Heater Wattage Per Gallon Ratings - Question...

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CrimsonFog

CrimsonFog

Piranha
MFK Member
Apr 2, 2012
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Warshingtun
Folks,

So I have a question regarding heaters. Same wattage, different rating for gallons.

Below is what is each manufacturers rating right on the packaging.


  1. Fluval E Series 300w, $40.00 - up to 100 gallons
  2. ViaAqua 300w, $16.44 - up to 80 gallons
  3. Eheim Jager 300w, $30.00 - 159-264 gallons

I currently have a few each of the Fluval and ViaAqua. Looking to save some wattage in the fishroom and saw that the Eheim ones were rated to heat up a lot more.

Are these ratings correct? Meaning, I can use 1 Eheim 300w instead of 3 Fluval E 300w?

:wall:
 
300 watts is 300 watts and all heaters should heat the same amount of water. The biggest factor to consider is ambient temp of the room compared to ideal tank temperature. I have 2 of the Jagers on my 125 bc i keep my room cooler than most. I like the Jagers because of the price And they seem to work efficiently. I see the heaters off more than i see them on.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
I agree with Strollo...1 watt is 1 watt, no matter how you slice it. It's a unit of energy into your water...doesn't matter what brand name is on the heating unit, or whether or not it's a titanium versus a glass heater it's still the same amount of energy into the water.

The manufacturers are using different assumptions. There are lots of variables when it comes to heating requirements (ambient air temps in room, aquarium material- glass or acrylic, open top or covered, insulation, etc. etc).

Eheim assumes an ambient room temp of 70F, so I think that's why they rate their heaters for larger tanks...if you only need a 8F temperature rise, a small heater can maintain temps without much problem.

Switching heaters isn't going to save you anything on your electric bill, but insulating the tank (even if it's just the back panel) will. Lids will also be a huge help.

If you are interested in doing a little more research, check out this calculator: http://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/HeaterChillerSizing.php
 
I agree with both of you guys. But I was confused on why each company would rate them differently. My tanks are all in the garage so proper heat is essential. That being said, using the wattage efficiently is very important.

I guess I need to look at Fluval E's and ViaAqua's assumed ambient temperature.
 
I always use 2 heaters on any tank over 100 gallons. I worry about heater failure too much. My biggest pet peeve wth the Jager heats is that they're huge. The 300 watt unit is like 18" long but I guess that could also be a good thing for even heating.
 
I might have to replace my ViaAqua's with Jagers. The ViaAqua's seem very inconsistent. The Fluval E's are usually spot on.
 
CrimsonFog said:
Folks,

So I have a question regarding heaters. Same wattage, different rating for gallons.

Below is what is each manufacturers rating right on the packaging.


  1. Fluval E Series 300w, $40.00 - up to 100 gallons
  2. ViaAqua 300w, $16.44 - up to 80 gallons
  3. Eheim Jager 300w, $30.00 - 159-264 gallons

I currently have a few each of the Fluval and ViaAqua. Looking to save some wattage in the fishroom and saw that the Eheim ones were rated to heat up a lot more.

Are these ratings correct? Meaning, I can use 1 Eheim 300w instead of 3 Fluval E 300w?

:wall:
Click to expand...

Gotta make sure all three are rating theirs at 110/120volts. A 300 watt heater at 240 volts is the same as a 150 watt heater at 120volts. I bought a 500watt titanium heater one time thinking I was getting a heck of a deal. Found out the heater was rated at 240v so essentially I just got a 250w heater since USA power is 120v.
 
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