Tropical Heater

[Cameronb_01]

Hi,
I have purchased the Rio Juwel 400 and it comes with a 300 watt heater. It is a 450L tank and despite the fact that the 300W heater it comes with it is advertised as being able to do: "UP TO 450L" I am conscious that that might be slightly exaggerated. Also looking around on the web it appears that others with similar tanks have a much higher Watt to Litre ratio. What do you recommend? Is 300Watts sufficient? If 300Watts isn't enough and I do need another heater can you please recommend one which isn't too bulky and can stick to the side of the tank because the Rio Juwel 400 has all the apparatus: the filter, heater and stuff in a big black box with specific sections for each different thing.
I have attached a picture of the heater below.
Thanks so much for your help

 

[Asteria]

If you feel like it's not heating the tank. Up the temp on it bit by bit until the tank is at the temp you'd prefer.
Or you could buy a eheim 200w and have it the opposite side.

In my 125 ltr I have a 100w and 75w heater. Seems to work fine for me

I have them bit set to 24℃ and my tank is at 25℃
I'm pretty sure the 100w is doing the job. But at least then if one breaks you still have another

 

[Byron]

I would definitely have two heaters in this large a tank.  Asteria is quite correct about one at each end, preferably one at the filter intake and one at the filter return if you can do this.  There should always be some water flow "past" a heater and this is the best way to achieve this.
 
On the wattage, I always go higher rather than lower simply because I have found that generally the higher the wattage the more reliable.  The ambient room temperature plays into heaters too; the less work the heater has to do, the longer it will last and usually be more accurate.  I think my 4 and 5-foot tanks have 200w and 250w heaters, but not sure offhand.
 
Byron.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Agreed with having two heaters in a tank like this and in a water flow area as well does help keep temperature at a constant state as possible.
 
As a general rule of thumb, i've found that 1w per litre tends to work.
 
Although I like to go over this slightly, so in your case, you already have a 300w heater, the minimum extra heater you need is a 150w heater but personally I would get a 200w heater, the price differences between these two sizes is minimal really. 

 

[wrighty8529]

im running 2x 300w heaters in a 453 litres and both set at 28

 

[Cameronb_01]

So if I get a 200 Watt heater at the opposite end of the tank will that be sufficient? Are there any heaters inparticular that any of you would recommend?
Thanks so much for all the replies

 

[Byron]

You're in the UK so likely have some different manufacturers than I would in NA, but Eheim products are available I believe and I would recommend the Eheim Jager heaters.  I now buy only these.
 
Byron.

 

[Cameronb_01]

Thanks so much everyone, I have just ordered a 200W Eheim Jager 

 

[Ch4rlie]

          

 

[ShinySideUp]

I have one 300w heater in my six foot tank, I tried two 200w heaters but couldn't get them balanced and one or the other was always on while the other hardly ever came on (or vice versa). Since switching to only one heater everything has been fine. I have two digital thermometers one at each end and they hardly vary between the two which I think is probably because of the sheer volume of water which won't lose a lot of heat during it's transition from input to output.

 

[Lunar Jetman]

The other thing to bear in mind is that these days, in houses with central heating you are unlikely to experience varied fluctuations in temperature and a tank of that size is not going to take a while to drop down, so you don't necessarily need to worry too much about having more than one heater.
 
I guess it depends on your circumstances but I wouldn't rush into getting another heater unless you don't feel the one you have is doing its job.