what size of heater

[dpmac10]

Hey i just bought a 130 gallon used tank and i got a 150 watt heater with it what do u guys recomend for it i think that is way to small but maybe not thanks.

[dpmac10]

sorry the heater is 100 not 150 watts so i think it is way to small thanks

[Richer]

It is indeed much too small for a 130 gallon tank. Generally, you want something in the area of about 5 watts per gallon of heating. Of course this number is very dependant on how warm you keep the room at, the kind of lighting (and duration of which they are on) you have on this tank, etc. etc.

HTH
-Richer

[dpmac10]

thanks for the help i'll keep that in mind thanks so what size would u think i would need then .

[JamisonBWolsh]

From freshwater.com

If your room is never more than 8-10F degrees cooler than your target tank temperature, a heater of roughly 2.5 Watts per gallon will suffice. If the differential is higher, up to 5 Watts (or more) per gallon may be necessary. Remember, the heater needs to keep the tank at its target temperature, even when the room is at its coldest point; the tank's temperature should not fluctuate.
here is a link to calculate your heater size

VERY NICE FORMULA!!!! IT will calculate it....

http://freshaquarium.about.com/library/begin/blheatersize.htm?once=true&

[Richer]

Ycan play it by ear if you want to. Try one 200 or 250 watt heater on top of your 100 watt heater and let it run for a day or two. Remember to check the temperatur around the day. In the morning, noon, evening, night, etc. If the temperature remains constant, good news, you should be alright. Considering its also winter time, you'll have a good idea how stable your tank is even during a cold night. If you find it doesn't tend to stay very stable, add another 200 or 250 watt heater, and that should for sure keep your tank at a stable temeperature.

From personal experience:
My 66 gallon malawi tank used to only have one 200 watt heater on it. I set this tank up during the summer time and the heater had no problems in keeping the tank at a constant 25 degrees C. However, as winter came around, I noticed that the heater was constantly on, and that during the night, temps dropped to as far as 22 degrees C. Too far for my comfort, so I got myself another 150 watt heater. Temps have never flucuated much since then.

When positioning your heater, you can do a couple of things... position your heater where water flows the most. Other ppl position the heater horizontally along the substrate. Either way will work.
Some brands I would suggest are Tronic heaters (made by Hagen) and Ebo-Jager heaters. I own both, and have nothing bad to say about any of them. From what I hear, many other aquarists have similar experiences.

HTH
-Richer