I am setting up (slowly but surely ) my 75 gal tank. I already have my substrate and filter up and going so I can have it cycle wile I wait. My next buy is a heater. I know there are quite a few different factors that have to go into picking a heater, but I want something that is fully submersable. I plan to(maybe) have cichlids. I have looked and I don't think a 300 watt would be enough. anyone have any ideas?
How many watts does my heater need to have?
- Thread starter Djhgksga
- Start date
To play it safe it's best to have 5 watts of heater per gallon of tank water to prevent the heater from overworking and potentially overheating. A lot of newer heater packaging suggests much differently and it's frustrating. With that in mind, most heaters only go up to 300w, which is hypothetically not enough.
Your best option will probably be to get two heaters- you have a long tank, so it'd be difficult to heat it with a single heater anyway! Two 200w heaters, placed on either end of the tank would be best. (And when I say either end, I mean along the back wall, at about the 1/3 and the 2/3 mark so it spreads well.) It's also a good idea to put your heater near a strong water flow, so you don't get dead heated zones in the water.
Your best option will probably be to get two heaters- you have a long tank, so it'd be difficult to heat it with a single heater anyway! Two 200w heaters, placed on either end of the tank would be best. (And when I say either end, I mean along the back wall, at about the 1/3 and the 2/3 mark so it spreads well.) It's also a good idea to put your heater near a strong water flow, so you don't get dead heated zones in the water.