Using two heaters vs one

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If I'm understanding you correctly, the 2nd inkbird is plugged into the first one? If the first inkbird fails in the off position or reads temp higher than it is it will shut all heat off to the tank. It protects from overhearing but not underheating.

I've always recommended 2 smaller heaters, each controlled separately over one large one.
This gives you protections from over or under heating your tank.

Correct it does not prevent under heating except the two heaters in winter. I’m far less concerned about underheating since I can monitor it, the various INKBIRD alarms will alert me, and the drop in a large system is slow. Overheating is my main concern.

 

[rhaetuluscrenatus]

I'm using 4, 2 eheim 300w and 2 jbl 300w

 

[FishLvR]

I use one appropriately sized heater hooked to a Bayite controller. Inkbird always failed and my tanks would get cold. I started using the bayite the 15amp version and have had zero issues in many years. Some dude in the Netherlands figured out how to hook up a rasberry pi to his bayite internals to get bluetooth updates. I am not that savvy. The red sea ATO is a secondary way to monitor the temp. It will alert me if the tank gets too cold, however that temp reads lower than the bayite because the red sea is closer to the surface of the water. I can not wrap my head around why two heaters would ever be necessary unless you have a HUGE tank. But I may be spoiled. We have central air and heat so the house stays 72 all year round.

 

[Maize & Blue]

I prefer one heater but I can’t find one big enough(wattage wise) that fits. What brand and wattage do you have?

What do you mean you can’t find one? I have a 300 W heater in my tank that heats a 90 gallon up to 120 I don’t understand why you can’t find one?

 

[ud56]

What do you mean you can’t find one? I have a 300 W heater in my tank that heats a 90 gallon up to 120 I don’t understand why you can’t find one?

Can’t find one that’ll fit the back chamber at 200w. Found tow at 150w that’ll probably work.

 

[GCL]

I like to use 2 in the winter but only one in the summer. Hooked up to a Ranco which I highly recommend

 

[EricDP]

I use two at half the wattage of what I need. For example, if I need 200W, I use 2 x 100W. If one fails off, the, temp will only drop a bit since one alone can almost maintain the needed temp. If one fails on, the tank won't get super hot, since one alone can't drive it too high. This provides an opportunity to notice something is not right and fix it before things get too out.

 

[bradreef]

Heaters burn out so I run 2 through an ink bird. I run them just under what is needed. Example. Need 300 watt, run 2 250 watt heaters. I set the heaters to about 1 degrees above my ink bird in case it stays on to overheat.

 

[Marco_99]

I run 2 smaller heaters on an INKBIRD. One at 77.5 & one at 77. Same reasoning one can keep the tank afloat if one goes down and if one gets stuck it won’t fry my tank. INKBIRD also has an app you can remotely control temp and it charts/graphs logs temp activity by the day and also shows when each heater is currently in heat mode