# what size heater?



## phish phan (Jan 1, 2015)

hey everyone. just wondering what size heater I should get for a 45 gallon tank? 36inch wide 24inch height 12inch deep. I have two aqua tech 30-60 filters. id like to keep a tank temp of at least 75*F. thanks


----------



## phish phan (Jan 1, 2015)

are certain brand names or styles better than anothers? i don't mind spending the money as long as there is good solid proof that the heater is worth it. good reviews could make me sway one way or the other.


----------



## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

i would personally go with a 150-200w heater, but 75 degrees is 75 degrees. u could use a 250, 300, 400, etc... the bigger heaters are overkill, but they will heat the tank to 75 and then shut off just like a 200w would.


----------



## Bones221286 (Dec 24, 2014)

Id go bigger so the heater don have to work as hard to keep the tank at a warmer temp. Case in point anything under 55g I keep a 300w heater in. in a 55g it came on 3 times a day, in my 20g it comes on once a day. Uses a lot less electric to keep it warmer. any brand works but I like aquatop heaters. Good prices on them also.


----------



## The Cichlid Guy (Oct 18, 2014)

What's your room temperature? I find that a 100w heater keeps my turtle's 40g tank at 80 degrees with no problems, so I would suggest something in that range.

Just make sure you get something that is adjustable, not "preset to the perfect temperature," and use a thermometer to verify it is functioning properly.

As for brands, there are several good choices. I personally use Aqueon, based on reviews and availability in my area. I think Eheim is popular as well.

When heaters fail it's often the thermostat, causing them to heat your tank without stopping, so I would go with the minimum size needed, definitely something at or below 150w.


----------



## Loume (Dec 27, 2014)

I'm with Cichlid Guy on that. I'd just go around the minimum. I use a Eheim Jaeger 150W on my 75 gallon and works very well, good reliable brand. I doubt it would heat my tank more than maybe 15 degrees above ambient, but I don't need it to. I'm not sure why folks want to go overkill on heaters, and think it's a good thing. I think the opposite.

1) The more wattage the heater the longer it will be. Is that why I see some placing them diagonally and ruining the looks of the tank?
2) The more wattage, the hotter it will get.
3) The more wattage, the more often the heater will cycle on and off. More wear and tear, and I can't possibly see how that could be more efficient.
4) As CJ said oversize heaters can really overheat the tank dangerously if malfunction.


----------



## PhinFan1981 (Nov 15, 2014)

I use 150 watt heaters on anything 90 gallon or less. The only exception to this would be with a lower than normal room temperature. I have never had trouble heating my tanks using 150watt heaters. I keep my tanks at 78degrees with an average winter room temperature of 70 degrees.


----------



## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

Loume said:


> I'm with Cichlid Guy on that. I'd just go around the minimum. I use a Eheim Jaeger 150W on my 75 gallon and works very well, good reliable brand. I doubt it would heat my tank more than maybe 15 degrees above ambient, but I don't need it to. I'm not sure why folks want to go overkill on heaters, and think it's a good thing. I think the opposite.
> 
> 1) The more wattage the heater the longer it will be. Is that why I see some placing them diagonally and ruining the looks of the tank?
> 2) The more wattage, the hotter it will get.
> ...


no! the wattage is based on how many watts it uses to get to where u want. so a 150 watt heater uses 150 watts to get to 75 degrees. so so let's say it would take a 150 W heater a half an hour to get a 75 gallon tank up to 75°.it would been shut off and as the temp in the tank drop it would kick back on for a Nother half an hour to get it back up to 75°.however it would take a 400 W heater 10 minutes to get a 75 gallon tank up to 75°.The 400 W would also shut off and turn back on 10 minutes later and take a Nother 10 minutes to bring the tank up to 75°.if anything the 400 W heater goes on and off more than the 150 W but is only on for a fraction of the time. as I said yes it's overkill but whether you have a 400 W or a 150 W your tank is going to remain at 75°.realistically you could have a year that's too small to heat a tank but you can't have one that's too big because it's going to shut down at the predetermined Tampa and not come back on until it has to.


----------



## The Cichlid Guy (Oct 18, 2014)

sumthinfishy said:


> no! the wattage is based on how many watts it uses to get to where u want. so a 150 watt heater uses 150 watts to get to 75 degrees. so so let's say it would take a 150 W heater a half an hour to get a 75 gallon tank up to 75°.it would been shut off and as the temp in the tank drop it would kick back on for a Nother half an hour to get it back up to 75°.however it would take a 400 W heater 10 minutes to get a 75 gallon tank up to 75°.The 400 W would also shut off and turn back on 10 minutes later and take a Nother 10 minutes to bring the tank up to 75°.if anything the 400 W heater goes on and off more than the 150 W but is only on for a fraction of the time. as I said yes it's overkill but whether you have a 400 W or a 150 W your tank is going to remain at 75°.realistically you could have a year that's too small to heat a tank but you can't have one that's too big because it's going to shut down at the predetermined Tampa and not come back on until it has to.


