What heater would you get for a new 250 gallon tank.
- Thread starter Carz
- Start date
- Tagged users None
I would probably do like 2 or 3 300w jager heaters.
I have 2 Eheim 300W on an Inkbird controller.
spidercrab
Active Member
Do you really need a heater? I think it is one of the biggest waste in the hobby. IF you keep your home between 74-78 then dont need one at all.
lpsouth1978
Valuable Member
I have 2 x 500W Finnex Titanium heaters on an Inkbird controller.
lpsouth1978
Valuable Member
I suppose if you don't mind temp swings from 74-80+ degrees. My temp stays rock solid between 78.5-79.2 degrees.
lpsouth1978
Valuable Member
I do. It gives you redundancy. If one heater goes out you still have another to get the job done.
Daniel@R2R
Living the Reef Life
Staff member
Super Moderator
Reef Squad
Partner Member 2024
Excellence Award
Photo of the Month
Article Contributor
Hospitality Award
Article Administrator
Reef Pumpkin Carver
R2R Secret Santa 2023
My Tank Thread
This would be my preference too
I have a 150 in my 120 but its set at 76. Almost never comes on in the summer or winter as I keep the house 75. My tank stays 77-78 year round with 4 wave pumps, return pump, skimmer.
I would use 2 or 3 300w Ehiems on a Ranco.
Using many protects in two ways - other can keep running if one fails... and if one goes rogue, it is not powerful enough to boil your tank.
Using many protects in two ways - other can keep running if one fails... and if one goes rogue, it is not powerful enough to boil your tank.
Keesers
Captain Saltwater Pants
Which inkbird controller do you use?. I run the finnex controller with my finnex 800. But I want to run two smaller ones instead. I see they have a WiFi one too that can alert you via app if something is wrong .
I had a Jaeger heater stuck on the "on" setting. In all fairness the thing was 5+ years old and probably should have been switched out. It was controlled by my Apex so I didn't even know until I pulled it and put it in my QT tank. I recently switched over to Finnex also and have been happy. Please note with some Finnex (maybe all, I don't know) you need an external temperature controller. Re: OP, I also recommend getting two heaters, maybe 300 watts each.
lpsouth1978
Valuable Member
Sarah24!
2500 Club Member
Hello,
Larger
In my 240 gallon tank I use 2 300 watt heaters and one is set to 78, the second is set to the min of 74 in case of a failure. I would highly suggest running 2 and running them bigger just means they are on less. If you use small ones they will never shut off which is kinda wasteful.
Larger
In my 240 gallon tank I use 2 300 watt heaters and one is set to 78, the second is set to the min of 74 in case of a failure. I would highly suggest running 2 and running them bigger just means they are on less. If you use small ones they will never shut off which is kinda wasteful.
Don Lidtke
Some Old Guy
Finnex TH Deluxe Titanium Heater - 500 2X
AutoAqua Smart Temp Security 2X
JBJ TrueTemp Digital Heater Controller 2X
I am a bit paranoid about heater failure so that’s the reason for some redundant systems. Also, my Apex is another layer of control and monitoring.
AutoAqua Smart Temp Security 2X
JBJ TrueTemp Digital Heater Controller 2X
I am a bit paranoid about heater failure so that’s the reason for some redundant systems. Also, my Apex is another layer of control and monitoring.
This assumes you a.) find an indoor temperature of 74-78F comfortable and b.) you don’t live in a part of the country that gets cold enough in the winter that the energy costs of keeping your home a consistent 74F or higher would more than outweigh the cost of a heater.
Bruce60
Active Member
I love this discussion regarding heaters and whether they are required. I have run tanks both with and without heaters.
First, you need a large volume system to even consider it. The two systems I ran without heaters were 200 gal and 300 gal displays with about another 50 gal in each sump. Our home's thermostat varied between 74-78 in summer and 63-68 in winter. I never had an issue with the tanks getting too cold - it was more an issue of too much heat from the pumps and MH lighting. These were built-in tanks with an open fish room behind them. Room temperature appeared to have minimal effect on the average or daily variation in temperature.
Currently I have a 150 gal with about 30 gal in sump. I am using a single 500 W Finnex heating element connected to an Apex controller. It has been turned off for the summer, because it is not needed. Once the house cools down below 70 the heater will be needed. Now with LED/T5 lights and more efficient pumps, not nearly as much heat is generated by the equipment.
First, you need a large volume system to even consider it. The two systems I ran without heaters were 200 gal and 300 gal displays with about another 50 gal in each sump. Our home's thermostat varied between 74-78 in summer and 63-68 in winter. I never had an issue with the tanks getting too cold - it was more an issue of too much heat from the pumps and MH lighting. These were built-in tanks with an open fish room behind them. Room temperature appeared to have minimal effect on the average or daily variation in temperature.
Currently I have a 150 gal with about 30 gal in sump. I am using a single 500 W Finnex heating element connected to an Apex controller. It has been turned off for the summer, because it is not needed. Once the house cools down below 70 the heater will be needed. Now with LED/T5 lights and more efficient pumps, not nearly as much heat is generated by the equipment.
Similar threads
