Heater for 55 gal long

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I would use two heaters for that tank. I personally like the ebo-jager heaters. I've never had a problem and use many of them. A 55 gal long will do better with two heaters to keep the water temp stable at both ends.
 
There are several good brands out there, Fluval Tronic and Marineland Stealth are very good. I agree that 2 heaters in a 55 are better at keeping an even temperature throughout the tank than just one. Keep in mind the ambient temperature when choosing the size. The lower the room temperature the more watts you'll want to keep the temperature from flucuating.

Here's an aquarium heater size guide
 
200 watts is all thats needed for a 55G from what I see and what my stealth says.

I just got a 250w Visa-therm stealth for my 55G, I have an EBO-jager in my 10G which I like because it has a light that shows when its working. Everyone seems to like the stealth heaters now so I figured I'd try that also.
 
200 watts is all thats needed for a 55G from what I see and what my stealth says.

Depends on the room temp. During the winter my house is usually around 60/65 when I'm home but it's not unusual for it to be 55 or occasionally 50 when I'm gone so I need more watts per gallon. My 25 had 2 heaters even though it's only 24 inches long. If I remember right I had a total of 175 or 200 watts Only ran one until the coldest part of the winter. I have a mobile home and the temp can drop rather quickly so I believe that 2 heaters can keep the temperature more stable than one.I also put the blue Styrofoam on the back and sometimes on the sides of the tank during the winter due to the quick ambient temperature fluctuations.
 
well its just says that 200w stealth on a 55G is good for 18 deg over ambient so that would be up to 78-83 if ambient is 60-65. I just went with 250w b/c I'm a noob and I most people use heat to treat ich which needs to be around 87-88 deg F IIRC.
 
Currently I like to keep my house temp about 70-75 at night or when my husband is home. It's 80-85 when I'm not home b/c I don't run the AC. And when I am home I try to keep it at 75-80. Of course it's Texas and there is no such thing as stable temperatures (it snowed in March).

In the "winter" it gets really cold in here and costs a fortune to run my heater so it's can be 60-70 at any given time.

This is all according to my thermostat. It is not digital and I believe that my apartment stays much cooler than other places I've lived in b/c I don't get direct sunlight.

Thanks for the suggestion about 2 heaters. I wouldn't have thought of that. Are heaters self-regulating? As in can I set it for a temp I would like it to be and it heats/not heats the water accordingly to reach that temp?
 
That is correct Alaris. But after plugging in, you will need to adjust the temp guage on the heater until you get it to the desired temp. Once it is there, you shouldn't have to adjust it again.
 
You didn't say what kind of filter you are going to be using. If you are getting a canister filter then I would recommend you look at getting a 300W inline external tank heater. That way the heater won't obstruct your view.
 
You didn't say what kind of filter you are going to be using. If you are getting a canister filter then I would recommend you look at getting a 300W inline external tank heater. That way the heater won't obstruct your view.

I am going to be using a canister filter.

i had to have 600 watts total in my 40 gal to keep the temp at 78 last winter.

Yes but you're in Maryland and I'm in Texas. I don't think I'll need that much.

As per the advice I got here and the chart that was linked as well as a couple others I gathered that I would need 150W-200W total for my tank. So I was looking at 2 100W's: one at each end.
 
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