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Hi all...

I'm thinking of buying a 180 L / 45 US Gallon tank to replace my existing 60 L / 15 US Gallon...

The 15 Gal currently has a 100 Watt heater... Will this work for a 180 L, or should I replace it or buy another heater to augment it?

Hi,
There is a generally accepted "rule of thumb" for heaters.
That is, 5 watts per gallon. That means you should have
around a 225watt heater. OR your heaters should total at
least that amount.

The problem comes when the heaters are vastly different
say a 100 and 150 watt heater at different ends of the
tank, and the circulation within the tank, has the cooler
water influencing the lower wattage heater. It will stay
on more often, and for longer periods of time, than would
the higher wattage heater. You can use two, or even more
heaters, but balancing them so each comes on at the same
time can be really tricky.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Thanks :-)

I thought there might be a rule, I just didn't know what it was :-P

So a single 225 watt would be best?

I personally prefer 2 heaters for larger tanks. It'll be up to you. Since you're replacing the tank you could use your current heater as well as another heater to make up the difference.
Two heaters offer more even heating of the water as well as insurance in case one heater isnt' functioning properly.
The 5wpg rule of thumb will vary of course depending on how different the air temperature is from the tank temperature.

^_^ [hr width='40%']"Somewhere beyond happiness and sadness
I need to calculate,what creates my own madness...
and I am waiting for disaster"

I suppose having two would give me a certain degree of redundancy.. Although it would also double the chances that one would fail with the strip in the 'on' position:-P

I'm also trying to minimise the amount of equipment I have inside the tank (I recently replaced a submersible power filter with an HOB, as an example) so maybe one bigger (i'm assuming stronger heaters are also bigger) heater might be better on that front?


I don't know... 180 litres / 50 US Gallons is a lot bigger than anything I've ever 'administered' before :-P

The only reason I'm upgrading is to give my Clown Loaches a chance... The LFS sold them to me for a 15 Gal as snail control :-P

geesloper

Regardless of anything two heaters is a must. I have had one go several times over the years. It could mean the difference in life or death of your aqu if you are away when the one and only heater just breaks down.

Another thing there are some shockers around real cheapers be very careful they will just not last. Its the old story Cost = Quality.

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

I'm not sure it would mean death - Auckland is very temperate - the room temperature is highly unlikely to drop very low at all, and if it did, it would only be for a couple of hours at the outside.. If anything, I have trouble with my current aquarium *over*heating - the heater is set to 25 degrees C, but the room temperature has been 30 - 34 lately. :-(

Thanks for the warning though - i'll keep an eye out for brands I know.

Last edited by geesloper at 09-Feb-2005 06:14