Heaters, too big or just too small?

[fish_4_all]

I will hopefully be getting heaters in the next couple weeks but I wanted to ask this before going overkill.

Is it ok to get say a 100 watt heater for a 10 gallon tank? I know the basic rule is 5 watts per gallon but will the 100 have any adverse effects? I would think with the longer area of the heater that it would heat more evenly and with the igher wattage it would also help. I know a 500 would be overkill and wouldnd't fit in my tank but just a step up.

Also, so others don't have to ask, would it be better to have 2, 250 watt heaters in a 55 if you are worried about even heating rather than one, or maybe two 150 watt heaters one at each end?

[Fishyfanatic]

I only have one heater in the 55 gal tank and it keeps the temp nice and even. I have a thermometer on both ends of the tank and every once in a while it may be .1 or .2 degrees different. You will be fine with one.

I don't think the 100 Watt will have any adverse effects, but there isn't a need to buy one that big. Will it fit in the tank with the filter?

[Apocalypse_Gold]

I would recommend a 75 or 100 for a ten gallon, especially if it is designated to be a QT. I had a hard time keeping my 10 gal at 88 degrees (for ich treatment) with a 50 watt until I insulated three sides.

[Blazeherd2306]

It doesn't matter what heater you get as long as its wattage is not under 5 times the size of the tank (for example: 5*10=50).

A 100 watt heater will be fine for a 10 gal.

[hc8719]

the bigger the watts, the faster it heats... right?

so if you but a 50 watt heater as opposed to a 100 watt, both will do the job, but when the temp sinks, the 100w will heat up the tank faster, the 50w will be going on and off more often

i have a 100w for my 20 gallon sw tank, a 150w for my fw 20gal, and a 200w for my 55 gallon

[Lonewolfblue]

I'm using Stealth 50W heaters in my 10G tanks and they work rather well. I probably wouldn't go any higher than 75W myself for a 10G. Currently, in my 55G I'm using a single 300W heater and it's been very stable. Keeps the temp nice and even as long as I have good flow, which I do.

[sudz]

I have had a good experience with a 25 watt heater in a 2.5 gallon beta tank. Keeping the temp at around 78*f. I placed the heater right by the small filter, so it kept "fresh" water running by the heater. It would turn on for about 30 seconds at a time, once every 5 minutes or so. It is important to get a high quality heater. I had a cheap OLD one on a 10 gallon, and the thermometer inside got stuck. The BAD part was, this was after i had given it to a friend i had JUST got into the hobby. She was terrified. She blamed her little frogs for eating her neons, and they both died. When i came over to remove them, I yelped and pulled my hand out of the water. It was 98 degrees farenhiet! from a 50 watt in a 10 gallon. It just got stuck on! The plants also turned to mush, but came back from the dead.

Uhhh... Basically, IMO, if it is a high quality heater, being overpowered isnt a horrible thing.

[fish_4_all]

Sounds good to me. I had to ask because the larger heater, 100 instead of 50 is only a couple buck more and would fit a 20 when I uprgrade so I can get a couple, use them in my 10's and transfer one when I can manage to get a 20. Would even allow me to set up my "linked" tanks if I wanted to with the higher wattage running two of them in 3 tanks. This is linking 3 tanks together with tubing and running a powerhead to transfer water through the tanks. (just a thought and a possibility in the future)

[sudz]

haha, you must be very careful with linking tanks. Espcially If your only having heat in 2 of them. I wouldn't recommened it.. and if i WERE to do it, i'd make sure that all the tanks were connected to eachother in a loop. I.E... tank A -> B, B->C, C->A

That way you would have a current carying filtered, Heated water. I HAVE seen a water "bridge" between 2 tanks, both with their own heat and filtration. Its esentially a tube filled with water, ABOVE the level of the tanks. the lack of air/vent keeps the water in the pipe, higher than the level of the water! THe only catch 22 with ANY of these is that the water level in the tanks must be on the same plain. I.e. if Tank A's top Water level is 42 inches (from the floor... not the stand) all the other tanks must be that way too, or you'll siphon your tanks dry and flood the lowest tank in the system!

