jeffreylam1132
New member
How do you determine what size/watt to buy for a 240 gallon tank and a 55 gallon drum? Also, what is a good and reliable brand? Thanks.
Heater..........
- Thread starter jeffreylam1132
- Start date
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
Firstly, there is no such thing as a reliable aquarium heater.
You will want to invest in a good temperature controller such as a RANCO.
It takes 1 BTU to raise 1 pound of water 1 degree. So it takes 8.33 BTUs to raise 1 gallon of water 1 degree.
So lets say right around 2000 BTUs to raise your tanks temp 1 degree.
Now lets look at heaters.
You will be much better off with a bank of small heaters (as opposed to 1 or 2 large heaters). The reasong is simple. With the heat load divided among several smaller units there is less chance of a failure (on or off) having a significant impact on the tanks temperature.
Watts are a measure of POWER and we can convert that into BTUs/Hour. WATTS * 3.413 = BTUh
So a 250W heater will produce ~853 BTUs of heat over a 1 hour period.
So lets look at (4) 250W heaters. That would be 1000W or 3413 BTUh. That would be enough heat to raise the tank temperature about 1.7 degrees in an hour. Looked at conversly, those (4) heaters could maintain the temperature in a tank that loses 1.7 degrees an hour to the room when there is no heater.
Without knowing the room temperature it is hard to get much more detailed... but 3-5 watts per gallon should be fine.
If you use the bank of smaller heaters, you can always add more if needed.
It is also a good idea to design the sump so that the heaters ARE NOT fully submerged but in a compartment that DOES NOT drain or fluctuate during a power outage or due to evaporation.
You will want to invest in a good temperature controller such as a RANCO.
It takes 1 BTU to raise 1 pound of water 1 degree. So it takes 8.33 BTUs to raise 1 gallon of water 1 degree.
So lets say right around 2000 BTUs to raise your tanks temp 1 degree.
Now lets look at heaters.
You will be much better off with a bank of small heaters (as opposed to 1 or 2 large heaters). The reasong is simple. With the heat load divided among several smaller units there is less chance of a failure (on or off) having a significant impact on the tanks temperature.
Watts are a measure of POWER and we can convert that into BTUs/Hour. WATTS * 3.413 = BTUh
So a 250W heater will produce ~853 BTUs of heat over a 1 hour period.
So lets look at (4) 250W heaters. That would be 1000W or 3413 BTUh. That would be enough heat to raise the tank temperature about 1.7 degrees in an hour. Looked at conversly, those (4) heaters could maintain the temperature in a tank that loses 1.7 degrees an hour to the room when there is no heater.
Without knowing the room temperature it is hard to get much more detailed... but 3-5 watts per gallon should be fine.
If you use the bank of smaller heaters, you can always add more if needed.
It is also a good idea to design the sump so that the heaters ARE NOT fully submerged but in a compartment that DOES NOT drain or fluctuate during a power outage or due to evaporation.
Last edited:
jeffreylam1132
New member
Thanks for the great info.
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
Very simple...
If only the shell us submerged, then there is no way that the heater can leak.
If the water level can not drop, there is no way that the heater can run dry.
If only the shell us submerged, then there is no way that the heater can leak.
If the water level can not drop, there is no way that the heater can run dry.
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