Aquarium Heater Question

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jgnfnj

Jim
Aug 19, 2006
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0
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Hello,

I have a 20 Gallon Tank that I will soon be cycling. I heard that I should install 2 heaters in case one fails. Is this a good idea, and if so, what wattage would be best? I read that some prefer 2.5 watts per gallon and some prefer 5 watts per gallon.

Where is the best place to mount them?

Should they both be set to the same temperature?

Thank you so much for any advice.

Jim
 
the reason its suggested to put two LOWER watt heaters in a tank is that sometimes when a heater fails, it gets stuck ON, and can fry your tank if its higher wattage. if you have two small heaters, if one fails and gets stuck on, it doesn't have enough power to fry the tank by itself, and the other one that hopefully is still working, will sense the tank is already warm enough and stay shut off.

for a 20g tank, some people use 100w, some use 50w. i personally use a 50w. because my tank is near the baseboard heater and i keep my house pretty warm. if you keep your house cooler, you may want to go with the higher watt heter, or two smaller heaters.
 
Also the best place to place the heater(s) are where the water get plenty of movement. This allows the warmer water to get moved around the tank. Some people place small bubblers near the heater as this will move the warmer water around. Other people place the heater next to the output of the filter as this to will move the warmer water around.
 
One More Question I Forgot

Thanks so much for the replies. I just forgot one thing. I saw some submersible heaters made by marineland that had plastic covers, it sounds like a good idea but I was wondering if anyone had experience with them. They say the plastic is special and heat resistant but one would have to worry about melting. Any recommendations on a particular brand of heater? Thanks again.

Jim
 
Well I'm not sure about that type of heater but Marineland is a good brand and there products do tend to last and work as they are supposed to. For a good heater type you may want to look in the Freshwater Products & DIY section. I have seen a few different posts there and a search should bring up a couple results.
 
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