since i had a 100w heater lying around, i'm using it in a 60G tank and its heating the tank up like a champ! what i'm worried about is, would the low wattage per gallon cause any long term issues?
100w heater on a 60G?
- Thread starter midasman714
- Start date
No. The size heater required has little to do with total gallons. It has more to do with how much temp you need to raise the water. In my case (AZ) I keep my air conditioning at 75° all summer, so I really don't need much heater at all. In the winter, my furnace is at 70° (and hardly ever comes on 
). I can get away with a small heater. In Omaha, my kid's furnace is at 64°I believe, and runs a lot, so they would need a couple of good size heaters.
). I can get away with a small heater. In Omaha, my kid's furnace is at 64°I believe, and runs a lot, so they would need a couple of good size heaters.
I've used 2W per gal to keep a tank 12*F or less warmer than the air temp for many years without any problems...
Based on my experience manufacturers and most hobbyists recommend using far larger of a heater than necessary...
Using smaller heaters means the heater will stay on more... which means it will turn on/off less frequently... meaning the thermometer activated switch will wear out much slower... since this is the most common point of failure... using a smaller heater is far safer than uising a larger heater...
When comparing my experience with heaters to commonly heard experiences... and looking at the difference in W per gallon I use compared to those with common problems... I'd say a very large % of the "heater failures": we hear abotu are actually user error due to using to large of a heater... the things turn on/off so frequently they wear out prematurely...
Based on my experience manufacturers and most hobbyists recommend using far larger of a heater than necessary...
Using smaller heaters means the heater will stay on more... which means it will turn on/off less frequently... meaning the thermometer activated switch will wear out much slower... since this is the most common point of failure... using a smaller heater is far safer than uising a larger heater...
When comparing my experience with heaters to commonly heard experiences... and looking at the difference in W per gallon I use compared to those with common problems... I'd say a very large % of the "heater failures": we hear abotu are actually user error due to using to large of a heater... the things turn on/off so frequently they wear out prematurely...
Hi, I keep my room temperature heated, and right now my 75g's water temp is 77*, without heat its 74*. I need to raise temperature to 78-82 and i wonder if a 75w is big enough? Bigger heater that shuts off frequently consumes more electricity than the smaller ones?
It is very difficult to draw a theoretical line of what uses the most electricity... as there are a lot of variables that influence where that line falls...
But simple logic would allow us to understand a 200W heater that is on for one hour uses the same amount of electricity as a 100W heater that is on for two hours...
My piont is...
A higher Watt heater gets hotter than a lower Watt heater (keep in mind although your heater is set to 80*F, it actually gets a a good bit hotter than that in the process of heating the water. If it only got 80*F it would/could stay on 24/7. But that's not how aquarium heters work).
When the higher wattage heater turns on, it will heat the surrounding water faster than a lower wattage heater that doesnt get as hot...
Therefore it turns off sooner...
If the water on the far side of the tank didn't get as warm as the water closer to the heater (which is likely with oversized heaters, especially in tanks with moderate current) then that cooler water will move around and cause the heater to turn on sooner...
The on/off electronics on a heater will wear out faster on a heater that turns on/off 100 times a day... than it will on a heater that turns on/off 10 times per day...
But simple logic would allow us to understand a 200W heater that is on for one hour uses the same amount of electricity as a 100W heater that is on for two hours...
My piont is...
A higher Watt heater gets hotter than a lower Watt heater (keep in mind although your heater is set to 80*F, it actually gets a a good bit hotter than that in the process of heating the water. If it only got 80*F it would/could stay on 24/7. But that's not how aquarium heters work).
When the higher wattage heater turns on, it will heat the surrounding water faster than a lower wattage heater that doesnt get as hot...
Therefore it turns off sooner...
If the water on the far side of the tank didn't get as warm as the water closer to the heater (which is likely with oversized heaters, especially in tanks with moderate current) then that cooler water will move around and cause the heater to turn on sooner...
The on/off electronics on a heater will wear out faster on a heater that turns on/off 100 times a day... than it will on a heater that turns on/off 10 times per day...