What do you run for a heater.

[reefnewbie54321]

I cant find much info on what I should run for a heater, I dont want to guess like I did last time.

Tank is 125 gallons

Also somewthing like a 200w heater is going to suck up a ton of electricity. Are there people out there that dont even run a heater and get there heat from MH's? I think this would be smarter consiering you get more light and dont have to run/buy a heater.

[Kitteness]

i asked this awhile ago and was told it depends where you live for whether you need a heater or not because of tempertaure fluctuations

I am setting up a 210 and i am going to use the finnex they have them on ebay

[wrott]

You need a heater to stablize the temp. at night (<1-2 degree flux.) to avoid stress. The titanium w/ seperate thermostat is best--Won Bros. I have one of those and a EBO-JAGER. Electricity is least of worries if you want to use MH for heating.

[graveyardworm]

I'm using Finnex, 500 watts in 300 gal+ system.

[NexDog]

Yah, me too. I have 2 of the 500w Finnex titanium heaters with the Finnex controllers. One in an overflow and one in the return section of the pump.

Saw many bad threads about Won Bros heaters last year which is why I went with Finnex.

[glaudds]

It also depends on the ambient temperature of the room the tank is in and how much that temperature fluctuates during the day. A cold room would need a higher powered heater to maintain the temp of the tank. Also is is advisable to use a couple smaller heaters just in case one sticks on so that it won't cook your tank as fast.
Personally, I've got a 250 watt in my 125g on a temp controller. It maintains the tank temp even when the house temp drops to 65 degrees. HTH..

[reefnewbie54321]

I live in new england so it can get pretty cold in the winter, I guess at night time I would probably need to turn the heater on.

But if I were to run

• 3 - 65 watt super blue actinic power compacts, 8 AM to 8 PM
• 3 - 65 watt 10,000K power compacts, 9 AM to 7 PM

total: 390w

Am I going to need to run a heater during the day?

lets say I still have to run 150-200w heater

now thats 540-590w

Wouldnt it be smarter to just run 2 175w MH's and 2 54w T-5 actinics?

total:458w

This is kinda low actinics so I might add another 2 54w actnics bringing the total to,

566w (20w less or more depending on what everyone suggests for a heater.)

Note: it would only be smarter to run MH's if you guys still say that I would need to run a heater with a PC setup (listed above)

[reefnewbie54321]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7231155#post7231155 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by glaudds
It also depends on the ambient temperature of the room the tank is in and how much that temperature fluctuates during the day. A cold room would need a higher powered heater to maintain the temp of the tank. Also is is advisable to use a couple smaller heaters just in case one sticks on so that it won't cook your tank as fast.
Personally, I've got a 250 watt in my 125g on a temp controller. It maintains the tank temp even when the house temp drops to 65 degrees. HTH..

Would it be smarter to have the MH's heat up my tank and use a fan tower over my sump (like melevs sumps) with 4 fans and a controller?

Maybe I should get something to measure the heat in my room ... It usualy is REALLY hot in here hotter then the rest of the house.

[glaudds]

The heater has a thermostat that will only turn the heater on when needed...independent of what kind of lighting you have.
If you have lighting that generated a lot of heat, your heater will not turn on as much.
As far as lighting choices, it depends on what you plan to keep in you tank coral wise.

[glaudds]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7231222#post7231222 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefnewbie54321
Would it be smarter to have the MH's heat up my tank and use a fan tower over my sump (like melevs sumps) with 4 fans and a controller?

Maybe I should get something to measure the heat in my room ... It usualy is REALLY hot in here hotter then the rest of the house.

You still need a heater for when the lights are off to maintain tank temperature. You don't want big temp fluctuations in your tank.

[reefnewbie54321]

I dont need MH's I'm keeping Zoo's Rics and Shrooms ... the Zoos wouldnt mind the light but I hate banishing all my shrooms to the bottom of the tank. I just grow out my Zoos in a prop tank then when there big keep them in my semi-low light display so I dont have to frag them like people with MH's.

BUT I dont want to use PC's if I'm going to have to run a huge heater all the time becuase I'm using them to save electricity. If its gunna end up costing me just as mush as MH's I would just use MH's.

[reefnewbie54321]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7231236#post7231236 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by glaudds
You still need a heater for when the lights are off to maintain tank temperature. You don't want big temp fluctuations in your tank.

Keep forgetting about night, I dont mind running a heater I just want to minimize the amount of time I run it (like just at night) ... If my PC setup isnt going to produce enough heat and makes me have to run heaters all day long I'm realy not saving electricity.

