One or 2 heaters, that is the question

[fishy_jim]

Gathering up items for my new build. Its a 80 gallon tank. Should I go with 1 or 2 heaters? If 2, what wattage for an 80 gallon? Thanks in advance !!

[jwcarlson]

Two, I personally have two 300 watt ones in my 75 gallon discus tank, but I'm asking it to heat the water sometimes 30 degrees higher than the room temperature. If you're not insane like us, you can probably get by with less as long as you have a top. Heater control, to me, is a bigger question.

[fishy_jim]

Thanks jwcarlson !! What heater do you have and I assume you have a heater at each end of your tank?

[Willie]

I find it's less the size of the tank then the temperature difference between the room and the tank temperature. Jacob cites an extreme case with 600W total for a 75 gallon tank in a cold location. I have a 125 gal tank sitting in a walk-in closet adjacent to my bedroom. It has 1 X 100W and 1 X 200W and the larger heater (which I set 2 degrees warmer) only comes on during a big water change. For esthetic reasons, my heaters are on the same side of the tank occupying different walls, but I have very good flow in the tank. My recommendations are as follows:

1. Always use 2 smaller heaters vs 1 big one.
2. Set one 1 - 2 degrees warmer than the other one.
3. Use different wattage heaters for maximum flexibility.

[fishy_jim]

Great !! Thank you sir, appreciate your info.

[jeep]

I'm an energy miser. My tanks are insulated with Reflectix and I use 150w heaters if titanium and 200w heaters if glass. My temperature swings are pretty large but not like Jacob's. I keep my house around 63 in winter so about a 20 degree rise.

That being said, using 2 heaters is a great idea considering how unreliable heaters can be these days. I woke up a few days ago to a 64 degree tank full of angry discus!

[AquaticNerd]

If you're looking for controller recommendations - Inkbird controllers have been rock solid for me.

[Charlyc11]

I have 2 x 75 gallon tanks in my basement that one has 2 x 150 watt heaters on Inkbird controller (best price on Ebay sold by Inkbird). The other tank has 1 x 150 watt and 1 x 200 watt on a Inkbird also.
Both keep up with the temperature but the first tank takes a bit longer to get to 83 F from 62 F in the winter. The first tank will be replaced soon with a 90 gallon acrylic so the heater config will change. The acrylic tanks hold temperature a little better than glass. The heaters are all Aqueon Pros and they been working flawless. The only issue I see is the the power rating is not the power measured by my Kasa WiFi power stip. I wonder how accurate those strips are. In my 125G acrylic I have a 500 watt in the tank and 200 watt in the sump and the power consumption is a bit over 650 watts.

First tank with the 2 x 150 watt

Screenshot_20231115_072150_Kasa.jpg

Second tank with the 1 x 150 and 1 x 200 watt

Screenshot_20231115_072203_Kasa.jpg

[jwcarlson]

Inkbird is the way, every tank I own has an Inkbird.

[Charlyc11]

Same here

Inkbird is the way, every tank I own has an Inkbird.

[Willie]

I'm an energy miser. My tanks are insulated with Reflectix and I use 150w heaters if titanium and 200w heaters if glass. My temperature swings are pretty large but not like Jacob's. I keep my house around 63 in winter so about a 20 degree rise.

That being said, using 2 heaters is a great idea considering how unreliable heaters can be these days. I woke up a few days ago to a 64 degree tank full of angry discus!

Wrapping your tanks with insulation is a best practice regardless of the cost of electricity. More stable temperatures will produce better fish. In addition to the wrap around, all my tanks sit on a 1"-styrofoam board from Home Depot.

[fishy_jim]

Awesome !! Thanks all for the info !!

[fishy_jim]

Inkbird is the way, every tank I own has an Inkbird.

Inkbird newbie - I can run 2 heaters off the inkbird? What temp are you setting your actual heater at (not the inkbird)

Disregard - I see yes I can run 2 heaters

[jwcarlson]

Yes, you can run two. I cannot remember the maximum load rating, maybe 1500W or 1000W? Very reasonable either way.
I crank the heaters up as high as they'll go and rely on the Inkbird. I've never had any Inkbird device fail on me to the best of my knowledge. I find EVERY temperature dial on an adjustable heater to be wildly unreliable so I don't bother with them really.

[fishy_jim]

Thanks jwcarlson !! Makes perfect sense and a minor cost to protect the real investment ... the discus!