Heater Wattage Recc

[Steve1500]

I'm a newbie setting up my 75G reef tank. I have the 30G Trigger Ruby sump and it will only fit a small (10") heater. Cobalt Neo's have a 100 W heater (9 3/4") for up to 29G. The tech rep at BRS said I could use two of these, but if I do my math right, the max I can heat is 58G. If I go to the 150W heater, then those will be too long. The other brands are too long also and that is why he recommended this one. Can I use two 100W heaters and not overload them in a 75G tank? I live in Ohio and I normally keep my house at around 69 degrees.

Thanks in advance!!!
Steve

 

[andyg1960]

So your total water volume is probably 90 gallons or so ( tank plus sump minus rock, sand,etc). You probably need 250 or 300 watts, so however you want to split tht up between multiple heaters is fine.

 

[Steve1500]

So your total water volume is probably 90 gallons or so ( tank plus sump minus rock, sand,etc). You probably need 250 or 300 watts, so however you want to split tht up between multiple heaters is fine.

Thanks Andy, if I use two 150s laying horizontally in my refugium (both will be under egg crate to separate from refugium) will the two thermometers compete with each other? Also, is it ok to lay thermometers on their side? One of the tech reps said to do this but the literature with the Cobalt Neo says they must be vertical....am I missing something?

 

[andyg1960]

Im not familiar with the Cobalt, so i dont know about positioning. Most other heaters are fine in any position. Are you using a controller like Apex? I have two heaters, and one does most of the work, the second one only comes on if the tank drops below a certain temperature. Even without a controller, they wont compete with each other, i would have a least a little space betwen them, as much as you can.

 

[Steve1500]

No Apex yet. If both go in the refugium, they will be about 6 inches apart. Will try it and monitor....thanks again for your help!

Steve

 

[Calvin812]

After trying a few different size heaters in my 75gallon with a 25 gallon sump I ended up having to use a 500watt because of my high water flow and my house getting down to about 64 degrees every night. The temp stays a constant 77 degrees almost always now. I went with a cheap Lineba brand for 18 bucks I found on eBay but it works great, even has a LED digital display that always shows the temp.