Aquarium Heater is an electronic device that is used by Aquarists to keep and maintain warm Aquarium water temperature for tropical Aquarium animals.
This device is more like a kitchen water heater but it is not for boiling water but to keep and maintain slightly warmer temperatures in aquariums.
Based on how it keeps the water temperature warm, many people think that it could burn the live plants in the aquarium.
Because of this mentality, many people tend to avoid either keeping plants in their fish tanks which is very condemnable, or they avoid keeping a heater in their fish tanks which is condemnable too.
If you are among those that do think an aquarium heater is a threat to your plants then this article is for you.
The answer to this question is not very simple, it is all about it depends.
The aquarium heater does not burn plants in the aquarium unless it is malfunctioning or the plant is very close to it.
You can hardly read or hear anybody complain that his/her heater has killed or burned his live aquarium plant or plants.
This is not very common because a fish tank heater is designed to be suitable for anything in the fish tank or aquarium such as the various aquarium animals, plants, the aquarium itself, etc.
As I explained, these heaters are designed not to have the capability to heat water but just to keep it a little bit warm so that it could suit the living conditions of tropical animals we usually keep in the fish tanks unless it is malfunctioning.
If these devices could be able to burn or scorch live plants, then they could be able to heat or boil the water and kill any living thing in it, so fish tank heaters don’t burn plants unless in rare circumstances.
So, go ahead and keep your aquarium plants and heater in your aquarium, and don’t bother about your plants getting burned, but you must not keep the heater close to the plants unless the heater has a guard which many heaters out there have.
In a situation where the heater malfunctions, it could only scorch the plants if they are very close to the heater and not burn it as you may be thinking, and even if the plant is touching the heater, it won’t have any effect on the plants.
Are Aquarium Plants Sensitive To Temperature?
Temperature plays a very sensitive role when it comes to the growth of aquarium plants.
Their metabolism is affected by heat which in return aids them to grow very rapidly.
Aquarium Plants are very sensitive to heat or temperature as you may call it, and that is one of the reasons I advised you above not to worry about your plants getting burned by your Aquarium heater because it is very rare to see, instead it will help your plants to grow a bit faster than normal.
They are very sensitive to temperature because they need a hot temperature to grow faster, but when the temperature gets too hot, the plants may grow very poorly or might even die.
Where Should A Heater Be Placed In A Planted Tank?
An aquarium heater should be placed near the filter or air stone so that the heat will quickly get to all parts of the water, and so for the filter or air pump to help in cooling it.
Talking of placing a heater in a fish tank, it could be placed horizontally or vertically near the air pump or filter, especially if it is a submersible heater.
As I explained above, don’t get the heater near the live plants so that they may not scorch if eventually something goes wrong and it becomes too hot.
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