Heaters and Controllers

[DarrenCar]

I am in the process of gathering my equipment for a 65 gallon display and 20 gallon sump setup. As I come to my next step in research I am at a stumbling point in what I need and how I should set it up as far as heaters go. I know I would like two heaters in the sump in case one fails there is a back up. Do I need 2 controllers as well? What will be a good cost effective choice for heaters and controllers for my set up? What should I be aiming for as far as wattage goes, should I be looking at 2, 300 watt heaters or is that overkill?
Thanks all,
Darren

 

[Brad Miller]

Welcome to R2R brother !
A 300 Watt heater should do you good, that's what I use on my 55 gallon.
I use a Hydor TH03005 titanium heater with no internal thermostat, and let my APEX control the on off.
I could run as many heaters as I want, like a primary and a back up and just program the APEX to control it that way.
As far as any other controllers go, I'm not familiar with any.... I'll leave others to chime in and steer you to them

 

[Tastee]

I run a RSR 250, 65G total volume and run a 300W primary and a 200W backup. The main is Apex controlled, with the internal thermostat set to turn off just > the Apex off level. The internal thermostat gives me redundancy in case the Apex doesn’t turn it off. The Apex gives me redundancy in case the main fails on.

The backup is intentionally not controlled by the Apex and set to turn on just < the main off level. This gives me redundancy in case the main heater does not turn on, either due to an Apex or main heater failure.

I also run a chiller and that gives me redundancy in case the backup fails on. Apex would also alert to this situation. Apex will also alert in case the chiller fails off. I have another Apex alert set in case the chiller appears to fail on.

I check the backup heater every month to ensure it is still working, generally during a WC where the NSW goes into the sump a little on the cold side.

Depending on your ambient temperatures the same size heaters or slightly larger should work for you. In my case in winter worst case internal temperature will fall to low single digits Celsius (~40F). If your ambient temperatures get lower you will need larger heaters.

 

[DarrenCar]

I think the first thing I need to calculate is how many watts I need in total for 65 gallon tank. @ 3 watts per gallon im looking at a 200 watt heater. Should I get 2 200 watt heaters or some other configuration? I am looking at a household temp around 70 year round so I would be looking to increase about 8 to get to desired temp. Unfortunately I will not be able to afford an apex at the beginning of this build so I am looking at stand alone temp controllers. I see mentions of the Ranco ETC 111000 unit a lot and think that may be the way to go. Almost all of the other controllers I read reviews on have some horror stories of overheating and cooking tanks. If not that problem then they are super inaccurate so I am just confused about who really is putting out a quality lower budget unit.

 

[Desert Sea]

Inkbird makes various temperature controllers that can be used for aquarium use. They are a little less money than the Ranco units. Ideally each heater should have its own controller for true independent operation. I believe the Inkbird unit is configured with a dual plug so you could connect two heaters at once. Then as time and money allow, another controller could be added. And eventually if you decide on an aquarium controller, the Ranco or Inkbird units would be powered and controlled by the Apex, Profilux, etc. Ideally you want the Ranco or Inkbird to be cycling on and off and the aquarium controller to be the back up safe guard.

https://www.ink-bird.com/products-temperature-controller-itc306t.html

 

[DarrenCar]

I have been looking at the ink bird. It seems there is a new model too with a sealed probe. Not knowing a lot about the brands of equipment I was under the impression ink bird was cheap and unreliable, but like I said I don't know my brands yet as I am new to hobby. The cost of this controller would afford me to purchase two units for sure. I just need to convince myself of the quality. Second thing I read is that the inkbirds have a +/- 1 degree on off set value so if I set temp to 78 it will not come on until 77 and not turn off until 79. Is this acceptable to create a stable environment?

 

[jsker]

I now run a Finnex 500w for my 80 gallon water volume with Apex for control the temperature. On cold days the 300w I was running could not keep up. With the controller one really one needs one heater in the system and a back up on the shelve in case the current heater should fail.

 

[Salt1972]

We've been running the Inkbird for 18 months.

Pros = Cost, Simplicity

Cons = Temp probe fails every 6 months (indicated by a slow increasing drift), resolution is 1 degree F which equates to about 2-3 degrees variation throughout the day.

I see you mentioned they have a new sealed probe. If that works, it would solve a lot of their problems. I've been looking at the Apex, but struggling with the costs -- heater controller + controlled outlets for $1k... that space needs some competition.

 

[Erica-Renee]

I have titanium heaters and Ink-bird controllers also reef-pi controller

the Ink-bird has been flawless for years on its own .

I have 6 500w heaters

 

[Neo Jeo]

I have been looking at the ink bird. It seems there is a new model too with a sealed probe. Not knowing a lot about the brands of equipment I was under the impression ink bird was cheap and unreliable, but like I said I don't know my brands yet as I am new to hobby. The cost of this controller would afford me to purchase two units for sure. I just need to convince myself of the quality. Second thing I read is that the inkbirds have a +/- 1 degree on off set value so if I set temp to 78 it will not come on until 77 and not turn off until 79. Is this acceptable to create a stable environment?

I had a ink bird it works but after reading some issues this year I got rid of the ink bird and got a Ranco with a sealed probe. It was around $80. Yes, if you have 2 heaters you need 2 controllers. I have 2 Neo Therm heaters, they are good heaters. I let the heaters run on its own controller because they are only .5d temp swings, best in the hobby i think!

Then my Ranco controller is set to turn off the heaters at 80d. So if one gets stuck on then Ranco will turn off, I have 2 incase 1 stops working the other one can keep up. I just have to check the heaters 1-2times a week for the light on.

That what I do! Heater failed is the worst issue in this hobby IMO

 

[madweazl]

I run a pair of 150w (Visi-therms) on a 75g display (74g total volume) and they're more than enough. I'd imagine two 100w would be sufficient.

 

[Gablami]

It depends on the ambient temp of the room. If it’s normal human comfort levels (like above 65F) all the time, you really don’t need much wattage. Two 300s if probably overkill.

Look at ranco temp controllers. They are industrial strength and won’t break down like the inkbird. I’ve used both (with apex backup), but with a ranco, you can have peace of mind without spending in an apex.