Heater question

[christwendt]

I have a 25 gallon tank with 10 gallon sump I’m about to set up. I plan to use inkbird controller with two ports to allow me to run two heaters for redundancy. I’m wondering I currently have a 50 watt heater should I run two 50 watt heaters or a 50 and a 25 watt ? I want to keep it as low as possible watt wise so if it gets stuck on it will take longer to burn the tank and I also want two heaters in case one fails the other will not let it get too cold. I need suggestions how to configure this heater wise. Thank you so much! The room will kept at a stable 70 degrees in summer and winter.

 

[Cell]

If the tank requires 100w, then two 50w heaters would work.

 

[christwendt]

If the tank requires 100w, then two 50w heaters would work.

How would I configure it. I was thinking to have one heater strong enough to heat tank and another smaller heater to only kick on if tank goes below a certain temp ( main heater failing). Then I set controller to shut off heater 2 degrees higher than my main heater incase that ever got stuck on. So should I use a 50 and 75 or is 50 watts enough as the main heater ?

 

[MnFish1]

I have a 25 gallon tank with 10 gallon sump I’m about to set up. I plan to use inkbird controller with two ports to allow me to run two heaters for redundancy. I’m wondering I currently have a 50 watt heater should I run two 50 watt heaters or a 50 and a 25 watt ? I want to keep it as low as possible watt wise so if it gets stuck on it will take longer to burn the tank and I also want two heaters in case one fails the other will not let it get too cold. I need suggestions how to configure this heater wise. Thank you so much! The room will kept at a stable 70 degrees in summer and winter.

Usually - redundancy means (to me) - only one of the heaters is on at a time. Lets say the 50 watt heater 'failed' - and you only had a 25 watt heater - that may not be enough? So in other words set heater #1 for temperature A - and set heater #2 for temperature A-2 degrees so that if heater 1 fails - heater 2 will turn on. If the tank gets to 'hot' there should be a setting (say A+2) where power to both heaters is stopped. (I assume the Inkbird does this?) - So - to make a short answer longer - Buy 2 heaters of the appropriate wattage such that only 1 heater is on at a time (at least thats how I would do it)

 

[MnFish1]

How would I configure it. I was thinking to have one heater strong enough to heat tank and another smaller heater to only kick on if tank goes below a certain temp ( main heater failing). Then I set controller to shut off heater 2 degrees higher than my main heater incase that ever got stuck on. So should I use a 50 and 75 or is 50 watts enough as the main heater ?

PS - there is no 'disadvantage' of getting 2 100 watt heaters for example - if you look at this chart - a 50 watt heater is probably the minimum to heat your tank and sump (especially when there is a sump involved (I assume you will put the heaters in the sump?). Again as you said above - the goal is not to have both heaters on at the same time. Hope this helps:https://www.thesprucepets.com/aquarium-heater-size-guide-1381033

 

[christwendt]

Usually - redundancy means (to me) - only one of the heaters is on at a time. Lets say the 50 watt heater 'failed' - and you only had a 25 watt heater - that may not be enough? So in other words set heater #1 for temperature A - and set heater #2 for temperature A-2 degrees so that if heater 1 fails - heater 2 will turn on. If the tank gets to 'hot' there should be a setting (say A+2) where power to both heaters is stopped. (I assume the Inkbird does this?) - So - to make a short answer longer - Buy 2 heaters of the appropriate wattage such that only 1 heater is on at a time (at least thats how I would do it)

Yes the Ink bird will shut off it it gets too hot both heaters. So I should probably do a 75 watt as my main heater and the 50 watt as the back up incase the main one failed? The question is would 75 watt be enough for 35 gallons? I’m trying to figure out the minimum watts to properly heat my 35 gallon. Since I already have a 50 watt that should be enough to at least prevent the tank from getting too cold if it had to become my main heater. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Mical]

Usually - redundancy means (to me) - only one of the heaters is on at a time. Lets say the 50 watt heater 'failed' - and you only had a 25 watt heater - that may not be enough? So in other words set heater #1 for temperature A - and set heater #2 for temperature A-2 degrees so that if heater 1 fails - heater 2 will turn on. If the tank gets to 'hot' there should be a setting (say A+2) where power to both heaters is stopped. (I assume the Inkbird does this?) - So - to make a short answer longer - Buy 2 heaters of the appropriate wattage such that only 1 heater is on at a time (at least thats how I would do it)

I have Inkbird 306A's (dual heaters & dual probes) as far as I know there isn't separate controls for each heater. I've only had them a couple of weeks now.

