heater placement question

[dad_jsp]

Ok, so I keep seeing that people put the heater in the sump. I guess the questions are:

just how safe is putting a heater in the sump??
will a 300W heater work in the sump for a 180g tank?

The sump size is 31g. Yes I know that is small, but I also have 2 ac110'S running. I am looking at 1700 gph with everything. I think 9.4x turn over is good.

thanks

 

[davidtcb1]

You can put a heater in the sump as long as the level of water in the sump doesn't get too low due to evaporation between water changes/maintenance. In other words, as long as the heater remains submerged in several inches of water, you should be fine.

 

[chesterthehero]

heaters in the sump work great.. follow the directions.. if its fully submergable.. keep it submerged.. if not.. dont (read the box)...
if it says to submerge it.. keep it submerged.. they can crack/burnout if left in contact with air..

as for "is 300w enough".. all depends on what temp you want the tank at and the ambient temp of the area you keep it in...
if you want the tank to be 80 and you keep it in an area thats constantly about 76 then sure you are fine... however if you keep it in an area thats constantly 60.. its not enough (best way to find out is trial and error.. dont set it to the max and leave it so it heats the tank faster.. set it at the desired temp and wait.. if it takes more than 24-48 hours... you need more)

 

[TRENT]

dad_jsp, I have pretty much the same setup. I have one 300watt in my sump and one in my tank (both 300w). Temp stays where it's suppose to.