# Which heater do you recommend?



## aggriffin3 (Aug 15, 2009)

I have a 40g breeder and I would like to know first, what brand would you recommend? and second, should I get a 100 w or 150 w? We keep our house at 69 degrees.

Thanks

Art

P.S. Oh yes, I have 3 Yellow Labs...


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

Check the reviews section and check out the ratings on makes and models.
That is the most comprehensive and appropriate place to really get the info you need to make your decision.

As for the watts, I would go 150 watts if the room can get cold but I guess 100 watts would work.
The price difference won't be much either.
By the way not all watts are created equal, low quality brands make weak heaters that don't perform to the watts they are rated at.


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## matthew1884 (Jul 24, 2009)

I would do a 200watt maybe a 150.

I like Hydor and ebo jager.


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

I'd go with a 200 watt as a lot of places have them for the same price as the 150 & the visa-therm by Marineland i've always had success story's with...


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## aggriffin3 (Aug 15, 2009)

Heres another question. The one thing that scares me is cooking the fish if it gets too hot (heater sticks or something) do you not think 200 watts is overkill for this size aquarium despite the little difference in price?

Thanks

Art


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## matthew1884 (Jul 24, 2009)

no I have a 250 watt in a 40 breeder. 
If I had a smaller heater it would be working to hard and stay on all the time.


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## LSBoost (Jan 21, 2010)

I have a 250 in a 55 gallon. It's going to cook the fish anyway if it malfunction. I also have good experience with visi-therm by marineland (the glass one, white looking). The new one I bought for the 100gallon (300watt visi-therm stealth pro, black/abs plastic) is also working good so far. They keep the temperature constant. That's all I need.


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

ummm... I don't know where you guys are getting your heater advice, but you're recommending way too much.

I use a 100w aqueon in my 55g tank (lots of rock). Ambient room temp is 68, and it holds the tank steady at 80. If the thing sticks on, it can't physically raise the temp hot enough to fry the fish. Sure, it runs longer, but over time it should use the same total kWhrs as any other heater (assuming efficiencies are the same). And because it runs longer and heats the tank more slowly, it doesn't cycle on and off as often, which will actually mean the heater will live longer!

I just put a 75w stealth heater in a 30g tank, but I really wanted something like 65w. I would not put any more than 100w in a 40g tank, unless I had to raise the tank more than 20 degrees over ambient. There is just no need. size your heater right, and it doesn't cycle as much (which is what really wears them out), and can't hurt your fish if it does stick on. This is not a situation where you "might as well get bigger because it costs the same". I'd probably get a 100w, turn it up to full, and see how hot the water gets. If it gets over 90, its too much wattage - I'd probably return it and get a 75w.

On the downside, our furnace was out this winter, and the ambient temp in the house got really cold (like, down to 58 ). The 100w heater was then only able to maintain about 72-74 degrees running constantly. I solved the problem by using a small bathroom electric space heater with a fan and let it blow warm air over the tank. The warm air didn't heat the tank, but I believe it insulated the tank from the cooler air and allowed the heater to do its job (temp slowly climbed back up to 80). I'd much rather have this rare problem, than worry about killing hundreds of dollars of fish if a oversized heater fails.


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## Cento (Mar 30, 2005)

Check out this previous thread that discussed this same topic not that long ago... 

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... c&&start=0


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## Cichlidude (Feb 7, 2010)

You just don't recommend a heater due to tank size. All depends on the temperature difference you are trying to overcome. Then you make your choice.

Heater Guide Example:

If you need to raise the temperature of a 55 gallon tank 15 F, simply use

the guide below to find out what wattage is needed. The corresponding

wattage is 190W, therefore you would select a 200 watt heater. For me, my

downstairs theatre room may get down to 60 at night for my 75 gallon.

Therefore a 300 watt heater is used.

DeltaT____10F____15F____20F____25F
Gallons-------------Watts----------------
10________53____80____106___133
20________80____120___160___200
30________93____140___187___233
40________107___160___213___265
55________127___190___253___316
75________147___220___293___367
90________160___240___320___400
120_______180___270___360___450
150_______200___300___400___500
180_______213___320___425___533
200_______220___330___440___550
250_______233___350___467___583


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## Rhinox (Sep 10, 2009)

mind sharing where you got those values?

