How long to heat an aquarium?

[brian1973]

When I filled my 30g i ran a garden hose into the house from the front yard and at the time was using a 10-30gal non adjustable heater from walmart and it was up to temp within 8 hours.

Now I fill up new tanks from the tap so i can get the temp about right from the beginning.

I would guess its best to have the water around the proper temp from the beginning so the heater doesnt have to work as hard.

 

[cchase85]

Hmm, I've never had the stick-on thermometers be that far off. I must have just gotten lucky with the 5 or 6 I have. In general though, I agree, it's always best to invest in a quality thermometer.

FWIW, it took my 100W quite a while to heat up my 29g, but then, you have twice the wattage. And by "quite a while", I mean like 3 or 4 hours. Common sense should have dictated to you that the water wasn't going to be 20 degrees colder than ambient temperature in the room

 

[djbids]

You were all right. It was the stinkin $3.99 thermometer. I bought a nice one after that, Its a TOM Aquarium Temp Alert. When I put it in, it read 80. My water temp was good all along. I was able to get my first fish last night so I can start cycling. I appreciate all the help and am sure I will be back again to ask more questions. debbie