heater question how many/what kind

[FavaBean]

I have a 55 gallon that right now does not have a sump/fuge but i plan on having one down the road. I have heard that you should/could use two little heaters instead of one large one. I am wondering if I should go with one or two? Another question is how many watts should it/each one be. What is a good brand that can be fully under water. thanks for the input

[Fishel]

Eheim Jager (formally Ebo-Jager) are some of the best heaters you can buy.

For a 55 you'll probably only need 1 250 Watt heater. You could buy another (they are fairly cheap, like $20 a piece) and use it just in case one of them fails (very very rare) or you accidentally break one.

The Jager are fully submersable even though they have a water line marker on them. I read somewhere it had something to do with Canadian Laws or something....

[demonsp]

You can use just one long one place near bottom length wise and get good heat distribution. Or two smaller one's. As for size its always best to upgrade watts 40 gal tank get 75 gal heater. I need a chiller myself.

[sjm817]

I would use (2) 75W. I also like the Eheim Jagers

[FavaBean]

thanks for the replies....i will go with the Eheim Jagers.....now should I just lean towards one or two...thanks again

[Sk8r]

And don't trust any heater's thermostat to produce the temperature on the dial. Check your temperature and turnon point against a thermometer. 2 thermometers, to be safe. 80 degrees is a good temp to shoot for: it gives you 5 degrees leeway up and down before anything hits lethality. You don't ever want it to go there, but that buffer's there if you have a power-out or malfunction.

[FavaBean]

thanks sk8r

[sjm817]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8578505#post8578505 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by FavaBean
thanks for the replies....i will go with the Eheim Jagers.....now should I just lean towards one or two...thanks again
Two
If one fails "on" it will take longer to cook the tank than one larger heater.

If one fails "off" the other can maintain the temp for some time.

[TekCat]

Recently I had the same question, and the best answer I got, IMHO, was: get two heaters that each could heat your tank alone. Meaning, if one heater fails, your second heater would handle all the work. For 55G tank, I'd get two 200w Ebo-Jager.

hth

[sjm817]

I use (2) 150W on a 90G/40G sump and (2) 300W on a 180G/75G sump. I would not use (2) 200W on a 55G. Usually, lights, pumps etc are pretty much enough (often too much) to keep the tank temp. Heaters are supplemental. You need to protect from a heater cooking the tank which is the most common failure type. An external controller is the best method of doing this, but if not, dont use big heaters.