Equipment & Supplies • warning signs your heater might die???

[venustus19]

so, i had a nice long weekend trip come to a crappy end when i got home and found 11 of my 19 fish DEAD... yes, i said 11... my heater must have gone bad while i was gone, my water when i fished them all out was at about 88-90 degrees... are there any signs that a heater might be on its way out the door, or should you just replace them every so often, or what... i have never had this happen to me before, and now i am down more than half of my stock...
so right now, i only have my 5 lethrinops(which must be really hearty, cause none of them died), 1 acei, and 1 yellow lab... and my pleco... should i be concerned having only 1 of each acei and lab... i know they work good in groups, but how well will they do by themselves... i can't get any more fish for a while, and i am always iffy about adding newbies to the mix, incase my current guys don't want them around... i know labs and acei are calm, and should be fine, just trying to get opinions...
thanks.

[remarkosmoc]

Wow that sucks. That happened to two people over the 4th weekend!

Sorry for the loss.

For heaters I always use the this kind of heater. The thermostat isn't subject to heat or moisture.

Others advocate using two less powerful heaters.

There are 2 warning signs that I can think of. 1) any hissing, moaning, crackling, or otherwise strange sound and 2) moisture inside the tube.

[remarkosmoc]

Wow that sucks. That happened to two people over the 4th weekend!

Sorry for the loss.

For heaters I always use the this kind of heater. The thermostat isn't subject to heat or moisture.

Others advocate using two less powerful heaters.

There are 2 warning signs that I can think of. 1) any hissing, moaning, crackling, or otherwise strange sound and 2) moisture inside the tube.

[F8LBITEva]

Im really sorry about your fish, I would be devastated. I make it a habit to look at my thermometers everytime I walk by but I guess you cant do anything if you are out of town.

[geoff_tropheus]

Had this happen to me couple times, now I quit using them.

Living in Texas, I only have to use them in winter.

I use the Marineland Visithem Stealths and not had a problem in two years running.

Living in Ohio, you likely need them a lot more times in the year, so my advice here is get the best you can afford.

If you think they are starting to act funny, dont hesitate repalce them.

I was always told ACEI are schooling so I'd be looking for some buddies on this guy. The others I think work out fine as individuals.

[venustus19]

thanks so far guys...

i think as soon as i can, i will probably get new buddies for my labs and acei, but right now, i am really busy and barely have any time to clean the tank... hopefully soon though...

thanks again