A 2 part question

[olingerjccj]

1st question this tank is new nothing live in there yet Its my heater it really does not keep my tank at a constant temparture ranges from 73 to 78 I have another heater so I could use 2 would you do that or just buy a bigger one. 2nd part since i use tap water would you recommend putting a Cheato plant in my sump.
Thanks

 

[prime311]

Whats the watts on your heaters and how many gallons is your combined tank/sump?
I don't see any correlation between using Chaeto and Tap Water. Adding Chaeto is beneficial, but its not something used to offset the problems with using tap water.

 

[olingerjccj]

I guess I wondering my tap water has 0-2ppm nitrates my tank reads 100ppm nitrates. Is it just trying to cycle. using the cheato to speed up the process the tank is 47 gal and my sump is about 15 gal my heater is rated at 30-60 gal I almost have it on full i could turn it up a bit more.

 

[bang guy]

Two small heaters is better than one large heater in my opinion.
If your Nitrates are 100 I'd recommend a series of very large water changes, larger than 50% if you can manage that much water.
Have you received an EPA report on your tap water? There are a few places with excellent tap water but most places have levels of Zinc, Tin, Copper, and aluminum that are not toxic to humans but can be really harsh long term in a reef tank. An RO unit will remove these contaminants.

 

[olingerjccj]

I know i am planning on buying a ro unit in a couple weeks. I just dumped this months extra in getting the tank set up.

 

[emilaya101]

Originally Posted by olingerjccj
http:///forum/post/2576609
could use 2 would you do that or just buy a bigger one.
Thanks
It s always recommended to have two heaters instead of one , just in case one fails or breaks

I have a 55 with a 29 sump, and I have two heaters rated for 60-90 gal, that way I don't run into an emergency, and I don't have turn them up as high

 

[prime311]

It sounds like your heater isn't working properly as it should be good enough to hold a temp steady. Thats why I asked. You can add a second heater, but if the first ones thermostat isnt working right then you'll still experience temperature fluctuations. So add a second for now, but bear in mind the first might need to be replaced anyway.

 

[metweezer]

I agree with 2 smaller heaters over one big one. I don't like visi-therm heaters at all. Azoo & Jaeger are very good heaters IMO.

 

[robdog696]

What Emilay said. And the only solution I have found for using tap water is more snails to clean up the diatoms. LOL! Good luck!