Require New Heater

[tank_lover]

as title says, ive got a 5ft tank n currently have one heater which does not work well anymore, i want to purchase 1 heater n was wondering if a 400watt would be fine or not? or what watt will i need when buying just 1 heater?
thanks

 

[blue acara]

300 watts would be adequate.

 

[Schmill]

Don't take my word for it until some others have replied too, but I 'think' the general recommendation is usually for around 1w / L. Of course that is a rough guide as it will also depend on where you are keeping your tank. ie. if you are keeping the tank in a room that is heated, and maintains a warm 20 deg. c all the time, you won't need much of a heater to keep your water at 26 /27, but iff you have the tank in a shed / conservatory or other unheated space, your heater is going to need to be much more powerful.

Just knowing the length of the tank I don't think anyone can really tell you what heater you need. With the tank volume, and conditions it will be used in, people can at least better advise what you will need.

 

[paulypaul182]

Id personally get two 200 watt heaters and put them on either side of the tank, this would save on energy costs

 

[agutt]

I agree with paulypaul...two heaters will "split" the load and will save on the energy costs...

also I would recommend the Marineland Stealth heaters

 

[shelaghfishface]

2 heaters would defo be more appropriate,2x200W or 2x300W,lets chance of cold spots ,as well as being more economical

 

[Schmill]

I must be missing something here.
I understand how it's better to have 2 smaller heaters than 1 larger one, in that if one fails you still have one, spreading them out will help avoid cool spots etc.
What I don't understand is how 2x 200W heaters would be more efficient / economical than 1x 400W heater? Can someone explain please?

Thanks

 

[5teady_2012]

I must be missing something here.
I understand how it's better to have 2 smaller heaters than 1 larger one, in that if one fails you still have one, spreading them out will help avoid cool spots etc.
What I don't understand is how 2x 200W heaters would be more efficient / economical than 1x 400W heater? Can someone explain please?

Thanks

You can put 2 heaters further apart, so 2 heaters are heating up thier own sections, where 1 heater has to heat up the whole tank from 1 spot, and it would take longer for 1 heater to heat it all.

 

[paulypaul182]

I must be missing something here.
I understand how it's better to have 2 smaller heaters than 1 larger one, in that if one fails you still have one, spreading them out will help avoid cool spots etc.
What I don't understand is how 2x 200W heaters would be more efficient / economical than 1x 400W heater? Can someone explain please?

Thanks

If you imagine having a large room with one large radiator in it compared to the same large room with 2 small radiators in it but on opposite sides of the room. Although the large radiator would produce more heat, that heat would be localised to that area and slowly reach all four corners of the room. With the two radiators, although smaller, the heat will spread around the room quicker and keep a steady and constant temperature with no cold spots.

 

[Schmill]

I understand that the heat would be better distributed, I just don't understand how it would save on energy costs? Surely it would still take the same amount of 'energy' to heat the same amount of water by the same number of degrees?

 

[rabbut]

If there is enough flow in the tank from adiquate filtration, two heaters won't me more efficient than one, infact, they could be less efficeient due to inaccuracies in the thermostats. I have always wondered why members on here think that two heaters are better than one, as two heaters will wear out quicker than one if you are using by-metalic strip based heaters, as they will have to switch on and off more often. OK, you get a reduntant system, but you make the whole system more prone to failure in doing so By-metalics fail on 9 times out of 10, so running two that can cope alone is not a good idea...

If you use electronic, you are better off having two that can cope alone, as they should fail off. Set one a couple of degrees lower than the other and you are away with redundancy

I pesonally would have said 400W for a standord dimention 5ft tank, but as stated above, the other dimentions and room conditions need to be know before finalising your requirements

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Rooster]

It takes the SAME amount of energy to heat a body of water to a certain temperature.... doesnt matter if its one heater or twenty, provided they are all set to come on at the same temp (ish will do) then they will all use the same amount of electricity.

In such a size tank, more than one would keep a more even temp, but thats it.... and lets not forget this ISNT a science experiment, water in the wild will vary in temp, so it maybe more "natural" to have this difference ?
(a second heater would also offer a little insurance, should the first fail.... but in 40 odd years, I have NEVER ran more than one ! so I think they are more reliable than you think... or Ive been lucky ! LOL)

 

[vinylman]

Go for a Visitherm heater. You can't argue with a five year guarantee.

 

[rabbut]

Nor the bloke who is a supplier of live food cultures at work that has a 30yr old Visitherm still going strong with continual use in his garrage Seriously, for by-metalic strip type heaters, Visitherms are the best, tried and trusted by aquarists for many years I also like Hydor in-lines for electronic based heaters and a few people I know use Fluvaltronics for internal electronics based heaters

All the best
Rabbut