 

[christwendt]

PS - there is no 'disadvantage' of getting 2 100 watt heaters for example - if you look at this chart - a 50 watt heater is probably the minimum to heat your tank and sump (especially when there is a sump involved (I assume you will put the heaters in the sump?). Again as you said above - the goal is not to have both heaters on at the same time. Hope this helps:https://www.thesprucepets.com/aquarium-heater-size-guide-1381033

Thank you that is exactly what I want. I don’t want both heaters on I just want one that’s on to be enough and my back up to be enough to just keep it warm enough to not kill stuff. And yes the heaters will be in my sump. I may keep the back up one in the display in case my return pump stopped working because my controller will be in sump if that makes sense. So it would still turn on in the main tank

 

[christwendt]

I have Inkbird 306A's (dual heaters & dual probes) as far as I know there isn't separate controls for each heater. I've only had them a couple of weeks now.

However if I set each internal thermostats on the heaters to 78 ( main) and 76 ( backup) then make my controller turn off if it hits 80 wouldn’t that work as separate controls for each heater ?

 

[MnFish1]

However if I set each internal thermostats on the heaters to 78 ( main) and 76 ( backup) then make my controller turn off if it hits 80 wouldn’t that work as separate controls for each heater ?

Yes - but - I would get 2 heaters - both which are adequate to heat your 35 gallons of water. The water flowing down into a sump (or back to the tank) probably means you might want to go a bit higher. I would say 2 100 watt heaters (assuming only one is going to be on at a time)

 

[slojim]

the wattage is pretty dependent on your difference in household temp and tank temp, and how closely your tank tracks those changes. I live on the gulf coast, and my heaters have been unplugged since March, and I have less than 3W per gallon. My 110g tank tracks my average, so it doesn't really drop at night when the AC runs cooler, or rise during the day when it is set warmer. When I lived near Chicago, the heaters on my 20g came on even during the summer overnight, and needed more like 5W per gallon to keep up when the house dropped to 68F.
Your choice of pump and lid also create a significant difference. 3-5W is the right range, but just a thumb rule.
If your house is cool, you have no lid, LED lighting, very efficient pumping scheme, and decent surface agitation - you'll need at least 5W/g. If you have a warm house, a lid, and you are a disciple of flow, even 3W per gallon might not trigger on much. See where you fit and take your best guess.

 

[MnFish1]

the wattage is pretty dependent on your difference in household temp and tank temp, and how closely your tank tracks those changes. I live on the gulf coast, and my heaters have been unplugged since March, and I have less than 3W per gallon. My 110g tank tracks my average, so it doesn't really drop at night when the AC runs cooler, or rise during the day when it is set warmer. When I lived near Chicago, the heaters on my 20g came on even during the summer overnight, and needed more like 5W per gallon to keep up when the house dropped to 68F.
Your choice of pump and lid also create a significant difference. 3-5W is the right range, but just a thumb rule.
If your house is cool, you have no lid, LED lighting, very efficient pumping scheme, and decent surface agitation - you'll need at least 5W/g. If you have a warm house, a lid, and you are a disciple of flow, even 3W per gallon might not trigger on much. See where you fit and take your best guess.

Right If its 78 degrees in your house - and outside - you not need a heater - then you need a chiller (perhaps)

 

[christwendt]

Yes - but - I would get 2 heaters - both which are adequate to heat your 35 gallons of water. The water flowing down into a sump (or back to the tank) probably means you might want to go a bit higher. I would say 2 100 watt heaters (assuming only one is going to be on at a time)

Thank you I ordered 2 100s. Going to test with just one 100 on and see if it heats tank adequately. My house stays stable at 70 summer/ winter.

 

[christwendt]

the wattage is pretty dependent on your difference in household temp and tank temp, and how closely your tank tracks those changes. I live on the gulf coast, and my heaters have been unplugged since March, and I have less than 3W per gallon. My 110g tank tracks my average, so it doesn't really drop at night when the AC runs cooler, or rise during the day when it is set warmer. When I lived near Chicago, the heaters on my 20g came on even during the summer overnight, and needed more like 5W per gallon to keep up when the house dropped to 68F.
Your choice of pump and lid also create a significant difference. 3-5W is the right range, but just a thumb rule.
If your house is cool, you have no lid, LED lighting, very efficient pumping scheme, and decent surface agitation - you'll need at least 5W/g. If you have a warm house, a lid, and you are a disciple of flow, even 3W per gallon might not trigger on much. See where you fit and take your best guess.

Thank you for this detailed response. I appreciate the time it really put it to perspective the way you worded it. I have a lot of ways that let out heat as you mentioned but I keep my house stable. In my 20 gallon AIO 50 watts has been enough I went with one 100watt and shall test with just one to make sure it’s enough. Then I’ll add the second 2 degrees lower (76) and put my controller at 80 degrees.