i need a heater

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I'm curious why you guys recommend to someone to use multiple heaters when one alone is more than enough. The Jager 300 watt is rated for up to a 264 gallon aquarium. The Jager 250 watt is recommended for up to 159 gallons. I was hesitant about the JBJ true temp 500 watt I just ordered, because I'd like to put the smallest load on my circuits as possible. That's what jbj recommended for my size of tank though.

A 500 watt heater at 110 volts is drawing 4.54 amps. Running two 300 watt heaters draws 5.45 amps when they're on.

My concern is that with the bigger is better mindset on everything that safety is only an afterthought. For example a jbj true temp 1000 watt heater is recommended up to 300 gallons. I'm afraid some people would recommend running 2 of them on a tank that size. They would be pulling 18.18 amps combined. It's very likely unless warned they'd just plug them both in a powerstrip that's plugged into a standard wall outlet.

I know normally your breaker should trip if the circuit is overloaded. A bad circuit breaker or wiring could cause their house to burn down though.

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aaronb said:
I'm curious why you guys recommend to someone to use multiple heaters when one alone is more than enough. The Jager 300 watt is rated for up to a 264 gallon aquarium. The Jager 250 watt is recommended for up to 159 gallons. I was hesitant about the JBJ true temp 500 watt I just ordered, because I'd like to put the smallest load on my circuits as possible. That's what jbj recommended for my size of tank though.

A 500 watt heater at 110 volts is drawing 4.54 amps. Running two 300 watt heaters draws 5.45 amps when they're on.

My concern is that with the bigger is better mindset on everything that safety is only an afterthought. For example a jbj true temp 1000 watt heater is recommended up to 300 gallons. I'm afraid some people would recommend running 2 of them on a tank that size. They would be pulling 18.18 amps combined. It's very likely unless warned they'd just plug them both in a powerstrip that's plugged into a standard wall outlet.

I know normally your breaker should trip if the circuit is overloaded. A bad circuit breaker or wiring could cause their house to burn down though.

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Click to expand...

Imagine the tank in which your lone jager 250w heater just quit being in your basement in Canada in the winter season. My basement is always below 70F this time of year. Can your fish handle that temp?
Now I'm curious why you would use a 500w heater in a 125g with your concern on the load as you mentioned, while the tank is obviously not in your basement in KS or your curiosity about having a single heater should be a concern...
 
arodini said:
Imagine the tank in which your lone jager 250w heater just quit being in your basement in Canada in the winter season. My basement is always below 70F this time of year. Can your fish handle that temp?
Now I'm curious why you would use a 500w heater in a 125g with your concern on the load as you mentioned, while the tank is obviously not in your basement in KS or your curiosity about having a single heater should be a concern...
Click to expand...

Well I understand there are specific circumstances that require using more heat than normally recommended.

My point was why not recommend 2 250 watt Jager heaters instead of 2 300 watt ones. The 250 watt Jager is rated up to 159 gallons.

The OP that asked for advice is in Mesquite, Texas according to his profile. That makes suggesting 2 oversized heaters make less sense.

I already stated that I was hesitant about the 500 watt heater, but went with it on the recommendation. JBJ recommends their 500 watt titanium heater for tanks from 100 to 200 gallons. The tank it's going on will only have the heater, an Eheim 2080/30 watts, and a 50 watt light.

I don't have anything against doubling up in case one quits. I'm not completely understanding your angle though. It seems like you only said an example of why you need more redundant heat and ignored the point I was making of how much stress it puts on wiring. Well, except when you asked why I would get a 500 watt heater based on my thoughts. I guess you were suggesting I'm hypocritical.

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id actually get TOP FIN heaters ,lifetime warranty , (keep receipt).2 x 200 watts for that size tank in moderare (texas) climate
 
What IF both heaters go out ? What will you do then ? What if the world ends ? Can't live your life in fear. What you could do is buy two heaters, keep one as a spare, so in case one goes, you have another. Having two is more electric wattage = higher bill. How come my hydor 300 watt inline heater is only for 53-80 gallons the jager 300 watt is for 264 gallons, does each brand have their own idea of what 300 watts is ?
 
plecostic said:
What IF both heaters go out ? What will you do then ? What if the world ends ? Can't live your life in fear. What you could do is buy two heaters, keep one as a spare, so in case one goes, you have another. Having two is more electric wattage = higher bill. How come my hydor 300 watt inline heater is only for 53-80 gallons the jager 300 watt is for 264 gallons, does each brand have their own idea of what 300 watts is ?
Click to expand...

Eheim's recommendation is using an assumption of 70F ambient air temperature and raising the water temp to 79F. Perhaps Hydor uses a lower assumed ambient air temp? You are right though...there seems to be a pretty crazy range in recommended wattage across manufacturers.
 
what your home temp is set to and what filtration you have can also be a factor.my 125 i have a 150 watt on that and it dont kick on and tank stays at 80 ( 2 FX5 and 1 AC110,20 watt UV ).210 has no heater stays at 81 to 83 but it runs a eheim 2262,fx5,cascade 1000,UV 40 something and AC110 ).i do how ever keep a 300 watt in the closet if needed.
 
I got three of these they are spot on and seem to keep up great.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003GKN12A/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8


excuse the typos sent from my Droid Inc2
 
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