While I don't feel that it's as simple as you're making it, a 150w heater running for 30 minutes uses about the same amount of electricity as a 400w heater running for 10 minutes, so what's the benefit?

Should your heater fail, a 150w will only slightly overheat your tank, while a 400w heater will boil your fish alive in a matter of minutes. :?


----------



## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

i agree with u on both points. my original post suggested a 150-200 watt heater. i also never said that it would use more or less electricity. i was simply pointing out the fact that its all relative 75° is 75° regardless of heater size. u cant use a 50w in a 125 gallon tank because it would run constantly and never get water to temp. however u could put a 400 w in a 55 gal and it would still go on and off keeping temp at 75. i do agree will the fail factor. it would take the smaller heater longer to cook the fish that a bigger heater would


----------



## The Cichlid Guy (Oct 18, 2014)

Sorry, I thought you were suggesting that larger would be more efficient. I agree that heaters can be "backwards" compatible, and it's harder to use a small heater for a large tank.

I will say this: when I bought a heater for my 40g, I went with a slightly larger size, knowing that I would eventually be heating a 55 gallon tank. If an upgrade is in your future, it doesn't hurt to plan ahead. :thumb:


----------



## Loume (Dec 27, 2014)

What do you mean No???

The higher wattage heater WILL cycle on and off more often just as I said, and I don't dispute the longer on period for a lesser wattage, never did. Neither heater effects the time the tank takes to cool down again.

A good furnace man will not try to sell you a furnace that has any considerable more BTU capacity than your house needs, they know that it is not efficient at all to be cycling on and off more than should be.

You certainly CAN have a heater thats too big. In the case of a malfunction where it didn't simply quit altogether, and the thermostat sticks, it can continue heating the tank to dangerous full capacity...........


----------



## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

my no was regarding your comments on more wattage running longer and more wattage getting hotter. both of those points u made were incorrect. i then went on to agree with same amount of energy being used and also stated that yes the bigger heater would go on and off more often.


----------



## Loume (Dec 27, 2014)

No, I didn't say the more wattage it would run longer.

Maybe you mistaking where I said; 1) The more wattage the heater the longer it will be. Is that why I see some placing them diagonally and ruining the looks of the tank?

That particular note, I was talking about the physical length of the heater.

The higher wattage heater will get hotter, that's a part of how it heats faster.

I'm out, Have a good night sumthinfishy.


----------



## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

i misunderstood. my fault.


----------



## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

u could always get cold water fish.


----------



## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

won't comment on the cycling thing, as you've hashed that out pretty good.

What happens when a heater fails and sticks "on"? Going with a smaller heater, or a pair of smaller ones is less likely to overheat a tank than a single larger one. That is a risk I'm not willing to take.

Every time I've strayed away from Ebo jager heaters, I've regretted it for one reason or another. I still have a couple running after 20 years - the old green ones.


----------



## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

I would use a 100w Jagr heater in that tank personally.


----------



## jcahow (Apr 25, 2010)

It mainly depends on the difference between the room temperature and the target temperature. If the room temperature is higher than the target temperature then the heater is never triggered so in that case any heater would work as it would not be even needed. If on the other hand the room gets relatively cold compared to the target temperature (say 10-5 degrees colder) then the heating process has a lot more work to do.

Other factors that can effect the overall total heating system include:

1) Location (is the tank against an outside wall or near a window/door where it can get drafty or maybe in a basement or garage) 
2) Insulated (on one or more sides to prevent heat loss)
3) Covered (with Hood or Glass to prevent heat loss)
4) Tank size (larger tanks have more water and thicker glass which slows down heat loss)
5) Water circulation (one heater with poor circulation might mean a very uneven tank temperature especially in a larger tank)
6) Division (many people think multiple smaller heaters are better than one large one in case it gets stuck on)
7) Internal/External (many people do not like the look or want the risks of internal heating like possible breakage or electrical shock)

Normally I think 3-5 watts per gallons would be a good guess on heating needs depending on the room temperature swing. I would suggest total wattage150-200w range for a 45 gallon tank especially if you have a set back home thermostat. I usually recommend two smaller heaters as well as they will heat the tank more evenly and be less likely to cook your fish but is less revelent in a smaller tank.

Here are some other thoughts on actually using and controlling heaters that I wrote to someone else in another forum that had their fish cooked by a stuck heater...............

The bigger question is why trust a cheap thermostat in a heater in the first place? The thermostat in any heater wears out some each time it cycles and it just a small part of the overall price. Based on your overall system investment and risk why not purchase a better solution with a lot more benefits?

Personally I use separate heater controllers on all my tanks which have external multiple heaters (internal heaters would be the same).

