# Makeshift heater



## Gramazing (Mar 6, 2010)

I want to move a sick fish into a 5 gallon hospital tank that I've set up but I don't have an extra heater. I have one of those little flat ones on the way but it probably won't arrive for a few more days.

Can anyone think of a clever way to keep the water warm in this tank for a few days? It's staying under 70. I put an incandescent lamp over it but it's not enough. It's not near a heat register either and I couldn't really put it near one.


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

If you would mind changing reheating every 8 hours. Make heater bags with hot watter and wrap in mewspaper. Lay these around the tank. Or make bags of rice and microwave. Put these around the tank. Or drive to a pet shop.


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## jeremy1 (May 6, 2007)

You could heat small river rocks over a campfire or put in the oven and drop them in one at a time until you reach your temp. You probably would have to monitor the temp closely to see how often you would have to replenish with new rocks. You could also put a small electic heater faced towards the back side of the tank and insulate the sides with R14.


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## JG06 (Nov 5, 2006)

You should be able to pick up an infrared heat lamp at your local HD or Lowe's. You might try one of them. If it doesn't work, you can always take it back. 

My only other thought would be to try one of the el cheapo aquarium heaters sold at Wal-Mart. Since you're only heating 5 gallons of water, they should have a reasonably priced heater that would work for you.


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## Gramazing (Mar 6, 2010)

I was thinking of something like that. I have the tank sitting on a wooden plinth which is hollow inside, and I put a 60W light inside it shining upwards, with a sheet of cardboard over it so the light wouldn't go through the tank. I thought this might convert enough light to heat to heat the tank from below, but it didn't make much difference.

Anyway my little flat Hydor heater arrived on Saturday so it doesn't matter now, I have it set up and my platy is moping in isolation in a Binox bath.


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

i just realized... if possible you could put it over your main tanks lights, the heat from the bulbs would be good enough.


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## Gramazing (Mar 6, 2010)

Yeah, I thought of that. The top of my hood gets quite warm, but I have to take the hood off a couple of times a week to clean the glass or do a water change. Not a very good design but I'm not changing it any time soon. So I'd have to move the hospital tank every time that happens.

It's ok now though, I have my new little heater.


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## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

A heating pad wraped around it might work.


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## Franco (Jun 25, 2010)

would the light fixture for the main tank have been able to support 50 lbs of water on top of it....
do those little bad heaters work well? Could you use one designed for reptiles? Its probably about the same thing isn't it? Might get a little too hot though.


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## Gramazing (Mar 6, 2010)

It's a 5 gallon tank, so it's not 50 lbs.

The little heater is hardly warm to touch. I was worried before I got it that it might burn the fish if it got too close but that would never happen. It's enough to raise the temp of a 5 gallon tank a few degrees though. It probably wouldn't be enough in a 10 gallon tank though.


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

that heater is VERY useless raises the temp max 5 degrees farenheit.


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