heater for 46 gal bowfront

[m.parker]

whats a good heater for a 46gal? arnt there heaters that you dont have to set?

 

[theotheragentm]

What do you mean, don't have to set? You have to have a set point for your heater to heat up to in order to function.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT<>prd_id=845524441810432

200-watt should suffice.

 

[m.parker]

i thought there were some that were like factory set..

 

[theotheragentm]

No, because every tank should have temperature set ideally for its inhabitants. The one I pointed out should be easy. It has a dial with temperatures on it. Just compare it to a thermometer and make sure it's hitting its temperature and not overtemping.

 

[Blazeherd2306]

I like the Visitherm Stealth - just personal preference.

200 watt should work well for a 46 gal.

 

[ezy33]

This is what I would look for in a heater shatterproof, Shuts off automatically and Fully submersible.

Visi-Therm Stealth Heater. Sleek, inconspicuous aquarium heater design incorporates accurate, "shatterproof" performance. Reinforced plastic casing protects the components against thermal and mechanical shock to eliminate shattering. "Shuts off automatically" when out of water; restarts automatically when in water. "Fully submersible". Temperature select dial and aluminum cylinder distribute core heat evenly and efficiently with ±1.0°F accuracy. Easy to set and install. UL-Listed.

This one looks good. I would stay away from ones that have a sperate thermostat as I overheated a tank when the thermostat was moved during cleaning.

As for wattage you may be better off with two smaller heaters over one in case one should fail. The more wattage means the heater will run less using more electricity. I ran my FW 180 on one 200 watt for years.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

There are heaters that you don't have to set but they are not quality. I use the VisiTherm Stealth heaters and they are 1,000 times better than those that are already set. The rule of thumb is 5W per gal. This depends on your room temp. If during the winter it is cooler in your house you will want to get a 250W. Or if the tank is set up near a vent, go with the 250W.

 

[m.parker]

would two 150w be ok... i like to go overboard on everything, heating, lighting, filtration.. ect..

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Yes, that would be perfect.

BTW, don't go overboard on lighting unless you are wanting to keep plants.

 

[theotheragentm]

Don't go overboard on the filtration unless you have fish that like the current, but it's good that you are not doing what most people do and cheaping out on things. It hurts the wallet, but you end up there anyway. So it's now or over the next couple months.

 

[m.parker]

ive been thinking about getting the fluval 405... or the equivalent eheim (sp?) what do you guys think about thoes?

 

[Blazeherd2306]

Both are good. I haven't heard complaints from either, but aren't eheims generally more expensive?

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

I bought a Hydor heater about six months ago and have been really pleased with it.

Two smaller heaters make a lot of sense: a "back up" if one goes out, you're less likely to boil fish if a smaller heater sticks "on", ease of circulating heat through larger tanks, etc. I usually go with this method on anything over 50 gallons.