PlanetCatfish.com

So umm... I'm in abit of a pickle. Trying the hardest I've ever tried to keep calm. Ok so I came home a few minutes ago and fed my 60g african tank. And after feeding them I noticed that the temperature had gone way down to a round room temp (just about 19c) and use turned up the heaters to max heat and the temp crept up to about 20 and seems to have settled. What should I do? I have 2 thermometers so I know it's accurate. Also both the heaters were on and warm to the touch. I do not have any other tanks at this stage and will be unable to purchase anew heater for a few days. Also the tank contains my prized possession - a rather expensive Synodontis angelicus. Help - what can I do to keep the tank warm? Or at least keep the fish alive for a few days while I sort out struggles to get a new heater.

Chances are, at least for the Synodontis angelicus, you have absolutely nothing to worry about if this is a short term "chilly spell."

Only two of my five active tanks have active heaters, my garage Rio400 set at 20C for Ilyodon xantusi and my 4-foot ~280l tank of little fish (mostly from African rivers) set at 21C. My 6-footer contains my larger African riverine fish plus my pair of Empire Gudgeon, it has no active heater and typically sits at ~21C during the winter months, naturally warming up to ~28C during peak summer. It contains my ~15cm SL Synodontis angelicus and my quartet of rarer Euchilichthys spp., among its inhabitants.

Is the ambient temp of your house a bit cooler than normal? We have had some chilly mornings in the UK recently.

Not sure what to advise exactly African fish are not a particular area of specialised knowledge for me but here's what I can advise re the heaters. Because you said the heaters are warm, even though water is cold, it might be tempting to leave them running anyway. In the hope they are at least doing something to help. There's obviously some kind of a fault with them. Leaving them on could be just as dangerous. If they were to become stuck,as in the thermostat not switching itself off. The tank could dangerously overheat.

I discovered my 6-footer was down to 20C last night, everyone looked fine. The ambient room temp felt fine to me, but I was surprised it was 15C, so I put the room storage heater for the first night in a while. Will check temp of tank when I get home.