I'm only asking because they appear to be incorrect (too high). My 55g tank with a 100W heater maintains 80 degrees with an ambient temp of 68 (12 degree rise), and it doesn't need to run constantly to do so. Your table tells me i'd need somewhere between 127 and 190 watts, and I'm clearly using less than that.


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## Cichlidude (Feb 7, 2010)

These are from the Aqua Heat heater box I have. I'd say you are in the ball park and you answered your own question when your furnace went out. The 100 watt was not enough to bring the temperature up from 58 degrees but works fine at 68 degrees.


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## mg426 (Nov 24, 2009)

What ever watt heater that you should decide to use, it is a good idea to use a controller to operate the heater.


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## shaguars7 (Apr 12, 2009)

my general rule of thumb is 2-3 watts per gallon. on my 65 i have a 150watt and hold 79 without being on constantly. we keep or house at 68 and no probs. I also have a 30 with a 75 and it works great at the same temps. i use rena and have had no probs...I like jager though for i also use a couple of them. imo i would get a 100 watt for your 40...would be the right fit....2.5 watts per gallon.


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## shaguars7 (Apr 12, 2009)

my general rule of thumb is 2-3 watts per gallon. on my 65 i have a 150watt and hold 79 without being on constantly. we keep or house at 68 and no probs. I also have a 30 with a 75 and it works great at the same temps. i use rena and have had no probs...I like jager though for i also use a couple of them. imo i would get a 100 watt for your 40...would be the right fit....2.5 watts per gallon.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

Keep in mind that there are a lot of alternate heat sources that affect how efficient the heater works for each aquarium. Pumps and lights contribute heat. A covered aquarium is more insulated and retains heat better. So a 40 breeder with an open top filtered with a sponge filter lit by a shop light suspended above the tank would likely require a larger heater than a 40 breeder with a glass canopy, a power compact light strip, and a power or canister filter. That being said I would probably use a 150 watt heater myself.


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## aggriffin3 (Aug 15, 2009)

I have a 40 breeder with glass lid with light strip and HOB filter. I found a fluval at my local shop today on sale for 22.95. I wish I could remember the model.
22.95 for any of their wattage heaters. Thats right, 200-50 watts 22.95. 
So with that said, its either a 150 or 200. You tell me...

Thanks

Art

P.S. Unless you think fluval is ****, then it is back to finding one of the above mentioned brands.


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## aggriffin3 (Aug 15, 2009)

Its the M series if that helps...


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## brutus8 (Mar 19, 2005)

I would highly recommend the Stealth line of heaters. I have tried the Ebo's in the past but they just are not as accurate in my opinion. I only use the Stealths now and could not be happier.


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## aggriffin3 (Aug 15, 2009)

Well, I ended up getting the Fluval M200 for a can't pass it up price of 22.95. 
It says submerisble, and the fish shop employee says you can even submerge it beyond the temperature control? Is that true? I dont know if Fluval says "dont submerse it all the way" for safety reasons and law suits or whether it really isnt made for that, and the fish shop employee is misinformed?

Thanks

Art


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## shaguars7 (Apr 12, 2009)

if it says submersible it means it is... I have all submersibl heaters and almost everyone is at the bottom of the tank buried in substrate with only the control availible to the eye so yeah the employee is misinformed


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## ShockDoctrine (Jan 23, 2011)

The following website is very useful with Fluval staff comments and YouTube videos from Fluval.

Fluvalblog

I am very dissatisfied with my new Fluval M50. The clip doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t even allow for the heater to clear the tank rim of a 20 gallon (tall) when set at the correct depth. Why is it not fully submersible? The cheaper heater IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m replacing was at least able to be fully submergedÃ¢â‚¬Â¦

2 Contrary to the markings on the heater itself, the heater is in fact fully submersible. Sorry for the confusion Jason, if you still have the heater, you should be able to safely used it completely submerged in your aquarium.

3 I returned my 2 Fluval 200w M heaters for the same reason as Jason Ã¢â‚¬â€œrequires too much space to hang and appear to not be fully submersible. The fish department (That Fish Place Ã¢â‚¬â€œLancaster PA) people were surprised to read the instructions that come with it and on the heater itself. Even the video above does not show them being fully submersible. I exchanged it for 2 Hydors.


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