Heating your tank through your SUMP

[ocarius]

Ive got a dumb question, Im running a 75g tank, with a 20g L sump, and i was going to throw the heater in the sump... do I get one capable of heating 75, 25, or 100 gallons of water? I figured if you put a big heater in the bottom it would super heat that small area of water.

I may be over thinking it, but any suggestions would be great.

 

[cloak]

From the sump, to the display tank, and then back again. It's all one body of water. I'd use a 300 watt heater on a tank that size. Should keep it stable.

HTH.

 

[Denbf58]

get to heaters rated 50 g each if one fails you will have back up one in sump one in dt

 

[bradbmbj]

As long as the heater is in the path of flow it wouldnt heat only one area, even if it was in a tank with no flow, the water it would heat would rise to the top portion of the water column and cooler water would be drawn to it.

 

[agreeive?fish]

my pump is in my sump and it keeps my tank at 80 at all times so i dont use a heater but if you use a heater it would heat every drop of water in your complete system... it is better to run 2 heaters at a lower rating than one heater of a higher rating incase of heater malfunction atleast you will have some heat if one quits working altogether or if one sticks on your tank will have less chance of cooking when you use 2 smaller heaters

 

[Playa-1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14766366#post14766366 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Denbf58
get to heaters rated 50 g each if one fails you will have back up one in sump one in dt

+1 on the double heater method. Divide the total amount of heat you need by two and place one heater in the sump and one in the DT. I would off set the thermostats on the heaters by a degree or two and I would also highly recommend a temp controller to act as a failsafe. The heaters would plug into the temp controller and the heaters would operate on their own thermostats. If the tank were to overheat then the controller would kill the power to the heaters. With this method you have several layers of redundant protection against heater failure in the on or off position, return pump failure, thermostat failure, etc...
It would be a shame to see your tank get wiped out by a $20 heater. I would likely use two 200w or maybe two 250w heaters in your situation along with a Ranco temp controller.

 

[cloak]

Two heaters sounds like you might have two failures. If the heater is going to break, it's going to break. I'll take one heater and play the odds on whether or not it might fail.

 

[THE ROOK]

Cloak - the general problem with heaters is that they "stick" in the on position. A single 300 watt heater could "cook" the tank in under an hour.

This is where the multiple heater deal comes in. If you were to use two or three smaller heaters & one fails it could take a day or more to heat the tank to critical. Much better chance of finding the failed heater before any damage occurs.

I personally only run one large heater but it is run by my controller. If the controller were to fail, they heater thermostat is only set a couple of degrees above normal.

 

[kmf507]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14769474#post14769474 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by THE ROOK
Cloak - the general problem with heaters is that they "stick" in the on position. A single 300 watt heater could "cook" the tank in under an hour.

This is where the multiple heater deal comes in. If you were to use two or three smaller heaters & one fails it could take a day or more to heat the tank to critical. Much better chance of finding the failed heater before any damage occurs.

I personally only run one large heater but it is run by my controller. If the controller were to fail, they heater thermostat is only set a couple of degrees above normal.

A 300 watt heater would take much longer than an hour to cook a 100 gallon tank. In fact, depending on the tank setup, a 300 gallon heater may not be capable of cooking a 100 gallon tank.

I would certainly use two lower rated heaters though, probably 200 or 250 watts. I have one in my sump and one in my overflow box.

 

[THE ROOK]

We're only talking about 5-7 degrees if the tank is kept between 79-80. My 350 watt titanium heater can do that no problem. I almost lost my tank once before the controller was added.
It was at 85 when I caught it.

 

[Michael]

with all the pumps and other appliances on the average reef tank you wont need a big heater, i have over 100 gallons of water and have 1 50 watt heater which is never switched on, the pumps alone maintain my temperature, however im lucky i guess, id go for a smaller heater as you will get some heat from the appliances, a 200-250 watt is enough imo, but as mentioned above perhaps 2 heaters are a good idea, i cant do what i preech here though, as mentioned i only use 1 very small heater, and thats a rarety if its ever switched on

 

[PAZE]

I run two 150 watt heaters in my sump with no problems at all, once your lighting comes on your heaters are most likely off.

Paul

 

[tspors]

I run a 500w heater in my sump which is in the basement. Tank upstairs. The heater rarely turns on. My suggestion is to test your tank temp with lights cycling normal before investing in a high watage heater. Yes the sump is the correct place for it though.

 

[robertifly]

I run two 100 wt heaters in the sump also use a controller for heat/cool (fan) I think it is about as fool proof as you can get it.

 

[SL38]

+1 Yes get 2 heaters, too many people had their heaters get stuck on the on position and over heat their livestock

 

[mg426]

Get a ranco controller and things will be much better for you.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14768847#post14768847 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cloak
Two heaters sounds like you might have two failures. If the heater is going to break, it's going to break. I'll take one heater and play the odds on whether or not it might fail.

this is illogical- redundancy in reef aquariums is a very good thing.
This is a basic of good aquarium design.

gambling with fish is different than gambling with chips

ocarius- the vast majority of reefkeepers I know of run their heaters in a sump. Heaters perform best in an area of high water movement (such as a sump). Heaters perform less than optimally when placed in a corner of a display tank (stagnant water). Split the required wattage needed to keep your aquarium warm between two heaters as a failsafe. Place heaters on a controller for an extra layer of protection. Good luck!