# Heating a 150g tank



## caseyof99 (Aug 5, 2009)

Anyone out there have a 150g and if so what do you use to heat it? I got a setup second hand that came with all sorts of odds and ends. The only heater included was a 300w submersible heater. I've read in some places that this is adequate and others that its not. Anyone with personal experience with a 150g that could tell me what they use. Any advise would be great. Thanks in advance.


----------



## DanDee (Mar 7, 2008)

casey...I have a 180g with NO heaters at all!  
That being said, My filtration system is a 40g sump with 2 QuiteOne 4000 return pumps, plus two UGJ closed loop systems with the same pumps, plus 2 Marineland 360 canisters. My problem is keeping the temp down! :-? The heat given off by the pumps keeps mine plenty warm. The tank temp stays 80* in the summer. In the winter I pre-heat the water change water in a 55g drum that helps keep it down a bit. I run it about 78* in the winter months.

After all that...Your heater needs will depend on the rest of your total system design.
I would use what you have and watch! :thumb: 
Good Luck,
Dan


----------



## eddy (Jan 16, 2009)

I run one 300 watt heater in my 120 and i'm running two 300 watts in my 180.

Personally I think I could get by with less but that is what I had laying around.

I would probably go with two 200 watt heaters in a 150 but since you already have a 300 watt I would just pick up another one just like it.


----------



## caseyof99 (Aug 5, 2009)

thanks guys. Ill be running a fluval 404 and a HOT, dont know if the canister will generate heat. Im stepping up from a 55g and i can always steal the 200w rena from it. Giving the 55g setup to my brother but he can buy a new heater.


----------



## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

I use 2W per gallon to heat tanks...

Using to large of a heater can wear out the thermostat/switch on the heater causing the heater to fail to turn itself off thus overheating the tank...


----------



## ben1988 (May 2, 2009)

many will also use two lower watt heaers and set one at the temo you want the tank to stay at and then one that is slightly lower by two or three degrees to act as a backup if the first fails and does not heat the second will keep the water near where it needs to be.


----------



## Briguy (Aug 10, 2009)

I have a 150 gallon tank. I initially cycled it with a single 300w heater. It seemed to do the job. I was going to add a second heater at 150w or 200w but instead I bought another 300w for a good price. I have 2 Aquaclear HOB filters so I placed the heaters on opposite sides of each filter with an air stone next to each heater to increase water movement in those locations. I try to maintain a constant temperature of 25.5Â°C. So far so good.


----------



## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

No offense Briguy... and I'm only mentioning it as a warning...

That is exactly the situation that allows the thermostate to fail and the tank to overheat...

Once a heater turns on... it goes to a given temperature... the surrounding water is heated up... when the water temp reaches the proper temp oer the thermostat the heater turns off...

The larger the heater is the faster the surrounding water will heat up... therefore the shorter the period of time the heater will be on... Also higher wattage heater reach a higher temperature... therefore larger heaters are more likely to heat up the immediate surrounding water to the set temperature before circulation allows all of the water to be heated...

This makes the heater click on... after only a minute or two click off... but then a minute or to later click on... etc... etc...

The switch in the heater has a limited amount of "clicks" before it wears out. Making it click on/off frequently shortens the heaters life span...

It is very common for people to use much more heater than necessary in a tank... and it is very common the on/off mechanism in heaters to fail... and I am convinced that A = B...

I also feel that a lot of heaters get badmouthed when in reality they failed because of user error. I think a lot of bad press is passed around due to this...

PS - Added via edit... I agree with the point below...


----------



## bfg112 (Feb 13, 2009)

ben1988 said:


> many will also use two lower watt heaers and set one at the temo you want the tank to stay at and then one that is slightly lower by two or three degrees to act as a backup if the first fails and does not heat the second will keep the water near where it needs to be.


That will only do one of two things.

1) The one that is set lower it will never turn on because the first one keeps the tank up to temperature. Meaning you waste money having a heater in the tank that is off.

-or-

2) The first heater doesn't have enough power to keep the water at temperature and will never shut off and end up burning itself out. Meaning you will have to replace it often.

Go with a heater that is sized appropriately for your tank. Or two appropriately sized heaters that are set at the same temperature.


