Heater opinions for large tank

[AJT]

I need to heat this 748 gal tank about 4 degrees. I wouldlike to get titanium instead of glass. I have looked at JBJ, mixed reviews with those.

I already have an Apex so i realy do not need the controller. I was thinking of starting with 2 500 watt & then i could add a third if needed. I have always like to have multiple heaters instead of one large one. In case something happens one cannot burn up a tank real quick. & if one fails I still have another working.



What heaters do you suggest?

I saw this one. Biotherm 500 watt Titanium Heating Element


The BlueLine Biotherm Heating Elements are constructed from titanium and use premium components to provide precise and reliable heating when paired with our Biotherm Heater Controller. Simply plug the Biotherm Heating Element directly to the switched 110v A/C outlet on the Biotherm Heater Controller to create the ultimate in automatic aquarium heat control.


Any suggestions welcome

 

[Elliott]

your are correct, using multiple small heaters instead of a large one is good insurance in the event of failure and controlling them with your Apex is far better than the heater's controller, avoiding glass and opting for titanium also good, I never used the Biotherm but appears to be good, I would error on too much rather than too little wattage to avoid them being on too long and place your temperature probe some distance away from them to get accurate readings, nice build btw

 

[jpsika08]

+1 I have three 300 watts heaters controlled by the Apex, work great.

 

[AJT]

What brands are out there that are good quality????

I have not had to buy a heater in yrs.

With all LEDs i am going to need them.

 

[AJT]

Finnex 500W Deluxe Titanium Heating Tube

How this one from Bulk reef??

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store...nex-deluxe-titanium-heating-tubes-heater.html

 

[jpsika08]

I have read bad reviews about Finnex, look at the JBJ true temp heaters, they are good quality

 

[AJT]

I have read bad reviews about Finnex, look at the JBJ true temp heaters, they are good quality

I just do not need or want a controller. At 150.00 ea for JBJ, just thought I would find a titanium w/o controller a little cheaper

 

[AJT]

How about this one?

Won Brothers 3 Prong Titanium Heating Element 500 Watt Heater

http://www.marinedepot.com/Won_Brot...um_Heaters-Won_Brothers-WB1351-FIHTTH-vi.html

 

[Steve175]

I have been using Ebo Jager for the past 5 years with no issue. Came very highly recommended from multiple here and I have never seen a bad thread about them. I have 6 running in my 1500G system.

 

[Dustin1300]

Andy, I think setting up for disaster is always the best option. Personally I like having a controller for the heater and having your Apex there too. On my previous tank, I ran the control on the heater at 82 degrees and the RK at 79. I knew if my temperature probe failed me on the RK or came out of the water for reason I'd had a failsafe and the tank could not boil.

If you have three smaller heaters and a single temperature probe then you still still have a single point of failure. If you don't want the controller on the heater itself, then I would look into whether the Apex supports running two temperature probes and somehow program to average the two?

Maybe I'm being a little crazy but I've learned to always plan for the worst and I'm trying to do so with the new large system I'm building!

 

[dahenley]

Eheim Jager all the way.
(won brothers is a cheap brand.......)


And it doesnt matter what brand you buy, throw them away after 1-2 years!!!! NO MATTER WHAT!!!! 3-300w eheim's are in the 30+ dollar range each. so for under 100$ every other year or 50$ a year, you gtn NEW. not on year 3+ when you have a blowup,stick,or something bad and crashes 100,000$ worth of fish, corals, and ruins your rock/sand. whats 100$ right?

so, no matter what you get, plan on replacing it every year or so.
just my .02

 

[Garage1217]

I generally try to run 2.5W per gallon of heater at least. For your tank, you would need around 1800W of heater minimum. Personally, I would run 8qty of 250W jager heaters or 6qty of 300W units. The 250w jagers 17" long so make sure you have the room. The 300w units are also a choice but are 20" long so depends on how deep of a sump you have. I would NEVER trust a won bros or any of the other stainless or titanium heaters. Jager has proven to be the most rock solid, reliable heater made. My oldest jager dates back like 10 or 12 years lol

Your looking at almost 20A of draw with that much heater so for your apex, you would need a pair of energy bar 4 units from apex to handle the load with heaters distributed appropriately across the outlets.

On another note, with that much surface area of water, evap and cooling can happy fast. So would not hurt anything to go with say 10qty of 250w jagers or 8qty of 300w models just in case.

You will want to setup each heater as a failsafe to turn off at 80-81F. That way, if your apex ever sticks on, the heaters will turn off as a failsafe. Then set your apex to the minimum temp you would want to see, I would recommend 75F as everything will be fine at that temp and it will save electricity wise. Last, I would buy a separate temperature alarm in case the apex ever would stick in the off position.

Been watching your build very cool

 

[AJT]

Good comments, I appreciate everyones thoughts.