Best size heater

[slp]

Advise please on the best size heater for a 75 gal. Tank

[Phillydubs]

Whatever you decide to get... Grab 2. I always run 2 heaters at s time for back up would hate to loose anything from a failed heater and my office is a big industrial building it can get chilly at times.

I can't honestly recall what I have now but I really like them. I'll post here in the am when I double check.

[Filip]

300 Watt.Eheim is a trusty brand for heaters.
Using 2 is good idea ,just in case.

[Eddie]

Outstanding resource.
http://www.simplydiscus.com/library/discus_husbandry/tanks_setup/heater_size.shtml

[Fishquake]

Be cautious using high wattage heaters for the size of your tank. Should a high wattage heater fail in the "on" position, you will cook your fish.

[jmf3460]

I use an aqueon pro 250w on my 75g it does great.

[DISCUS STU]

I like the Eheim-Jagers they're generally pretty reliable. The only issue with them is that you have to "noodle" around with the thermostat as they don't heat to what their set for, generally you have to set them much lower than what you want for the actual temp. This can take a little trial and error before you get them to 82 f., or your desired temp. Boast of the superior manufacturing quality for some countries can be overrated.

[DJW]

I like the Eheim Jagers also. Every one I have has needed to be calibrated down about 2 degrees, then its good. I calibrate in a bucket with an airstone, takes about 20 minutes if you start with 82 degree water.

If the room is well heated through the winter, I'd get two 150w but my house is wood heat and we let it get cold at night so two 200w in that case.

[rickztahone]

I have 2x 200w Jagers on my 75g tank but in the sump. I also have both of them connected to a DIY heater controller, just in case:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?117743-75g-Acrylic-tank-w-40g-sump-(Journal-build-thread)&p=1140804&viewfull=1#post1140804

[seankelly]

I always go with the 2 heaters ,you can always turn them down or 1 off if needed,I like the 300 watts

[ssevasta]

I also use Eheim Jäger heaters in both of my 55 gallon tanks and my 65 gallon water aging barrel. I've never had any problems with them in over 5 years of use but I did have two marineland stealth heaters that both failed and nearly electrocuted me. Personally I'll never buy another marineland or aqueon branded heater again. I've also noticed that my jägers tend to run about 1.5-2 degrees warmer than where I set them. I purchased my heaters from jehmco.

[jim LI]

On my 72 gallon bow front I have 2- 300 watt Hydor in-line heaters http://www.petmountain.com/product/aquarium-heaters/11442-504714/hydor-hydor-eth-external-thermal-heater-in-line-heater.html on my 2 Eheim 2217 filters. I also use a Jehmco ETCI-1R controller.

[tj_718]

the size of heater is base on the difference value of temperature between your tank and room.

[Filip]

As i can notice from this thread most of uses eheim jagers.
My question is your WC experience with them.
In the instructions they are claimed to have security auto shut off sensor when water level go down to certain level.
So I took that for granted and never shut the heater off manually during my WC thinking it shuts off automatically.
That was until recently,when I burn my self to it accidently and realised It was always on during WCs.
So are jagers supposed to automaticly shut off during Wc?

[Eddie]

I've used Jagers since I've started and I'll never use another brand. Saying that, I have also NEVER relied on the auto shut-off feature, ever. Accidents happen and the last thing you ever want to do is be messing around in the tank or water barrel when the heater breaks and it's still plugged in.

[ssevasta]

Well the way I deal with the WC issue is I keep my heaters on the bottom of the back wall of the tank about an inch or two above the bottom. That way even if I'm doing a 95% WC, the heater will always remain submerged. The Eheim Jägers come with a bracket to hold the heater to the glass with suction cups. In my water aging barrel I can't get the two heaters to stick to the sides so I leave them sitting at the bottom of the barrel and I never let the water level go below them. The thing to keep in mind is that heat rises so the best way to keep a uniform temperature in your tanks is to keep your heaters on the bottom.

[Eddie]

Well the way I deal with the WC issue is I keep my heaters on the bottom of the back wall of the tank about an inch or two above the bottom. That way even if I'm doing a 95% WC, the heater will always remain submerged. The Eheim Jägers come with a bracket to hold the heater to the glass with suction cups. In my water aging barrel I can't get the two heaters to stick to the sides so I leave them sitting at the bottom of the barrel and I never let the water level go below them. The thing to keep in mind is that heat rises so the best way to keep a uniform temperature in your tanks is to keep your heaters on the bottom.

I do the same. I still don't take any risks.

[Filip]

Good point there Eddie.
I got big lava stones near the heater and I could imagine what will happen if they fall on a plugged heater.
Btw I can confirm that they got some strong security glass on them since it didn't break burning on dry air during My Wc-s.
If it was a cheap Chinese heater it would explode,running on dry.

