3 Types Of Fish Tank Thermometers And Their Use

Having a thermometer with a fish tank will help you to accurately measure the temperature you want for your fish for healthy living. The water temperature of a tropical fish aquarium must be maintained at 24 degrees Celsius and by having a thermometer you’ll be able to monitor even slight changes in the surroundings and the water temperature. By adjusting the water heater temperature you can balance out the living conditions easily.

Several types of aquarium thermometers are available in the market today.

1) LCD digital thermometers – These come in the form of a vertical or horizontal strip that you can stick on the outside of the aquarium glass wall.

The strip contains both Fahrenheit and Celsius readings, but sometimes just the Celsius and the Fahrenheit scales as well. These strips are very easy to use and are unbreakable. You must stick these on the outside wall and in a place where they do not obstruct visual beauty.

Because these are outside of the tank they do not accurately tell you water temperature because outside room temperature will have an effect on their reading too. To reduce this difference make sure that you stick in a position where there is not direct sunlight falling on the strip or any other direct heating or cooling element that can influence the temperature reading. If you room has a fireplace or even an air conditioner then these can influence the temperature reading when it’s placed on the outside of the fish tank wall.

Read this article on how to pick up the perfect fish tank location.

You can buy these cheap at amazon.com (paidlink) starting from $2 and above. Some of the popular brands are

Exo Terra
Fermometer
Midwest Homebrewing and Winemaking Supplies
Petco

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Exo Terra Liquid Crystal Thermometer

2) Floating aquarium thermometers– These are placed inside the aquarium and come in several types as follows

Floating on the aquarium water
Sticking to the fish tank wall with rubber suckers
Hanging on the aquarium wall with a clip
Sinking in the water at the bottom due to weight

All these types can accurately tell the water temperature using a safe zone color marker on them. Since this type of thermometer sits inside the tank it becomes easy with the color marking to tell if the water temperature is in safe zone or not.

The only disadvantage of this type of thermometer is that it can break causing problems. Because these are kept inside the tank, the outside room temperature will not have any effect in the temperature reading giving you the correct water temperature reading. But since it is inside the tank, it becomes difficult to read the exact temperature number and that is why a safe zone color marker is present on them.

These floating thermometers are available at amazon.com from $1.99 to $15. Some of the popular brands are

JW Pet
Marina
Penn Plax

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Penn Plax Floating Aquarium Thermometer

3) Digital Thermometers – These consist of a probe that is connected to the digital display that displays the water temperature using a chord. The probe is dipped into the aquarium water and the display can be placed outside the tank for easy reading. In some models the probe and the display are wirelessly connected. The display can be attached to the outer surface of the fish tank using a rubber sucker.

Because of the digital nature the display, these require batteries to operate or in some models you’ll find a wall connector to run on your home electricity. In higher priced expensive models you’ll find a useful feature of audible alarm when the temperature drops too low or rises above the upper limit.

Since the probe is dipped into the water the temperature reading is not affected by the changes in surrounding room temperature. That is why this third type of model combines all the benefits of the first two types but are slightly expensive as compared to the other two models.

These are available at amazon.com starting from $4 to $30. Some of the available brands are