jerseybird97
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
What is the general rule of thumb when it comes to heater watts vs tank size?
Heater?
- Thread starter jerseybird97
- Start date
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gheitman
Aquarium Advice Addict
Basically you take your tank size in gallons and multiply by five to get the total wattage (i.e. for a 10g tank get a 50W heater).
TriggerHappy
Aquarium Advice Freak
+1
ezy33
Aquarium Advice Addict
terminal temperatures
By your calculations I would need a 900 watt heater for my 180 gallon aquarium. I do have 2 250 watt heaters and my house rarely drops below 65 degrees. While a small system will loose heat quickly a large system will hold it's heat. IME a small system needs a good quality heater, as a failed heater (stuck on or off) will quickly destroy all life. While a large system may be caught before it reaches terminal temperatures.
By your calculations I would need a 900 watt heater for my 180 gallon aquarium. I do have 2 250 watt heaters and my house rarely drops below 65 degrees. While a small system will loose heat quickly a large system will hold it's heat. IME a small system needs a good quality heater, as a failed heater (stuck on or off) will quickly destroy all life. While a large system may be caught before it reaches terminal temperatures.
partypalooza5
Aquarium Advice Addict
+1
jsoong
Aquarium Advice Addict
It depends on your tank temp vs house temp .... If you live in Canada (like me) & let the house temp goes down to 60 at night, you would need a bigger heater to keep the tank up to tropical temps. Someone in more moderate climes might be fine with a small heater. <Ditto if your tank temp is lower ... I have a 300W in my 100+ gal setup, but I only expect to keep water temp in the 70's.>
But 5W/gal is a rough rule for the usual setups. The heater(s) would then be capable of maintaining temp to the high 80's. As long as your heater is good & don't get stuck on "ON", it is OK to have a bigger heater, as it simply won't turn on if the water is at set temp. For bigger tanks, having multiple smaller heaters would be good insurance.
But 5W/gal is a rough rule for the usual setups. The heater(s) would then be capable of maintaining temp to the high 80's. As long as your heater is good & don't get stuck on "ON", it is OK to have a bigger heater, as it simply won't turn on if the water is at set temp. For bigger tanks, having multiple smaller heaters would be good insurance.
dkpate
Aquarium Advice Addict
I have 2 heaters in all of my tanks, no matter what size they are. And together they are rated for more gallons than they have to be. Like they said, if one breaks, you still have some sort of backup.
MrNitrite
Aquarium Advice Regular
Yes 2 heaters is a good idea. But on a tank as small as my 20 long, I just run one. But I think a lower wattage is better than one that's on the high side. I have a 150w because I already had it. but future plans include replacing it with a 50 or 75w. A runaway heater is not as disasterous with a smaller heater-you have more time to discover it and shut it off.
