Fish Tank Heaters: Everything You Should Know

Are you planning on adding tropical fish to your aquarium? Do you live in an area that consistently has cool weather? Do your aquarium plants need a certain temperature to thrive? Then, you might need to start thinking about getting a fish tank heater. At Modern Aquarium, we can help explain why you need a fish tank heater and how fish tank heaters work. Explore our guide today to make the right choice for your tank.

What is Your Tank’s Temperature?

The temperature in your tank depends on a few different factors. From your water source to the temperature of your room or whether your tank has a cover. All these things can make a big difference. No matter what, most aquariums eventually change the temperature to match the room’s temperature. If your home is particularly cool, that could be one reason why you need a fish tank heater.

However, if your tank has lots of light or it’s in direct sunlight, these factors can raise the temperature of your tank and make water heaters unnecessary. Other things that could affect your tank include:

• Drafts and air conditioning
• Water Movement
• Aquarium Covers
• Natural Decor
• Live Plants
• Size

Letting your aquarium sit for a few days with all of its regular settings. Monitoring the temperature each day will help you decide if and why you need a fish tank heater. For most hobbyists, the answer is almost always yes.

How Do Fish Tank Heaters Work?

There are two popular types of fish tank heaters you might consider, including submersible and in-line.

Submersible heaters work by spreading heated water to the rest of your aquarium. A heating coil inside a plastic or glass tube is placed inside your tank, preferably as close to the intake of your filter as possible or where there is a good water movement. Water gets warmed by the heater on its way to the rest of the tank.

In-line heaters are actually integrated into your filter directly. Instead of placing it in the tank, this type of heater is connected to your filter with additional tubing to heat all outgoing water quickly and efficiently.

Reasons Why You Need a Fish Tank Heater

There may be several reasons why you need a fish tank heater. Your plants might need a warmer climate, your fish may be tropical, or your room is particularly cold! We don’t recommend fish tank heaters if you live in an area with warm weather year-round and you keep your room temperature at the level required by your tank inhabitants. Still, if the weather in your city is unpredictable or your ambient room temperature changes throughout the day or is outside of the acceptable range for your fish or live aquarium plants, you should definitely consider buying an aquarium heater.

Once you’ve decided you need a heater in your aquarium, consider getting two — one as a backup if the first one fails.

Shopping Heaters

At Modern Aquarium, we’re here for more than just telling you why you need a fish tank heater! We’re also here to help you choose the best one. Explore our selection, or reach out to our team at (917) 231-5956 to ensure your aquarium inhabitants are happy and thriving.