----------



## Briguy (Aug 10, 2009)

Toby_H said:


> No offense Briguy... and I'm only mentioning it as a warning...
> 
> That is exactly the situation that allows the thermostate to fail and the tank to overheat...
> 
> ...


I understand your statement Toby. However a 300w heater is generally rated for up to 80 gallons. Two 300w heaters should not be over kill for a 150 gallon tank. It is important to place ones heaters in locations where there is a lot of water movement i.e. next to the filter outlets or power head jets.


----------



## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

...Aquarium supply manufacturers do not rate their equipment honestly...

They want you to buy more heaters... so they tell you that you need more than you do... they also want you to replace your heaters often, so they make recommendations that will wear them out...

They tell you that an expensive filter will filter your tank just fine... hoping you get it home, try it out, like it, but need more filtration... theefore you go back and buy a second one just like the first one...

This is like walking onto a used car lot without doing a bit of research and expecting the guy selling you the car to give you sound advice...


----------



## Briguy (Aug 10, 2009)

Toby_H said:


> ...Aquarium supply manufacturers do not rate their equipment honestly...
> 
> They want you to buy more heaters... so they tell you that you need more than you do... they also want you to replace your heaters often, so they make recommendations that will wear them out...
> 
> This is like walking onto a used car lot without doing a bit of research and expecting the guy selling you the car to give you sound advice...


When you buy a used car you compare different cars in the class of that you are looking for. Same goes for just about anything else. When buying a heater compare different makes of the same heater. Some are going to be better than others and you get what you paid for.

I have not experienced a heater thermostat wearing out yet. In fact I still using the first heater I bought when I bought my first tank.


----------



## 12 Volt Man (Sep 22, 2008)

I use 2 -250W ebo Jager's on my 150g.

works great.

I have always used 3w per gallon as a rule of thumb for heating.


----------



## caseyof99 (Aug 5, 2009)

Is there a way to get an answer along with the debating? No offence but out of 11 posts i got 3 straight answers. I'm going to try the one 300w at first then add one if I need. Sound like it might work? Bad idea?


----------



## Cento (Mar 30, 2005)

Hey Toby, not this topic again! :lol:

Well, I'm gonna have to go with Toby on this one, not from "personal" experience, but on this forum, a guy had his heater fail due most likely to overkill with heaters.... and it failed in the most horrible way.He came home one day to the wonderful aroma of fish stew... Thermostat went, got stuck on the on position and the overpowered heater brought the aquarium nice simmer...Everything dead..

*caseyof99*, go with the 300, and see if it holds the temp you want... If it doesn't hold, its not like your tank will dive to arctic temps.. I guess I'm saying, cross that bridge when you get to it, but you should be fine.

Heaters fail all the time, but usually, the heating element goes before the thermostat does, and if it doesn't, a properly outfitted aquarium buys you time to catch failing equipment and the damage will be far less..


----------



## wheatbackdigger (May 11, 2008)

Toby_H said:


> No offense Briguy... and I'm only mentioning it as a warning...
> 
> That is exactly the situation that allows the thermostate to fail and the tank to overheat...
> 
> ...


I do agree with this to a degree, but I've never had a thermostat get stuck. I have burned up a heating element though. Just the opposite effect, tank dropped to undesirable low temperature. I believe the heater was too small and ran continuosly trying to maintain a desired temp, eventually burning out the heater coil. Its kind of a catch 22. I think too big or too small are neither ideal. Personally, Nowdays I run 2 250 watt heaters in my 150g and maintain a room temp around 74-76F They seldom turn on.


----------



## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

caseyof99 said:


> Is there a way to get an answer along with the debating? No offence but out of 11 posts i got 3 straight answers. I'm going to try the one 300w at first then add one if I need. Sound like it might work? Bad idea?


I think the general consensus is 2~3W per gallon... which was stated... since everyone seemed to agree on that notion no other answers were listed...

Then we debated a bit on details, which we always do... different people use different approaches...

I think your approach of one 300W heater is a good one... and adding down the road if you feel you need it...

Those who use the philosophy of using two heaters may suggest you use two 150W heaters... I don't aoppose the approach but don't think it's critical either.