This is the model I specifically use ($85-95) and it is available from multiple sites online but there are others on the market:

http://www.jbjnanocube.com/contents/en- ... oller.html
http://www.bigalspets.com/true-temp-dig ... oller.html

It uses an accurate internal circuit board with a micro processor along with a 5' detachable/replaceable temperature sensor.

I like it for the following reasons:

1) It has a large Red LED temperature display on it so you can see at a glance when you walk by what the tank temperature is even in the dark. If the LED is out then it lets me know immediately that there is a room or outlet power issue.

2) It has an lighted indicator below the LED display that tell me it is supplying power to the heaters (which in my case I cannot see behind the tanks).

3) It can handle up to 1000w of power so it can handle up to three 300w heaters which would all switch on and off at the exact same time. It only has one 3 prong outlet on the bottom so if you use more than one heater you need to use an appropriately rated extension cord.

4) It has a mounting clip so you can mount it on the wall behind/beside the tank making it easy to see at all times and out of reach of children.

5) It can be manually calibrated to a 1/10 of a degree for very accurate readings. When I first install one I just match it up against a couple old fashion glass thermometers I place temporarily in the tank.

6) It can be manually calibrated to a 1/10 of a degree for the trigger temperature. If does have a two degree swing so if you set the trigger at say 76.5 degrees if will trigger the heaters when tank drops below 75.5 degrees and shut them off when tank reaches 77.5 degrees.

7) It has internal memory (NO battery) so it remembers all its settings even if the power is unplugged or during a power outage.

8) I can just unplug the heater cord from the controller if I have one filter down for maintenance so I do not have to worry the heater coming on when there is no water going through it (external heater only) or so you do not crack an internal hot one being hit by cold water.

9) It is very easy to change the tank trigger temperature from one central point without touching the actual heaters.

10) It makes it very easy to view the current tank temperature when refilling the tank with a "Python" type device attached to the faucet and keep a constant water temperature.

Basically you plug attach the 5' temperature probe and place it in the tank water and mount and plug in the controller. It will immediately display what it thinks the actual tank temperature is and if it is off it can be manually calibrated. Then set the trigger temperature and plug one or more heaters into the bottom of the controller. You then set the thermostats on the actual heaters (internal or external) a few degrees higher than the actual controller trigger temperature.

So in essence the controller actually turns power On/Off to the controller outlet your heater(s) are plugged into. This way the heater thermostats NEVER cycle On/Off as they are always On and never wear out. When the power is cut off the heater(s) just stop working until they are supplied power again.

I have been using this identical setup on eight tanks that all use one or more external Hydor ETH heaters for many years now and have NEVER had an issue (I like external heaters as they are out of site and keep electrical out of the water).

They might seem pricy at close to $100 a pop but when I look at my total investment for each tank along with the contents it is a small price to pay for the reliability and piece of mind they supply and I would Highly recommend them and never worry about heaters anymore...................


----------



## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

jcahow your first paragragh is incorrect. the heat in a room is based on the heat at the thermostat of the heating unit in the room. if u have a wall mounted thermostat that is set at 74 degrees and is located a foot away from the vent that the heat comes out of, then your thermostat will reach 74 well before the other side of the room will. the thermostat will shut the room heat down when it hits 74 but the far end of the room may only be 70-72 degrees when it shuts down. the in the the cold winter months u may even have a bigger difference in room temp depending on insulation and air flow in the house. my point is that it is very possible to set your home heat at 74 degrees and still have a tank that is at a cooler temp. especially if tank is huge. the longer this cycle goes on in the room, then the bigger difference u will have from thermostat side to opposite side. which means u would also have a difference in room temp to tank temp that would increase. i hope this makes sense. i would also like to point out that the bigger the heater, the less chance of failure. i read an arcticle the other day that said if u have a heater that is too small for the tank then it stays on for longer periods of time. most heater work on a piece of metal that bends and makes a contact as heater cools. the metal straightens out releasing contact as it warms, shutting off the heater. the heater that is too small will stay on longer making it more of a possiblitt that it will fuse together at contact point and stay on. this is the major reason for heater malfunctions


----------



## BillD (May 17, 2005)

sumthinfishy said:


> i would personally go with a 150-200w heater, but 75 degrees is 75 degrees. u could use a 250, 300, 400, etc... the bigger heaters are overkill, but they will heat the tank to 75 and then shut off just like a 200w would.


Most of the time, this would be true. On those occasions when it wasn't, (the bigger heater not shutting off like a 200) the higher wattage heaters would cook your fish. It seems, from the number of boiled fish posts on fish forums, that heaters fail in the on position with regularity.


----------



## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

yes bill, we have already established this multiple times in this thread. as i also stated, smaller heaters are more apt to fail because they are on for longer durations. being on for longer amounts of time makes it more likely that contacts will fuse together. (in contact style heaters, which most are)


----------

