature without getting your hands wet. Some models are fitted with microchips, and these types are highly accurate and hold the temperature steady within fine tolerances. There are heater elements that go underneath the gravel,but these are relatively expensive and have to he wired to a thermostat on the outside of the tank; nevertheless, they do mean that you have no problems trying to hide heater/thermostats behind rocks or plants. Under no circumstances should you ever put an ordinary glass tube heater/thermostat under the gravel as it will burn out, with disastrous effects. And no matter what type of heater/thermostat you use, always disconnect the electricity before adjusting the temperature control.

Aquarium Plants

Once you have installed the solid decorations, leave the aquarium undisturbed for a few days with the under gravel filtration system running. This period will allow the useful aerobic bacteria to develop in the gravel and the water to become clear. Keep an eye on the temperature and see that it does not fluctuate by more than a degree or two. Check that the light and pump are working well and that bubbles are flowing out of the uplift tube and from the air stone. After this period, you can start to introduce aquatic plants.



Plants can form a very attractive part of an aquarium but they are not essential for the fishes' health. The main reasons for having plant sin the aquarium are that they will give the fish somewhere to hide and also supply the tank with oxygen. They will also compete for dissolved nutrients and hopefully get more than their fair share, thus leaving nonfood for unwelcome excess algae to live on. Reasons for not having plants in the tank are when the particular fishes you aim to keep replant-eaters or gravel-diggers, or when your lighting levels are insufficient to support plant life.