Winterising Your Aquarium: Simple Steps for a Healthy Tank in The Cold Months
The only thing worse than cold air in winter is cold water for your fish, so getting a heater for your fish tank is essential to winterising your aquarium. Good aquarium heaters come in various shapes and sizes and use different techniques to heat the tank, meaning heating aquarium water is possible regardless of volume, the shape of the tank, or the temperature you need the water to be to keep your fish alive and healthy.
As well as the fish, there are, of course, the plants you keep in there, too, so figuring out how to maintain the right temperature for them is also important. Generally speaking, between 15 and 25 degrees covers the different ranges appropriate for cold water fish, tropical fish and plants, with the specific temperature you need varying slightly depending on what type of fish you keep.
If you’re wondering how to choose a heater for a fish tank, this blog is for you: read on to learn more about how they work.
Table of contents:
- Why do I need to heat my fish tank?
- What temperature should my fish tank be?
- What is the minimum temperature for aquarium plants?
- What size heater does my fish tank need?
What do I need to heat my fish tank?
Good aquarium heaters come in various forms, including submersible, immersible, and substrate heaters. When choosing a heater for your fish tank, knowing the difference between these will help you choose the best one for your fish tank.
Submersible heaters are long, cylindrical and designed to stick to the side of your tank using suction pads. They are fully submerged in the water, either horizontally or vertically.
Immersible heaters feature a glass tube with a heating filament that winds around a ceramic insert. If you use these for heating aquarium water, how they are placed in the tank depends on the type you choose, as some can be fully submerged, whilst others can only be placed partially in the water.
Substrate heaters are designed to be completely hidden from view. These heaters use a flexible cable buried beneath the gravel, which they heat to heat the water.
What temperature should my fish tank be?
As mentioned before, different types of fish and plants need slightly different temperature ranges. During winter, cold water fish such as goldfish need the water in their tank to be between 15 and 20 degrees, mimicking the temperature of cool ponds and streams.
Tropical fish, like betta fish, need a slightly warmer temperature, generally between 24 and 27 degrees. Falling below this makes your fish more susceptible to disease. So, keeping an eye on the temperature using a fish tank thermometer is a good idea.
What is the minimum temperature for aquarium plants?
Keeping the temperature between 21 and 25 degrees is generally advisable for plants. The good thing about this temperature range is that it works well with the temperature needed for tropical fish.
This temperature is also okay for cold-water plants. Still, it is always worth checking what temperature your plants need if you’re concerned about their health.
What size heater does my fish tank need?
A good way of measuring the size of your heater is by knowing the size of your tank. As a general rule of thumb, you need 1 watt of power per litre, so if your fish tank holds 200 litres of water, you need a 200-watt heater.
Browse fish tank heaters at Discount Leisure Products
Ensure your fish survive the winter by browsing our varied selection of fish tank supplies at Discount Leisure Products.
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