Best choice for heating 1000+ gallons?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
DB junkie

DB junkie

Gold Tier VIP
MFK Member
Jan 27, 2007
9,065
1,935
2,053
Iowa
Big Dave's Rays posted a link way back to a site called rockymountain pond for a big inline heater. Well the link no longer works.

Can anyone out there recommend a good inline heater for about 1500 gallons?

I'm in a rental house so really don't want to deal with the nagging I'll get for tapping into the hot water heater.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help..... :)
 
I myself do not have any ideas for you, but might see if they can move this thread to Setup and Filtration to get more ideas from MFK members..
 
Also, what's the coldest temp that the room gets? That will determine how many watts you need. The rule of thumb is 4wpg to raise the tank temps 9 degrees over ambient room temps. So if the ambient temps stay in the 70s (typical indoors temps), you'll need 4wpg to keep it in the low 80s. That's 4000w right there.

If you keep it in the garage where it gets much cooler, then you'll need a lot more wattage.
 
digginrays;5065169;5065169 said:
those are some SERIOUSLY expensive heaters to run. i would try to heat the room to minimize the need for a heater like this.i am sure you have thought of that tough.3 phase heaters..wow, thats some serious heat :eek:
Click to expand...
That's why I mentioned the ambient room temps. Even if you keep the room at 70s, which is normal tolerable ambient temps, it will take 4000w to keep it in the 80s. Just the nature of the game when dealing with that much water. It's simply physics.
 
That simple physic dont apply here then. I have 700W heaters doing my 550 gallon, works like a charm, room temp is normal. If the physics were so simple i would have to need 2200w? Room temp 72F, tank Temp 78F.
 
Tor-Eriik;5065207;5065207 said:
That simple physic dont apply here then. I have 700W heaters doing my 550 gallon, works like a charm, room temp is normal. If the physics were so simple i would have to need 2200w? Room temp 72F, tank Temp 78F.
Click to expand...
Yes, but how hard are your heaters working? A properly sized heater shouldn't be on constantly heating the water. It should be used to 'maintain' the temps. They should only turn on for a small amount of time to raise the temps 1-2 degrees up again, then turn off. That is why so many heaters fail all the time in the aquarium hobby. Heaters need down time. They shouldn't be running constantly, as it will lead to premature failure.

Aquatic Eco has a good discussion about this topic in their catalog, along with a table showing wpg needed vs ambient room temps. Also, other things can contribute to the temps of the tank. Pumps will add some heat, as will lights. Also, tank material can also influence the temps, as acrylic insulates better than glass.
 
i use a 1000 watt titanium and a ranco controler

best thing to do is keep the room temps up. i try to keep my house about 73-74 and my heaters never even turn on
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom