can a single 300w heater keep temps in a 180

I have a single 300 watt on my 450 and its fine. Of course I live in phoenix and its an acrylic tank. So you need to give us more information if you want an accurate answer....

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I'm not sure what you mean by 'the most cost effective way."

There are 2 costs to heat a tank. 1) the cost of the heaters and 2) the cost of the electricity.

1) Heater cost is fixed and of course you might pay more for 2 heaters than for 1. It may be more efficient if you don't have enough outlets or save you a few dollars to get just one heater. The offset is that it's safer to have 2 than 1, but each person has to make that choice.

2) Heating with 1 or 2 heaters has nothing to do with efficiency. Wattage is converted directly into heat. You don't use more or less depending on how many heaters you have, how often they come on, why they come on, or when they come on. It doesn't save money for both to come on simultaneously, one to always come on first or for each to randomly come on first. They come on, heat, turn off. In a practical sense, you can't reduce kwh (i.e., electricity cost) by using 1 or using 2. (Technically, you might pay 1-2% more in electrical leakage, but this to me is an impractical concern.)

You can lower electric heating cost by adding insulation, reducing evaporation, raising the ambient room temperature or lowering the target temp on the tank.

Drstrangelove said:

I'm not sure what you mean by 'the most cost effective way."

There are 2 costs to heat a tank. 1) the cost of the heaters and 2) the cost of the electricity.

1) Heater cost is fixed and of course you might pay more for 2 heaters than for 1. It may be more efficient if you don't have enough outlets or save you a few dollars to get just one heater. The offset is that it's safer to have 2 than 1, but each person has to make that choice.

2) Heating with 1 or 2 heaters has nothing to do with efficiency. Wattage is converted directly into heat. You don't use more or less depending on how many heaters you have, how often they come on, why they come on, or when they come on. It doesn't save money for both to come on simultaneously, one to always come on first or for each to randomly come on first. They come on, heat, turn off. In a practical sense, you can't reduce kwh (i.e., electricity cost) by using 1 or using 2. (Technically, you might pay 1-2% more in electrical leakage, but this to me is an impractical concern.)

You can lower electric heating cost by adding insulation, reducing evaporation, raising the ambient room temperature or lowering the target temp on the tank.

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+1

Insulation is the key. Also lower your tank temps. Mine drop to 75 in the winter and go up to 85 in the summer. My fish are fine, huge, and very old. Of course if you want to grow something out, you need higher temps so ya gota pay.

Hello; Sounds as thou the heater comes on during the warm months of the year. If so, one way to save expense may be to have the ambient temp in the house match the temp of the tanks. Perhaps have the AC set to 75 degrees and the tank temp set to 75 degrees. This way the AC unit is not working against the tank heaters. If you are concerned about the fish needing to be at 80 degrees, most fish I am familiar with can do well at temperatures down to 70 degrees F. List your fish if this is a concern and members who keep them can give an insight about this.

In the cold months the heater can be set to 75 degrees or even lower. Perhaps down to around 70 degrees, again depending on the fish. One advantage during the winter months is that a tank in the living area of a house will give its heat into the house and relieve the effort of the furnace. A possible disadvantage of the tank heater being the way it makes heat thru electrical current resistance. This method of converting electricity to heat is less efficient than many house heating systems.

I have kept many tanks in the lower 70's during the winter months without problems. I lived in NC for a couple of years near Wilmington and that far south the warm months could be a bit intense. The winter months were mild compared to those where I had been from, Harlan KY. I now live in TN and not far from parts of NC. The northern parts of NC can have colder winters, especially in the mountains.

Good luck

If you are worried about heaters mismatching buy a heater controller. You can still use your favorite brand of heater and eliminate the thermostat in it. You can also use multiple heaters on the same controller and have them come on at the same time. Although I would prefer a titanium heating element rather than a glass heater.