Heating tank with a partially immersed light bulb or five.

[squint]

Someone on reefcentral heats their tank with a gas water heater. I just skimmed the post but it appeared to circulate water from the water heater through tubing immersed in the sump or tank.

It's said to be a lot cheaper than electric heat. Of course, solar heating has the potential to be free after the initial setup cost.

 

[dawnmarie]

To an extent, the coil in an aquarium heater uses less resitance and converts electrical to heat. A light coil is more resitive and converts electrical to light, with heat being a waste product.

Just get some metal halides

I don't want to split hairs here but Knifegill is correct that an electric aquarium heater is a direct descendant (or vice versa) of the incandescent light bulb.
Heat isn't just a byproduct. It is the product.

Wikipedia defines an incandescent light bulb as

The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe is a source of electric light that works by incandescence (a general term for heat-driven light emissions, which includes the simple case of black body radiation). An electric current passes through a thin filament, heating it to a temperature that produces light. The enclosing glass bulb contains either a vacuum or an inert gas to prevent oxidation of the hot filament.

The fundamental difference is lhe length and thickness of the filament and the addition of a thermostat. The resistance designed into the filament is what creates heat and light (in that order).
_____________________________________________________________

Squint, you are correct that it is much cheaper to heat water with gas than electric. I just haven't seen a product that will scale down effectively to a relatively small aquarium. The one thought I had was that some gas water heaters have a second separate tubing coil designed to be used for solar that could be utilized in some fashion. Hmmmm

 

[Bderick67]

Actually, water and electricity are pretty good friends. Also, what do you think your aquarium heater is, anyway? It's just a thickened, modified light bulb pretty much.

I agree, actually pure H2O is an insulator

 

[seesolo]

honestly just spend 40 bucks on some heaters bro dont kill yourself no offense just be safe

it's actually a lot cheaper for the jebo's 300 watt, they go for about 20 bucks with haggling - don't electrocute your fish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[knifegill]

I couldn't stand it any longer! My raphaels are still strongly engaged in what can only be courtship behavior and the idea of missing this opportunity over $40 was too much to reconcile. I now have almost no personal spending, but I bought a 300w marineland heater. Wish me and my raphaels luck.

And don't electrocute yourselves.

Thanks, all.

 

[Heathd]

I don't want to split hairs here but Knifegill is correct that an electric aquarium heater is a direct descendant (or vice versa) of the incandescent light bulb.
Heat isn't just a byproduct. It is the product.

Wikipedia defines an incandescent light bulb as


The fundamental difference is lhe length and thickness of the filament and the addition of a thermostat. The resistance designed into the filament is what creates heat and light (in that order).
_____________________________________________________________

Squint, you are correct that it is much cheaper to heat water with gas than electric. I just haven't seen a product that will scale down effectively to a relatively small aquarium. The one thought I had was that some gas water heaters have a second separate tubing coil designed to be used for solar that could be utilized in some fashion. Hmmmm

FINE!!!

As you can see, I didnt retain anything from my physics 2 course.


Oh, and you could make a metal coil that returned the hot water to the tank, and dip the coil in the water, but you would need a valve hooked to a thermostat so that you could control the temperature. I would also have a power head pushing water over the coil, so that you wouldnt have a hot pocket form next to the coil.

But that really seems like a pain in the butt.

 

[Redbellypiranha]

why dont you just go out and buy a heater

 

[KAWAMIKIE]

There is explosion proof lighting which houses a bulb inside a glass jar. Put the jar in water and the bulb is protected. Yes it would work. My guess it would be twice as less as efficent as an actual aquarium heater.

 

[zennzzo]

I agree, actually pure H2O is an insulator

More like a liquid thermal conductor...

 

[Heathd]

More like a liquid thermal conductor...

Thats true too

But pure water, with no disolved organic material or electrolytes, will not conduct electricity.