Thanks for advices.

[rickztahone]

Well the way I deal with the WC issue is I keep my heaters on the bottom of the back wall of the tank about an inch or two above the bottom. That way even if I'm doing a 95% WC, the heater will always remain submerged. The Eheim Jägers come with a bracket to hold the heater to the glass with suction cups. In my water aging barrel I can't get the two heaters to stick to the sides so I leave them sitting at the bottom of the barrel and I never let the water level go below them. The thing to keep in mind is that heat rises so the best way to keep a uniform temperature in your tanks is to keep your heaters on the bottom.

If you do not want to disconnect heaters, this is the way to go about it. Leave them at the bottom and under water. However, keep in mind, as you do a water change, your water temp will also go down much quicker, which means that your heater will turn on in that little bit of water. This means that a discus can potentially go towards a heater that is on while you leave the water level low.

[Filip]

Leaveing them on the bottom plugged is also a good idea, but out of security reasons I will start to unplugged them for every Wc.
I got big lava rocks in my tank and if they fell on the heater during vacuuming I can literally electrocute my self.
Thanks for different ideas everyone.

[rickztahone]

Leaveing them on the bottom plugged is also a good idea, but out of security reasons I will start to unplugged them for every Wc.
I got big lava rocks in my tank and if they fell on the heater during vacuuming I can literally electrocute my self.
Thanks for different ideas everyone.

always better to be safe than sorry. I manually have to disconnect my heater in the aging barrel but it has become a routine that I no longer forget.

[ssevasta]

I would just be worried about forgetting to plug it back in. I did that one time with my aging barrel and I didn't notice until the following morning. If that had happen with my discus tanks it could have been a major problem. I never leave the water level low for more than a minute when I'm draining the tank. Once it's done draining I take the other pump driven hose and refill the tank. I personally don't keep lava rocks or other sharp objects in the tank cuz I'd be super bummed if one of my fish had a minor freak out and injured itself by running into or scraping past one.

[rickztahone]

I would just be worried about forgetting to plug it back in. I did that one time with my aging barrel and I didn't notice until the following morning. If that had happen with my discus tanks it could have been a major problem. I never leave the water level low for more than a minute when I'm draining the tank. Once it's done draining I take the other pump driven hose and refill the tank. I personally don't keep lava rocks or other sharp objects in the tank cuz I'd be super bummed if one of my fish had a minor freak out and injured itself by running into or scraping past one.

There are timers you can purchase that can turn the heater on after an hour if you happen to forget.

[Eddie]

I would just be worried about forgetting to plug it back in. I did that one time with my aging barrel and I didn't notice until the following morning. If that had happen with my discus tanks it could have been a major problem. I never leave the water level low for more than a minute when I'm draining the tank. Once it's done draining I take the other pump driven hose and refill the tank. I personally don't keep lava rocks or other sharp objects in the tank cuz I'd be super bummed if one of my fish had a minor freak out and injured itself by running into or scraping past one.

Yeah, I don't forget, never have.

[Filip]

It happened to me, not with heater but worst, with canister filter.
But I'll be extra cautious this time.

About discus running in sharp lava rocks or other objects.
From my humble experience I have noticed that they tend to learn and memorise the environment in the tank. Newly introduced they often hurt themselves, but after a month or more they never dart in objects but in empty space or swim fast in the back of the tank,avoiding the stones.
that's just my observation.

[DISCUS STU]

I do 50% water changes so the heating element is always submerged. As for an "Automatic Shut Off" feature, I've never heard of this. probably a good idea to have the two heaters attached to a single extension chord which can then be easily unplugged when you do your water changes.

Over the years I've lost many a heater by letting it run dry w/o water. Not a pleasant experience.

[Discus3anatic]

I use two in my 120g corner tank... ONE 300W and one 250w.. And ill be honest the 300w heats it just fine, dont need two. But i have two in case and to also keep the temps more even throughout the tank and to keep one from being on for long periods.

As for heaters failing... You know ive been in this hobby for 20 years, i still have my 20 year old filters and and heaters running in some tanks and i havent had any issues with them "locking" on.. They arent very accurate anymore like if i put them at 70f the water is at 78f.. but they still work fine.


For your 75g tank i would only use 1 heater, and i wouldnt get any higher then a 200w heater.. All my tanks range from 5g to 120g, i have a 55g and 44g and 92g tank in my house and all 3 of those heat just fine with 100-200w heaters. In the summer and spring time i dont even use my heaters.. There is no point, the temps in the house are always 65-75f.. (cept for my discus tank)