Aquarium Heater Tried to Cook My Fish!

I glanced at my fish who were lethargic and their gills pumping faster than normal. Then I looked at the thermometer on one end of my aquarium. And then the other thermometer at the far end. Temperature was between 84 and 86 degrees F. Not good.

I checked the heater, the setting was unchanged from where it has been for almost a year. I turned it all the way to the lowest thermostat setting -- yet the heating element light which shows heat is being generated was still on! Really not good. I unplugged the aquarium heater, waited over 15 minutes and pulled it out of my fish tank. The thermostat had failed. Had I not been home to see this, my fish would have probably been dead by that night.

Luckily, it was a Top Fin brand, for which Petsmart gives a lifetime guarantee. Even though my original receipt was gone, I was able to exchange it for a new aquarium heater the next day.

Moral of the story: always check your pets before you go to work!