----------



## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

caseyof99 said:


> Is there a way to get an answer along with the debating? No offence but out of 11 posts i got 3 straight answers. I'm going to try the one 300w at first then add one if I need. Sound like it might work? Bad idea?


I heat a 180 with a 300 watt, and I keep the room temp at about 72. 1-2 watts per gallon works perfectly fine for most tanks in most homes, so either the 200w or 300w should work for your 150. If you're dealing with a cool basement, garage, etc, then you may need more. You don't give room temp, so hard to say for certain what will work for you.

The risks from using too much wattage are far greater to the fish than not enough. And if you're not using enough, you'll know within the first day of it's use and swap it out. If you're using too much, you may not know until you've got dead fish. Fish don't die from low to mid 70's temps, but 90+ is often lethal to them.

That's my philosophy on heaters and contribution to the debate. 

HTH


----------



## bfg112 (Feb 13, 2009)

prov356 said:


> caseyof99 said:
> 
> 
> > The risks from using too much wattage are far greater to the fish than not enough. And if you're not using enough, you'll know within the first day of it's use and swap it out. If you're using too much, you may not know until you've got dead fish. Fish don't die from low to mid 70's temps, but 90+ is often lethal to them.


Ah, the voice of reason. I think you hit the nail on the head, prov. When designing anything the question you have to answer is, "what happens if the system fails?" In this case the system (being the heater/s) can fail in either the on or off position. If they fail off, and that tank temp drops to room temp, no big deal. Replace the heater and go about your day. However, if your heater is too big and it fails in the on position you fry your fish. Not good. If your heaters are sized appropriately and they fail in the on position and your tank goes up to 82 maybe 85 before you notice, also no big deal, just replace the heater.

So, I repeat what I said in my previous post. Go with one, or two heaters if you preferr, that are sized appropriately for you tank. I think we have all agreed that 1-3W per gallon is adequate depending on the room temperature and how much heat your filters, pumps, and lights produce.


----------



## 2wheelsx2 (Dec 7, 2005)

I have 2x 300 in my 125 (tank is in basement where ambient temperature is about 60 F in the winter). I recently got a controller from Jehmco specifically because of the thermostat failure concerns and to balance the heaters. I haven't hooked it up yet as it's been a super hot summer up here, but I expect the controller to do a much better job than the OEM thermostat in the heaters.


----------



## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

2wheelsx2 said:


> I have 2x 300 in my 125 (tank is in basement where ambient temperature is about 60 F in the winter). I recently got a controller from Jehmco specifically because of the thermostat failure concerns and to balance the heaters. I haven't hooked it up yet as it's been a super hot summer up here, but I expect the controller to do a much better job than the OEM thermostat in the heaters.


The controller is a good idea for your situation with the multiple heaters in a cool room. That's the right way to go. Those controllers should be a lot more reliable and greatly reduce the risk of 'sticking on'. It'll also ensure that the heaters are working together in sync. I'm considering them myself for a cool basement room, but I'd need four and haven't convinced myself to shell out the money. Cheaper than losing fish, right? Why are we so willing to spend big money on filters, etc, but get cheap with heaters that can wipe out a tank?


----------



## caseyof99 (Aug 5, 2009)

Thanks all for the great advise. I'm gonna try the one 300w heater for now. Was gonna set it up today but college football is on and tomorrow would be better. If the one heater wont keep the temp up there is a nice fish store in my town thats open 7-7, 7 days a week and their equipment is surprisingly low priced. If I do need another heater I'll get a controller too so they work in harmony and if they fail no disasters happen. Great advise and helpful comments, Thanks again! :thumb:


----------



## ben1988 (May 2, 2009)

is the controller your all talking about an external thermostat that ispulugged into the power source and shutss the power off as apposed to the heater only turning its thermo off?


----------



## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

> is the controller your all talking about an external thermostat that ispulugged into the power source and shutss the power off as apposed to the heater only turning its thermo off?


A controller has it's own temp sensor. You crank both heaters up to full and plug them into the controller. Then set the controller to the temp you want. This controller replaces the heater's internal one that tends to stick on. It also ensures that both heaters turn on and off simultaneously regardless of where you place them, etc. You don't have to try to set each heater precisely the same, which can be difficult to do.

You can see some here. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see a good explanation about why it's good to use one with multiple heaters.


----------

