Heater Question?

[HopefulHobbiest]

Any idea how many heaters i need to properly heat a 125G?

i have one in there right now, and an electronic temp monitor at the far end of the tank and the temp at the far end is about 78.6 (not sure about the end the heaters at, i just thought of this so i haven't yet checked that end).

is this enough or should i pick up a second?

 

[vao71]

I use 2 on mine to keep it at a stable 82 degrees

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

ok cool so i'll grab another heater...

got another question though, i'm running two AC 110 filters currently but would it be better to add a fluval canister filter? or would 3 filters be pointless?

 

[Rivercats]

In a large tank a canister filter is a much better choice and offers room inside for alot of media. I run a Fluval FX5 and a Fluval 406 on my 220g.

 

[vao71]

I have an fx5 on mine with 2 trays full of biomax and the bottom one with carbon on it. Depending on your stock you may throw one of your canisters on it along with an fx5 should you get one

 

[Rivercats]

I actually have to run 3-300w heaters on my 220g to keep a stable temp throughout the tank. Also having more than one heater guarantees if somethings happens to one heater you still have one running until you get a replacement.

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

very good points from everyone, so i'll definitely take your advice and pick up a canister filter and 1-2 more heaters.

thanks again

 

[Rivercats]

I think you'll be happy with a canister. They make a big difference from using a HOB.

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

how big of a difference?? as stated on the first post i'm using two AC110's and i love them lol so if it makes a big difference i'd like to know how

i'm about to start looking at the two canisters suggested earlier and see what i can find as far as info and price.

Edit- OH WOW!... the FX5 is right around $260... thats pricey

 

[Rivercats]

My daughter found them on ebay alot cheaper, I know when she bought the last one about a year and a half ago it was under $200, like $60-80 cheaper than that price. I'd do some ebay hunting. And remember the FX5's are big big canisters that move a ton of water and have a ton of media space in them. When we were raising some baby koi we ran 2 FX5's on the 220g.

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

True, I did see the dimensions and the fact that it circulates 925GPH which is kinda crazy in itself lol

Edit- The other thing i was curious about... if the FX5 moves 925GPH how strong is the current coming out of that thing??

 

[KBCoggin]

Heaters: I second every person on here. Put two 200w+ heaters in there.

Filters: AC 110's are AWESOME filters, and you are over filtering your tank, which I do as well They say to turn your tank over 3 times an hour. 125 gallons x 3 = 375 gallons an hour. Your AC 110's are pushing 1000g an hour! I use a Rena L (formerly XP3) on my 50g and I LOVE it. Very quiet, lots of flow, tons of room for media, and creates lots of current if you want. I don't want the current so I put the nozzle into a corner and it works great.

Point 1: Your AC 110s will do the job great! No need to change them if you don't want too.
Point 2: You could replace your two AC's with one Rena XL which pushes 450g an hour and gain all the other benefits of a canister filter! Plus, your Angels will appreciate the reduction in current, which is unavoidable with the AC's.

Either way, beautiful tank!! You should consider painting the back a nice shade of blue so your scape and Angels pop! and so it hides the wires / HOB's

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

Heaters: I second every person on here. Put two 200w+ heaters in there.

Filters: AC 110's are AWESOME filters, and you are over filtering your tank, which I do as well They say to turn your tank over 3 times an hour. 125 gallons x 3 = 375 gallons an hour. Your AC 110's are pushing 1000g an hour! I use a Rena L (formerly XP3) on my 50g and I LOVE it. Very quiet, lots of flow, tons of room for media, and creates lots of current if you want. I don't want the current so I put the nozzle into a corner and it works great.

Point 1: Your AC 110s will do the job great! No need to change them if you don't want too.
Point 2: You could replace your two AC's with one Rena XL which pushes 450g an hour and gain all the other benefits of a canister filter! Plus, your Angels will appreciate the reduction in current, which is unavoidable with the AC's.

Either way, beautiful tank!! You should consider painting the back a nice shade of blue so your scape and Angels pop! and so it hides the wires / HOB's

1000GPH seems a little high for the AC110's but according to petsmart.com and a few other places the "Max Output" is 500GPH each and the "Full Flow Control"(which i don't quite get) is 166GPH each.

and yes i agree i need a backdrop to cover all the hanging stuff behind it. however i can't decided between a blue or a black background.. i'm not one for the grassy or river looking backdrops lol

 

[Dreadz]

I know you've had answers to both of your questions but just thought I'd chirp in.
For heaters I was always told as a rough rule of thumb you need 1watt for each litre of tank volume so depending on whether you're talking US or UK gals you need somewhere around 500watts of heater power.
Canisters - I run 2 all pond solutions filters on my tank. 1@1000lph 1@2000lph. The 2000lph should be enough for a tank of your size, it has loads of room for media and has a built in uv steriliser, they're simple to setup and maintain, they're quiet and the best thing, it only cost £80 ($130). The same filters are also sold under the brand name SunSun.

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

well thats good to know, i'll probably pick up another 200w heater here in the next few days when i can swing by the store.

most likely for now i'll just stick with the 2 AC110's. at least until tax returns come back then i'll look into a nice canister or two... this way i can use the AC110's on another one of my tanks.(currently have an empty 55G and 40G Breeder). i'm getting all excited just thinking about the possibilities

 

[Rivercats]

True, I did see the dimensions and the fact that it circulates 925GPH which is kinda crazy in itself lol

Edit- The other thing i was curious about... if the FX5 moves 925GPH how strong is the current coming out of that thing??

It has a split dual adjustible outflow which cuts the force down. I put it in around the center of the tank and aim each outflow slightly up and aimed alittle off to one side of the tank so it deflects off the front of the glass bouncing back to the end of the tank. I do this on each side. The flow is strong right were it comes out but isn't out of control when using the tank front to deflect it back. It really works out good for big tank. I keep angels, small tetras, threadfin rainbows and such so you can see I'm not blowing them out the tank. Plus remember flow slows depending on media used in the caniser.

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

Very true, and i'm sure if i pick one up i could do the same thing and point them to the sides just enough to cut down on the output pressure.

wonderful idea River