Do I need another heater?

[tmccaffery]

I have a red sea max 170 with a Cobalt 100w heater. Do you think that is enough or should I add another heater?

 

[shrimpinator123]

Looks like the heater is rated for 30 gals, and the tank is 34 gals. I would think it would be ok, but I would monitor the temp of the tank, and if it starts falling I would pick up another heater.

 

[BrettDS]

It really depends on how much of a temp spread there will be between your house and the water. If the temp in your house is 74 and the tank is kept at 78 then that heater should be more than enough. If the house is 64 and you're trying to keep the tank at 80 then it might struggle.

 

[hkgar]

I would get a second heater also 30 watts. It won't add to your heating costs as they will run half the time of 1 and it will give you redundancy if one fails. Also get a controller to turn off at the high limit.

 

[thegrun]

General rule of thumb is between 3-5 watts per gallon, depending n how cool you let your home get and the efficiency of your equipment.