Coraline on Heater. Ok?

[crittle143]

I have both my heaters in my sump and recently added a refugium to my sump. Once I added my cheato I had to add a light, now there is coraline every where in sump and my heaters are covered in the purple algae. I was wondering if this is okay or will it pose a problem? Anybody have advice?

[Monster00101]

I would clean them from time to time but i couldnt see it effecting the thermostat or heating capabilitys.

[jarrett]

ya i would clean it off i had a heater that was caked with coraline and it wouldnt turn off luckly i noticed and cleaned it after cleaning it worked fine

[hcl2195]

I would give it a soaking in vinegar, before the winter heating season to remove any growth. I would think that once the heater is cycling that it will keep any growth off the heater.

[aleonn]

I would think coraline algae would reduce the effectiveness of the heating, at least theoretically. Do soak in a vinegar/water solution, especially if the dials have been encrusted.

[Palting]

Uh, no, a heater coated in anything other than water is not good. Any coating will prevent effective heat transfer to the water, and can cause breakage.

This is the reason I don't like a refugium integrated in the sump. The light gets to the skimmer area and to the return area, and causes algae growth messing everything up. You'll have to periodically clean up the coraline and the algae from your heaters, pumps, and skimmer.