[Scuba_Dave]

Hi I have a 125g & 40g sump in the basement & live South of Boston. I have (3) 250w MH that do keep the tank warm in the day. But at nite or during water changes my heaters do come on
I have a 350w in my sump, a 200w in my 75g frag that I added to the system, and another 200w in my tank
Usually only the 350w comes on
During water changes all come on
My basement used to dip to 49 when I bought the house; now it stays at 60 due to proper insulation & new basement windows

The heaters will only come on when needed

Better to have (2) heaters that are smaller, then one large
If a heater were to stick "on" you don't want ti big enough that it will cook your tank

Instead of all that PC light, I would simply install (2) 175w MH
350w vs 390w - better PAR
Then add some actinics if you want

Check out the Boston Reefers Club: -200+ members
http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/index.php

[glaudds]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7231266#post7231266 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefnewbie54321
Keep forgetting about night, I dont mind running a heater I just want to minimize the amount of time I run it (like just at night) ... If my PC setup isnt going to produce enough heat and makes me have to run heaters all day long I'm realy not saving electricity.
You could run your lights at night when it gets colder...

[reefnewbie54321]

I'll def. check out the reef club ... I live in Wilmington MA

Yeah I plan on getting 2 small ones, its more stable that way and if one starts going crazy theres always another. Or if it sticks it doesnt cook my tank.

I'm just trying to use the least amount of watts possible and I dont know if by using PC's to save money is actualy smart becuase those extra watts getting saved get burned up from the heater running all day.

[reefnewbie54321]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7231313#post7231313 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by glaudds
You could run your lights at night when it gets colder...

I would rather pay the extra electricy then make my coral go through a change like that.

[Scuba_Dave]

My lights are staggered on starting times
1st one on at 9a; last one goes off around midnite
During that time it is very rare that my heaters go on
My 75g frag tank has a 175w that kicks on at about midnite in the summer, around 6pm in the winter. This helps stabilize the temp & reverse lighting period helps with pH

By using PC's to save money, do you mean the inital cost to purchase? I picked up a dual 250w PFO setup for $255 2nd hand - used for 6 months - with bulbs
I also bought 2 used 175w setups for about $60 - with bulbs

[reefnewbie54321]

not initial cost long term

I had 2 250w setup that cost me 200$ w/ bulbs

Its just you have to suplement w/ actinics and thats gunna be like 200w's plus another 500w's so thats 700w's

My PC setup is alot cheaper for initial setup, uses 390w's and replacement bulbs are dirt cheap.

I also hated having to frag my stuff constantly and w/ my tank being 50% shrooms and rics If I were to go w/ MH's they would all be banished to the bottom.

[wrott]

If you use 14K bulbs, no supplemental light is necessary.

[jimbo045]

I got a PenPlaxx. I do have the MHs and VHOs, but got it plugged in, but it seems OFF most times. It probably kicks on only when it gets extremely cool. JD

[reefnewbie54321]

I still cant decide what to use,

Its either going to be

VHO 4x110W (440W total)
Metal Halide 2X175WMH, 2X96W PC (542W Total)
PC 8x65W (520W total)
PC 6x65W (390W total)
Metal Halide 2X150WMH, 2X96W PC (492W Total)
Still have to research T5's

Cheapest setup:
PC

Cheapest Replacement Bulbs:
PC

Least Wattage:
VHO

Most Light:
MH

Most Heat:
MH

Most expensive Replacement Bulbs:
MH

Most Expensive Setup:
MH w/PC

Setup That will Use Heater the Least:
MH w/ PC

I'm leaning towards either

1. 2X175WMH, 2X96W PC (542W Total)
2. 2X150WMH, 2X96W PC (492W Total)
3. VHO 4x110W (440W total)

^^^ In Order

wrott-
I think corals are healthier w/ seperate actinic supplement. From my experience they grew better under 2x 175w MH's w/ Actinic then 2x 250w 14k bulbs.

[FEEDERFISH]

A heater + Electricity to run a heater is just pocket change when it comes to a reef tank ! Cheap stuff usually ='s wasted money, you will upgrade later, get what lighting you want from the beginning, monitor your temp with a thermometer on a filled and running tank (just SW) and see what temp swings are, that way you can get a heater or heaters that will be perfect for your setup, I would just get a 200-300W heater and call it a day, its very inexpensive !

[chucksta1]

The heater is part of a team that does a job. The job is to keep the temperature of the tank where you want it, within X degrees. If you're satisfied that a two degree swing within twenty-four hours is O.K., pick your low point and set two small heaters for that temp (if the heater fails and defaults to heat, it won't have the power to nuke the tank, if one fails to work, the other will). Put a small fan over the the sump and have it go on if the temp rises more than two degrees higher than when the heaters turn off. Ambient temperature in your house and relative humidity will no longer be an issue. A DIY temp controller hooked to a Wall-Mart fan over the sump and a couple of titanium heaters may be your ticket to Nirvana.

[reefnewbie54321]

DIY temp controller ... sounds pretty complicated from all the diy controller threads ive read