Prostar 90 setup help

benetar22 · Nov 16, 2024

Hi there-
I have a question that I feel is so basic I'm a little scared to ask. I'm brand new to the hobby and really looking forward to it. I just got my Prostar 90 this week and got it setup yesterday. My question is where do I put the heater? I've watched several Prostar 90 build videos and read through several threads on this site and it's not something that's addressed which seems to me that it must just be very obvious. Here's my issue: I know that it probably goes in the sump but I can't figure out where. I have a Sicce Scuba 250W heater that is 14" from the bottom to the minimum water line. Before I put water into the tank the first place I put it was the compartment where the protein skimmer goes, but after filling it with water and turning on the return pump the water line in that compartment is no where neat the minimum water line at about 10". It's not big enough to put it on it's side or at an angle to submerge the heater. Just now I moved it to the front right compartment where the drain pipe comes in as the water level is higher in that compartment, though it is still .5" below the minimum water level of the heater. I've also not seen a heater in that compartment in any of the videos or pictures I've seen on this site or on youtube.

Do I need a different heater that is more compact, if such a think exists, or am I missing something that is obvious. Anyone out there with the Prostar 90 that can let me know where their heater is located and even which one you're using would be greatly appreciate. Thanks in advance for the advice

ElementReefer · Nov 17, 2024

1) The heater must be submerged past the “minimum water line” on the heater. If you can’t do that, get a smaller one. If you can’t find a smaller one that’s enough wattage, get two.

2) Don’t put it in the return pump chamber.

Otherwise, it doesn’t matter. Mine are in the drain compartment.