Heater Overkill?

[cupofjoel]

I don't want to buy another heater when I already have one. Problem is it's a cobalt neotherm 300watt heater. I'm getting a 5 gallon tank...is this overkill? My assumption is that it isn't because the heater will only keep the water at the temp I set it to and won't really matter how strong the heater is. Thoughts?

 

[Metalhead88]

Yes. It is overkill. Many 300 watt heaters wont even fit inside a 5 gallon tank and if it does it would take up so much tank space and be aesthetically unpleasing .

It would likely function as a heat source, but I would not trust it long term. It's just too powerful.

Also always gauge temperature from a thermometer and not the dial on the heater itself.

 

[cupofjoel]

Yes. It is overkill. Many 300 watt heaters wont even fit inside a 5 gallon tank and if it does it would take up so much tank space and be aesthetically unpleasing .

It would likely function as a heat source, but I would not trust it long term. It's just too powerful.

Also always gauge temperature from a thermometer and not the dial on the heater itself.

It would be too big and unsightly, but it'll be in the back of an all-in-one system so you won't see it. I'd like to get other people's opinions because I've heard not to get a small heater to heat up a larger volume of water as it puts too much strain on the heater itself, but never heard of having too strong of a heater for a small volume of water.

 

[JuiceBox52]

I would say it might work but you'd be best off getting one made for that tank size some heater will malfunction and not turn off at the preset temp and will fry your fish.... better safe than sorry

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Yes, definitely overkill. But it’s always good to have a backup. You never know!

 

[Metalhead88]

A small heater for a 5 gallon is inexpensive. It's not worth frying your fish over. I have a less powerful heater on a tank almost 20 times as large.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I suggest getting the Tetra 2-10 gallon heater. Its super cheap (Under $13 USD where I live) and it works great.

 

[Retired Viking]

I have to agree with the others, I have seen a larger heater than needed in tanks but this is way over that. With such a small tank and so little water to heat up I am not sure if it would work out safety wise for your Betta

 

[cupofjoel]

Any suggestions for heaters? Don't want to spend over $25 for a small heater.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Any suggestions for heaters? Don't want to spend over $25 for a small heater.

A small heater for less than 10 gallons should be less than $15

 

[cupofjoel]

A small heater for less than 10 gallons should be less than $15

The problem with these cheaper heaters is that they are unreliable and have horrible reviews. I guess I need to cough up more money and buy a cobalt neotherm 50watt heater.

 

[Retired Viking]

I purchase a Zacro heater with digital thermometer for 16.99 plus postage on Amazon not long ago as an emergency backup but I would agree with you and go with a more reliable heater.

 

[cupofjoel]

I purchase a Zacro heater with digital thermometer for 16.99 plus postage on Amazon not long ago as an emergency backup but I would agree with you and go with a more reliable heater.

Sweet I'll just grab on of those.

 

[Colin_T]

A 300 watt heater is too much for a small aquarium and will cause the water to be warmer than what the heater is set on. You might have the 300w heater set on 24C but it will probably warm the water to 28C or more.

Get a 100 watt heater for the small tank.

Do not get anything less than a 100 watt heater because the lower wattage heaters are more likely to have problems and malfunction. The 100 watt heaters are usually reliable and ample for a 20 litre (5 gallon) tank.

 

[AbbeysDad]

On larger tanks it's god to have two heaters with slightly more wattage than would be necessary for one heater. More capacity simply means that the heater(s) will work less to maintain temperature. The up side is that if one heater fails and stops heating, the temperature could be maintained by the other heater. The downside is that if one heater sticks on, the fish are cooked if unnoticed. More and more I like the external controller. I have two setups using the Finnex external controller with titanium heaters. I believe these will last much longer than the average inexpensive heaters.
In any case, the others are absolutely correct, 300w is way too much for a 5g tank and as @Colin_T points out, a good 100w heater is just right.