One Or Two Heaters?

[mossonthemoon]

The room my tank in gets very cold in the winter. I can't remember the exact temperature from last year, but we would have to wrap up and tea got cold before it was finished steeping. I think it probably gets down to 12 Celsius (55 Fahrenheit) in the cold months. I am thinking this might be too much stress on my single heater, and I was thinking of putting my other one in, perhaps on the opposite side of the tank. I thought this would be a better option than buying a new heater with higher wattage. Does this sound like a good idea?

My current heater is a Juwel 200 watts for a Juwel Rio 180.

 

[SandraNewbie]

I was having this problem as well in an old property (I usd to get frost on the inside of the windows over night), two heaters can work but you have to be very careful, 1) to set the thermostats correctly so that both heaters get used about equally. 2) To get good flow in the tank so all water passes both heaters (no good having hot water blow from one heater onto the other because then it doesn't get used)

3) not to overload the cheap extension lead you plugged them both in to (maybe that's just me)

 

[mossonthemoon]

Haha, well that is a good point. Perhaps I will split the plugs between two sides of the tank. One of the heaters is in the Juwel internal box... thing that they usually come with. The flow seems good I think. I guess I could put the other heater across the glass opposite and just keep a close eye on the temperature for the first few days or so (more than normal, I mean). It won't look beautiful, but it may help prevent my heater from dying an early death.

 

[Chad]

I use two heaters. My tank has two overflows so I have one heater in each.

 

[raptorrex]

I use two, purely as a precaution.

1x150w heater can not boil my fish. when it, inevitably sticks on.(in my 200l tank)
1x300w heater and you have fish soup, if it happens. (in my 200l tank)

if 1x150 goes Phut, i still have 1x150w to maintain, some, temperature. until i get a replacement. (in my 200l tank)
1x300 goes Phut, you have no back up.

its a little more expensive when you set up. but 150's cost less than 300's to replace. so it comes back over time.

 

[DrRob]

I'm in the 2 heater brigade in some tanks, 1 heater in the others. I think it has a lot to do with opportunities to hide them.

 

[Aquascaper]

Just one big heater in my sump for me with a spare in the 'fish box'

 

[mossonthemoon]

There are some good points here. But what I am really looking for is whether people think that heating the ~180 litre tank to about 26/27 degrees in a sometimes 12 degree room is too much strain for my heater, which is a Juwel 200 watts. I have a smaller heater (I would need to dig it out but it is for a smaller tank) that I could put in if necessary. I do think I am leaning towards two over one, but I don't know whether my heater will actually need help. It is coping now, but it isn't that cold yet. I am estimating that the coldest the room has gotten so far is maybe 15-17 degrees, and that was probably just a brief time.

 

[Aquascaper]

The specific latent heat capacity of water is quite high which means that, while it takes a lot of energy to heat water up, once heated it takes very little energy to keep it warm. There would be no issues using one heater as long as it's a big enough wattage to cope with the tank volume and there is sufficient flow in the tank the circulate the water over it. The only real reason for having two filters is if the tank is large and the poor flow causes 'dead spots', yes there is the added bonus of having a backup in case one fails but even if a heater failed as long as it was replaced within a day the water temp won't change much.

 

[Chad]

There are some good points here. But what I am really looking for is whether people think that heating the ~180 litre tank to about 26/27 degrees in a sometimes 12 degree room is too much strain for my heater, which is a Juwel 200 watts. I have a smaller heater (I would need to dig it out but it is for a smaller tank) that I could put in if necessary. I do think I am leaning towards two over one, but I don't know whether my heater will actually need help. It is coping now, but it isn't that cold yet. I am estimating that the coldest the room has gotten so far is maybe 15-17 degrees, and that was probably just a brief time.

It depends on the quality of the heater. A good quality heater can manage it just fine. I have heard horror stories about low quality heaters...we probably all have.

 

[raptorrex]

I'm more worried that they sticking on.
which, if you read this forum, happens just as much as them going phut.

the only true way to avoid that, is to make sure none of your heaters can "overheat" your water, on its own.

I admit, its a small problem.
but its one i can forget.
which is nice!

I'd like to have 2x inline heaters. but all, available, could cause problems in the above scenario.

 

[mossonthemoon]

Hm... All of that makes sense. I was thinking in terms of how the tea doesn't hold its temperature, but I guess I should be thinking about the bath. I can't find the specifics about the 200 watt heater right now, but it said it was rated for a larger tank than mine, but when the room is 18 degrees. I gues the difference in room temperature isn't too big when considering that it is supposed to be able to handle a bigger space.

I will keep my eye out for cold spots, though. Thanks!

 

[Aquascaper]

The volume of the water does play a big part in it.....a small aquarium has more surface area to lose heat from (not just the water surface but each surface it touches) in proportion to it's volume therefore will have faster temperature fluctuations than a larger one. You can look at insulating the bottom, back and sides of the tank but it's not really that necessary, if you find you are having trouble maintaining temp during winter you can always throw a rug over the tank overnight to help keep heat in.

As you say, a cup of tea goes cold faster than your bath when both start at the same temperature