someone explain heaters to me

I was always told that it is 5 Watts per gallon and if you have a 29 then you should really get a 150 watt heater. Maybe its because your wattage is too low.
 
I was always told that it is 5 Watts per gallon and if you have a 29 then you should really get a 150 watt heater. Maybe its because your wattage is too low.

First thing that came to mind. An underpowered heater will certainly struggle. You could even run a 200 watt in there. I'd rather have something a little "oversized" that doesn't have to run at capacity to do the job.
 
Says Stealth 100 up to 30 gallons, 113.6 liters.
Stealth 150 up to 45 gallons, 170.3 liters.

But I do agree I should have bought at least the 150... all these years fishkeeping and that answer didn't pop into my head. Unsure if I can return it now seeing the packaging is completely ruined being one of those plastic ones. Well I guess I will keep both heaters in that tank and see if I can get a stable reading around what I want. Than when summer rolls along I will pop out one of the heaters.
 
when it says up to 30 it really means , if you have a 30 the heater is going to run all the time .
a 150 watt or yes even the 200 watt is what you want to get.

I dont know where you got it but at the petsmart I work in they honor all returns even if we dont sell it.
 
when it says up to 30 it really means , if you have a 30 the heater is going to run all the time .
a 150 watt or yes even the 200 watt is what you want to get.

I dont know where you got it but at the petsmart I work in they honor all returns even if we dont sell it.

I have worked at one as well but I pretty much damaged the whole packaging and it perfectly works (as I have seen for now), and they couldn't be able to resell it and would likely trash it.
 
Running two heaters that are smaller is actually a good idea. I do it on all of my tanks. That way if one does malfunction, the other keeps the water at a temperature that the fish can at least tolerate until a new heater can be bought.
 
i would recommend a bigger heater for the tank, i would only use a 100W heater on a tank 20gal or less. IDK, just my 2 cents!
 
Any chance you're plugging into a switched outlet. Don't know the living conditions but many homes and apartments have split outlet wiring in bedrooms and living rooms, especially where no overhead light exists. The top of a duplex receptacle may always be hot and the bottom outlet is controlled by a light switch (or visa-versa) by the door. This way you can keep your bedside clock running but table top lamps can be controlled at the door for general room light.

I realize it's a little off the wall but is it possible that you were turning the heat off every time that you flicked off the lights and left the room?
 
I also wonder about the outlet. Is your tank covered? wouldn't hurt to put some insulating plastic over that window. I have a 150w in my 55 and have never had a problem, only have to turn it up half way to keep it at 76 degrees.
 
I'm having trouble keeping a 250w stealth at 86 in my discus tank & although it "works" I added a second 1 since it couldn't keep the temp. Maybe stealths can't keep up with their temp demand. Worked for several months but not for the long haul.
 
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