Heater Strain?

[fish mad]

in my new set up i have a 150litre heater but i have a 210 litre tank will this put too much strain on the heater or will it be alright for a couple of weeks until i can replace it?

 

[Themuleous]

Hi,

I would have thought it would be ok for a few weeks it’s not as if it'll catch on fire! But I personally wouldn’t leave it to long. Mostly because if it’s in a 210lt tank then it'll probably have to be on pretty much constantly to keep the tank at the right temp. Although, if its all you've got for the time being then guess you have to use it!

When you get a replacement, have you considered getting two smaller ones rather than having one big one? Have read that this gives you something of a fail safe i.e. should one stop working the other one will keep the temp relatively ok until it is replaced. And also as most heaters tend to break in the 'on' position, a 50w will take longer to over heat the tank than say a 100w, giving you more time to notice that something is up?

Just my thoughts anyway.

Sam

 

[karlp]

Don't worry about straining the heater, they're made to be very reliable and it wont be a problem. What you may find is that if you have cold weather, the heater is not capable on it's own of keeping the tank at the temperature you want, which is really why the heater supplied with tank setups often has a tank size rating.

When you get a replacement, have you considered getting two smaller ones rather than having one
big one? Have read that this gives you something of a fail safe i.e. should one stop working the other one will keep the temp relatively ok until it is replaced. And also as most heaters tend to break in the 'on' position, a 50w will take longer to over heat the tank than say a 100w, giving you more time to notice that something is up?

Yes, I would agree with that. I run my big community tank on that principle. A friend who kept a community tank killed all his fish when his heater failed 'on'. For a 210 litre tank, I'd probably run with two 150Watt heaters if the room ever gets cold, or two 100Watt heaters if the room is always fairly warm.

 

[fish mad]

Don't worry about straining the heater, they're made to be very reliable and it wont be a problem. What you may find is that if you have cold weather, the heater is not capable on it's own of keeping the tank at the temperature you want, which is really why the heater supplied with tank setups often has a tank size rating.

When you get a replacement, have you considered getting two smaller ones rather than having one
big one? Have read that this gives you something of a fail safe i.e. should one stop working the other one will keep the temp relatively ok until it is replaced. And also as most heaters tend to break in the 'on' position, a 50w will take longer to over heat the tank than say a 100w, giving you more time to notice that something is up?

Yes, I would agree with that. I run my big community tank on that principle. A friend who kept a community tank killed all his fish when his heater failed 'on'. For a 210 litre tank, I'd probably run with two 150Watt heaters if the room ever gets cold, or two 100Watt heaters if the room is always fairly warm.

thanks for your replies i will get another heater at the weekend and keep 2 in there a good fail safe idea thanks x