Difference in temp.readings

Evening guys.
I have had a normal type glass temp guage ( like most guys have I presume???) stuck to the inside of my tank. The reading has been steady at 28 deg.
So today I saw what looked like a very good ELECTRONIC DIGITAL thermometer in a lfs. Bought it and put it into the tank when I got home tonight.
So easy - the probe hangs in the water and the display mechanisim is stuck on the outside of the tank and is so easy to read.
TO MY SHOCK AND HORROR the reading in the display of the new thermometer reads between 23,7 AND 23,9 and it supposed to be 28 deg for my Discus
NOW WHAT - WHICH ONE DO I TRUST.????
I have turned up the heaters and will see what happens to the reading in 2 or 3 hours.
SURELY the ELECTRONIC DIGITAL thermometer is more accurate.
Or am I wrong?

 

Go find a baby thermometer, a glass one. Pop it in the tank. Which ever temp it is closest to, is the correct one.

 

RIGHT - the thermometer is going right back TOMORROW !!!! Bloody thing is faulty - put my heaters back to where they were set before :notrust:

 

@eros111: I had the same problem with my digital thermometer, sounds like the exact same one from your description.and I nearly cooked my fish. so now back the old school mercury. the digital one always showed the tank to be at 24-25... until my fish started being lethargic and not doing well, tested water and it was fine... Until I took the other tank's thermometer: 29.5... WAAAAYYYYY too warm for my fish.

So today I took the other thermometer back, got two old school ones and have two in the tank.

Hard lesson to learn, technology not always the best route to go, tried and tested methods better.

good luck!

 

DAMN - put the mercury one back in and my F.......G temp is 32 deg now !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHAT a mess - as you say Zebra - old school mercury is way to go.
Unless of course anybody has got a Electronic one that they KNOW is good - maybeIi give it one more try.

 

Technology isn't always fool-proof.
Heard from my gf that a large hospital in Pta recently upgraded a ward with an expensive electronic thermometer thingamagic.
Every patient for two weeks presented with "fever" and had to have expensive blood work done for them...until they realised that the machine hadn't been calibrated when it was installed. TIA

Two glass ones next to one another are definitely the way to go!

 

Yeah and with the hot days it is hard to get the temp in your tank down again... I am on 26degrees now, still not where I want it, but heater is off and so are the lights, hopefully it will cool to 24.5-25 tonight and I will be happy,

I am all for the glass thermometers now, learnt my lesson.

 

Must say I have given up on a lot of LFS kit .... thermometers mercury, strips of the digital type from the LFS. So much so that I did this little project Arduino and your tank - Page 6

Now I am not claiming that these are 100% accurate but for a baseline things seem to work.

Current Temp in the fish room is 23.12 and in the tank 22.94 - body heat, PC and coffee probably to blame for the increase in room temp in the last 2 hours.

Later Ferdie

 

I am at the stage in life where my glasses need glasses, so I bought a couple of swimming pool thermometers for R26.00 each at Checkers. Apart from being easier to read, they are also a lot more accurate than the aquarium junk they are selling us. If the pool job is too big for you, just remove it from its plastic housing,

 

@f-fish

For how much and where does one get an Arduino in SA?
And then one still needs all the temperature, pH, etc. probes.

I remember looking it up when you posted http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/s...-and-your-tank&p=191015&viewfull=1#post191015.
Think I looked at rs-components. Was pricey.

But man! is the result amazing!

 

@Wickets ... never looked at the swimming pool stuff .. but it actually makes loads of sense will go get one to compare, thx for that.
@rudig have a look at the official ardunio site they list distributors (one is in pretoria - and is na OK walk in shop) temp probes are not to bad but pH that is less than 900 I still need to find.

 

same issue here uurrg!!! nearly made fish stew

 

What's the consensus on pool thermometers? Does size matter? Why are they believed to be more accurate?
I try to keep my fish tank @ 25 degrees, so 2 over/under isn't a trainsmash, but it would be nice to be sure about something as "basic" as the tank's temperature.

 

Right so now, I have been in such a rage about this whole electronic temp. guage thing that I phoned and spoke to the MD of the company yesterday that import and distributes this particular "gadget" - they are in Durban
The MD himself was not even aware that the gauge had the 2 settings (i.e. in and out )- and was not even aware of the potential danger FROM THE LACK OF CORRECT INSTRUCTIONS printed on the back of the blister-pack that the gadget is packed in.
He himself was equally horrified that I nearly cooked all my fish.
He apparently is sending out an email to all their customers and distributors to warn retailers of their product to point out to customers EXACTLY what to look out for on the guage and to warm customers to choose the correct setting - the INSIDE the tank one!
He did say that it was a new product imported from China and that he was also going to contact the manufacturer in China to tell/advise them to include in the instructions the fact that there are 3 settings to look out for on the instrument face.
Maybe I have saved a few fish along the way !!!!

 

i definitely had mine on inside temperature. and it was still five degrees out. still nearly cooked all my fish. even the outside temp was wrong because I have a thermometer for human use as well and the two temps didn't match up. mine is back in its packet and on its way back to the lfs for my money back.

Thamx for saving other fish, i lost four of mine... So in actual fact O should claim my fish replacement money and thermometer money back. but I won't be that mean.