Jager Heater broke, tank heated up!

[voodoo]

I'm trying to remain calm here, and I apologize in advance for this being my first post. I wanted to properly introduce myself before I jumped into asking questions, but I consider this to be a bit of an emergency.

Here's a small bit of background on my tank:
- 24 Gallon Current USA Nano Tank with an HQI Hood
- 20 lbs. Bio-Activ Live Sand
- Jager 100W Heater
- Maxi Jet 1200 and Mini Jet 606
- 20-22 lbs. of Fiji Live Rock
- Blue Tang, Lawnmower Blenny, 2 False Percula Clowns
- Torch Coral, Grape Coral, Feather Duster, Crocea Clam

Last night before I went to bed my temperature was at 81 degrees, and this morning when I woke up it was at 92. Well, needless to say I freaked out and grabbed what RO water I have and started making salt water. The RO water I had was 2.5 gallons with a temp. of around 70 degrees. I decided not to heat it up any more than that, and did a water change with it.

Right now the temperatue is about 86.2, and I'm in the process of cooling down the water I removed from the tank during the water change. I have it outside where the temperature is in the 40's, and it's now down to about 77. When it gets a bit cooler i'm planning on doing another water change with that 2.5 gallons.

The LFS here doesn't open for another hour and a half, and I don't have not access to anymore RO water. Should I go out and buy Spring Water or Distilled Water from the store to keep doing water changes?

Everything appears to be normal in the tank with the exception of the Grape Coral which has closed up considerably.

I have taken out the Jager Heater, and don't plan on ever using it, or that brand again. I think what happened is that the heater stayed on all night, and never shut it's self off. Does anyone have any other ideas on what I can do to lower the temperatue quickly?

Will the high heat eventually kill everything in my tank even after getting the temperature back down a quickly as I can? I'd guess that the temperature could have been high for 6-7 hours.

Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can give!
Bryan

[voodoo]

Well, since posting, I have gotten my temperatue back down to 84 degrees and turned the pumps and lights back on. I removed the grape coral because it started releasing way too much slime (for lack of a better word), and I was worried that it was dead.

Is there a heater out there I can buy that has some sort of emergency shut-off when temperatures climb? I'd like to avoid this ever happening again while I sleep.

I'm praying that I don't loose anything else.
Bryan

[johnnyblackheart]

Welcome to TR! Sorry about your mishap!

You could get some ice for your freezer, put it in a Ziploc bag and float that in your tank to help bring the temp down.

John

[Ocelot199]

Jager is supposedly the best, and I've yet to have any problem with any of the three I use. You can buy thermo-regulator switches that hook into the powercord of the actual heater if you don't want to trust the thermostat thats built into the heater itself. Problem is, they're pricey... , but heres an example.. If you're gonna spend money on something like that, you might as well spend a bit more and get something that'll control more than just the temperature.

The Jagar heaters do have built in thermos, so... I dunno why yours crapped on you. I think if you submerge it below the line that says "don't submerge beyond this line", it'll mess up the thermostat. Also, if you've got the heater in a place with a lot of flow, especially flow thats coming through a return line that requires the water to go through a bit of piping, it's not going to be able to regulate the temperature of the tank... it'll think the tank is colder than it actually is. I made that mistake when I first set my sump up :/ Made it nice and hot in there.

Uh, as for cooling it... Take the canopy off, if you haven't already. Maybe just keep it at one powerhead and turn the lights off. My heaters hardly ever turn on anymore since I put in all the powerheads and the lights... they seem to keep the water warm enough by themselves. Putting ice in a bag is a good idea too.

[CarmieJo]

I think that when I was looking for a new controller for my chiller that I saw some thermometer (only) controllers for about $50. Don't cool your tank too fast, that adds even more stress to your livestock.

[voodoo]

Thank you all for the great advice! I was able to get my tank back to normal quicker than I had anticipated.

My LFS swaped me out for a new Jager, so I guess I will give it another shot. I'm really quite attentive to directions, and always made sure I never let the water line rise above the indicator. Guess I just might have had a bad one. I'm seriously considering a controller, and will post my questions in the appropriate forum.

I already run my pumps on X-10, so I think I'll have an easier time going over to a controller. I looked at one that had a "jr." in the name that seemed to be good for what i'd need it for.

I don't know why I didn't think of the ice cubes in the ziplock trick.....doh! I'm also going to try relocating the heater, as I have it where the most circulation is in the overflow box. Thanks for that tip Ocelot!

So far I've just lost the one Grape Coral, and I'm hoping the stress from the heat doesn't get to anything else. My LFS has really gone above and beyond to help me in the past, and this is no exception. They're giving me a significant discount on another Coral once everything is stable in my tank.

I sincerly appreciate this board, and the wonderful resource that it is!
Bryan

[CarmieJo]

Bryan,

I am glad to hear that your tank is getting back to normal. You have a great LFS! I realized that in my hurry to answer I neglected to say to TR!

[Rob]

some other ideas are mentioned in this podcast...
Safeguarding your System - Podcast Episode 53

there are methods in here that just use timers to ensure the heater is not on all the time..

i will also comment that Jager heaters are VERY high quality heaters.. its also VERY uncommon that a heater sticks "on" they usually always stick "off"... unfortunately what's is and what is supposed to be are two different things.. i would give the Jager heather another try and check out some other safeguard options

[voodoo]

Rob, Thank you for the advice....I'll have to give that podcast a listen. I've not gotten that far yet in the episodes. I've only recently discovered them, and started with numero uno.

My condolences on your recent tragedy. Thank you for all that you've created here with this community!

CarmieJo, thanks for the welcome

Bryan