Question about Heaters for 125g tank

B

bwonder

Guest
This is a 125g FOWLR tank - what would you recommend? I think the rule of thumb is 2 to 5 watts per gallon. :notsure:
A friend gave me a submersible 250 watt EBO JAGER - is this better than a heater that is secured on the side of the tank with suction cups?
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Yes, submersibles are better, but that is not enough watts. You want to try to aim closer to 3 to 5. Two is probably not going to cut it in the long run.
 
sly

sly

Active Member
One note on heaters... smaller is better. If you run metal halides or PC bulbs, a lot of powerheads, etc. chances are you won't even need much of a heater. Many people have to use chillers because of the excess heat from external devices.
You really need only as big of a heater as necessary to keep your tank stable. It is rare but a heater can stick in the on position. If this happens with a big heater then you have very little time to catch the problem before your tank overheats and it's too late. With a small heater you can catch the problem quicker and prevent any problems with your tank.
Tanks do not take that much to keep warm. It's keeping cool that's the problem...
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
With his FOWLR however, he probably does not have halides, and might not even have PCs. In the winter time, I know my basement gets quite cold and the big heater is neccessary because I do not have powerheads or halides and my PCs do not throw out much heat. Without knowing his situation, it's hard to tell what kind of heater he needs, you're right.
 
sly

sly

Active Member
True... we don't know how his tank is setup. If the tank has a hard time keeping warm then he would need a big heater. Just not too big...
 
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