It sounds like a REALLY cool concept. I always envisioned doing that with my hampster cages when i had them. I could imagine the hampster running around my room from "fort" to fort at its leisure. Lol. Fish, i think would be much more prone to exploring. All my hampster did was sleep, and escape. hehe

[fish_4_all]

Yah, it would be 3 10 gallon tanks all linked together in a loop.

[Lonewolfblue]

Sounds like a cool idea.

Now if I got 2 more 10G tanks and another dual stand, I could do the same, link all 3 upper tanks, and all 3 lower tanks, lol. Have 2 separate systems, upper and lower.

[fish_4_all]

Why not link all 6 of them? Back to back 3 in a row? Make a centerpiece out iof them for a room or something and hide the tubes so people wonder why the fish keep changing tanks!

I do have a question, if 25 fish wind up in one tank, is it still considered over populated.

[Lonewolfblue]

Well, then I would have to get more stands, lol. And I already have 2 dual 10G stands. that would be interesting, fish changing tanks, lol. I do have some U-tubes that are 1 3/4 inch diameter that might work, lol.

Edit:
Just had an ideal. Would 3 heavily planted 10G tanks be enough to filter a 75G if it wasn't planted? Say run water from the 75G to the first planted tank, then from the first planted tank to the 2nd, then to the 3rd, and back to the 75G. hmmmmm...... Or 6 10G tanks heavily planted, 3 on each side, with the 75G as the centerpiece tank.

[kostasonia]

I think that as long as u ensure good water flow also inside the 10G tanks (so that water doesn´t pass through only from one specific area of them), 3 of them would manage to filter a 75G. The 3 10G tanks would hold amano shrimps and 1 or 2 SAEs each. hmm...maybe it´s interesting to make some calculations on NO3 generation (from the 75G) and consumption (in the 10G) because this idea looks great to me!!!!

[7Enigma]

The biggest danger with using a heater that is vastly more powerful than needed is the risk if it does become stuck in the ON position. A small 10gallon tank with a 25w heater might very well be able to handle the load placed on it to keep a consistent temp. If it goes on the fritz, it very well might not create enough heat to kill the fish. If OTOH you have a 100w heater on a 10 gallon and it goes bad, you have a very high chance of them getting fried.

Quality is definately key here, and probably replacing heaters every couple years to avoid this as well.

I went with slightly OVER the recommended for my tank since it gets quite cold in the winter in the office. I have a 20gallon and purchased a 150w Stealth. Works perfectly..

One thing I would recommend is to always set your heater slightly higher than the ambient temperature (max ambient during the day). So say the low for the day is 65F and the high is 80F and this is consistent with the normal temperatures for this part of the year, I would set the temp at ~80F. That way you don't have the constant fluctuation of day/night, and your fish are kept at a constant temperature throughout the day/night.

I generally change my tank temps 3 times a year. Winter time I keep the tank between 76-78F (since it gets down to 60F in the room), late spring I'll bump it up to 82F or even slightly higher (84F), and then when it gets cooler again back to ~78F. This way the tank has the most consistent temperature throughout the year, and I'd like to think its to the benefit of the fish.

[Shelby_Tempo_GT]

Originally Posted by hc8719

the bigger the watts, the faster it heats... right?

so if you but a 50 watt heater as opposed to a 100 watt, both will do the job, but when the temp sinks, the 100w will heat up the tank faster, the 50w will be going on and off more often

i have a 100w for my 20 gallon sw tank, a 150w for my fw 20gal, and a 200w for my 55 gallon

also consider that a heater that is too small will cycle on more often, leading to premature failure.

Overdoing the heaters is fine... as long as you get a good quality heater so the thermostats operate properly.

[rkilling1]

Originally Posted by Lonewolfblue

Edit:
Just had an ideal. Would 3 heavily planted 10G tanks be enough to filter a 75G if it wasn't planted? Say run water from the 75G to the first planted tank, then from the first planted tank to the 2nd, then to the 3rd, and back to the 75G. hmmmmm...... Or 6 10G tanks heavily planted, 3 on each side, with the 75G as the centerpiece tank.

Most certainly. Here is a great link about that setup and it was written by Tom Barr. This link can be found in the planted forums Resources and References thread under "Flitration guide for the planted aquarium".

http://www.sfbaaps.com/articles/barr_03.html