# Acrylic Tank Heater Question (Eclipse 6 system)



## Dresden (May 19, 2009)

Hi everyone, I would like to put a heater into my Eclipse 6 system. It is made from acrylic. The friendly fish store employee said I can't put a normal heater because it may melt the acrylic aquarium and recommended one of these.

Hydor Mini Aquarium Heater 15w

It just seems very cheesy, not adjustable it's a pad etc.

What gives? Is there a reason I can't get a normal 25W heater like say Hydor Theo Submersible Heater-25 Watt or Stealth Pro Heater - 25 Watt that allow's me to have some control. 

The Hydor Mini is like the only heater that I see that mentions "Ideal for use in glass and acrylic tanks" on the package. Somewhat confused...

BTW if the 25Watt is ok Hydor Theo or Stealth Pro???


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## truthequalslies (Jan 21, 2010)

well i have a tetra 25 watt heater in my 2 gallon acrilic hex an i've had no problems with it melting i got it @ walmart for $13 and it has a 2 year warranty look for the one that says 2-15 gallons on it,,,btw petsore workers never know anything about what their talking about especialy when it comes to fish =/


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## Hadouken441 (Jan 27, 2010)

They Sell a Top Fin heater thats 25 watt at Petsmart. Its 16 bucks and it turns off if it overheats. You can set the heat from low to high on it too.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I have a 25 watt Marineland stealth visitherm in a 2.5 gallon critter keeper and I've never had a problem.


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## Dresden (May 19, 2009)

So in an acrylic tank if I get a 25Watt submersible, is placement of the heater important? 

From what I see on wiki Acrylic melting point is 160 °C (320 °F) (this assumes I am looking at the right item).

Just how hot do the heaters get? or am I completly off base here...


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## Hadouken441 (Jan 27, 2010)

haha i think your getting a little paranoid. youll be fine i promise. and just place the heater straight up and down. most of the heaters are like an inch spaced away from the wall anyway so its almsot floating


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

I don't know who told you that but they obviously don't know what they're talking about. A normal heater will work just fine. For a 6 gallon I would either go with a 25 or 50watt submersible.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I keep mine set at 80 degrees. I don't think 80 is going to melt acrylic.


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## JaspersANGEL (Oct 12, 2009)

I got 2 different heaters for my tanks wich are both acrylic 2.5 g, I absolutely love the hydor thoe 25 watt, the other one keeps unsticking and falling in the tank.

Of course you can't really set it at 80 degrees in such a small tank, it gets too hot, but around 75 does the trick.
The heater comes with suction cups that keeps it away from the acrylic so it won't melt, just remember to place it in away from the wall's of ur tank and in a spot where it's not touching anything. 
U'll be ok with a hydor theo 25 watt


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

I have a heater set at 83 in my Eclipse 6. No problems. 

I swear, these fish store people are a mess. Any heater that would melt plastic would fry a fish. They don't get hot like that. You can put your finger on it and not be burned. I'm using a heater from Petsmart. I think it's a Hydor theo. 25 watt.


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## Dresden (May 19, 2009)

With their being such trivial diffrences in pricing imo over a 25Watt , is getting a 50Watt better for a 6 Gallon then? as one of the poster's sugested.

The packaging is very confusing on the Watt/size ratio, and I don't want to ask the friendly store staff, lest I get sold on 25 Watt today, and find out a week later that it just barely cuts it.

From what I can figure from googling 25Watt is for like a 5gal tank.
I don't mind spending a few $$$ more if it means it will work better. I just don't want to have cooked fish for dinner.

Is there any drawbacks if I get a 50Watt, I am assuming it would be more efficient at keeping the tank warm incase I leave a window open and the house temp plummets.


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## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

A 25 watt should work just fine.. its really a matter of choice. The only difference in a 50 and 25 is what the setting will be.. on a 25w the setting will be higher than on a 50.

As long as you have a thermometer and check it daily your heater should never cook your fish


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## kelly528 (Aug 31, 2009)

I read a good piece of advice in a book... aim for a lower watt heater (providing it's adjustable so you can turn it up to the desired temp). The book recommended having 5w for every 2 gallons instead of 5w per gallon, as pet stores often recommend. This way you will still be able to heat your tank adequately on the higher settings and should the heater break it simply won't have enough wattage to fry your fish.


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

I have to have the heater set slightly higher in the 6. Like if I want it to be 84, I have to set it to 87. The three degree temp difference is consistant up and down. Once you know that, it's easy to adjust. Make sure you monitor with a thermometer and it should be fine.


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