heater disaster!

[fishycanuck]

This morning I find the temp of my community tank to be 102 degrees F! I must have knocked the heater control when I did a pwc yesterday.
I brought the temp down to 92 quickly with ice and pwc, and will leave the lid off (and heater out!) while I'm at work.  I have pulled out 5 dead fish already... sob!
Any advice for how to help the remaining fish?

[Nerine]

OUCH!
add some destresser?? I added melafix to one of my tanks when it got to 96F and slowly brought it back down.
Good luck with the rest of the fish

[Marc]

92 a bit hot but safe for most fish so I would recommend dropping the temperature very slowly from here on until you get the desired temperature.  There's not much you can do for the fish except trying not to stress them further.

If you can afford it you should consider replacing your heater with one where it isn't so easy to knock and change the setting. Ebo-Jagr comes to mind as a possible replacement.

[ottawadiscus]

What kind of heater is it?

[Julie]

Or try the Visitherm with the red "button" on top.

[fishycanuck]

It's a Hagen. Came with the 25G kit from the LFS. I'm tossing it - I plugged it in again 2 days ago and put it to its' lowest setting - last night the temperature was creeping up to 90 again.
I'll try the heaters suggested! Is there a sale anyplace?

[Mettle]

The heaters that come with the old Hagen kits are Elites. The newer kits come with Thermals, I believe. Either way, both heaters have a 'lifespan' on them and should be replaced once a year... So that could be why it did that.

I'm going to be replacing all of my heaters with some good quality submerisbles. It's nothing you want to skimp out on, in my opinion.

[yellowtang]

If looking for heater.......pet smart is liquidating some good ones..I was going to pick some up,but my good half reminded me of the 6 jebos I got at home.
they range from 12.99 to 16.99.
they're the good brand.

[fishycanuck]

Once a year? Yikes. Thanks for the tip. Pet Smart on Merivale?

[yellowtang]

I would think both would be liquidating their heaters.
I saw them at Innes though.....
check them both out.
sure they have lots left.
keep us updated..thanks.

[fishycanuck]

on the 29th I went to SP on Merivale, they were out of the sale-priced heaters.  I had a conversation with the 'fish lady' and bought a new mid-range heater.  
I was impressed by the setup and selection at the new store, but found it a bit pricey....

[yellowtang]

it was petsmart........Not super pet........
super pet is much more expensive now.
Pet smart.    

[fishycanuck]

Pet Smart... Super Pet... dumb fishycanuck.....

[Nerine]

yeah don't get the two mixed up hehe we have to wear ugly light coloured pants at PS and at SP they get to wear black!

[Underwater]

I'm probably a little late, but I didn't notice this thread until now.

Most fish don't die from the heat directly, as the water heats up it drives out oxygen, causing fish to suffocate.

If a tank overheats the best thing to do is turn off the heater, add an airstone or powerheard situated to increase surface agitation.  This will help the water reabsorb oxygen.  Don't worry too much about the water cooling too quickly, most fish learn to tolerate rapid drops in temperature during rainy season (especially fish from the amazon basin).  About 2 or 3 degrees per hour is acceptable.  Rapid HEATING is another story.