Heaters for 500g

revhtree · Nov 5, 2016

Hey y'all!

Looking for some heater suggestions for 500g of water. I am thinking I will need 2 heaters to split the heating load.

Suggestions?

Daniel@R2R · Nov 5, 2016

revhtree said:
Hey y'all!

Looking for some heater suggestions for 500g of water. I am thinking I will need 2 heaters to split the heating load.

Suggestions?

My suggestion is to go with finnex titanium heaters and run probably 2 or 3 of the big ones (800-1000 watts). I love my finnex heater. Run it controlled by your Apex (I figure you'll do that anyway...)

rockworm · Nov 5, 2016

mdbannister said:
My suggestion is to go with finnex titanium heaters and run probably 2 or 3 of the big ones (800-1000 watts). I love my finnex heater. Run it controlled by your Apex (I figure you'll do that anyway...)

This is what I did for my system. I have a finnex 800w and two 300w attached to my controller. (had the 300w from my 220g, so added the 800)

Xclusive Reef · Nov 5, 2016

Rev when are you going to build this tank? I 2nd for finnex.

120reefkeeper · Nov 5, 2016

2 x 200 watt cobalt heaters submerged in sump.

1 set as primary at 78F controlled by Apex. Comes on at 77 disables at 78. This allows me to keep a very tight temperature tolerance with pump heat and lights. Fans also controlled by Apex turn on at 78.5 off at 78.3

1 heater backup also a cobalt controlled by Apex. Set at 76F off at 78 this is set for a primary failure. If it cycles I know primarily has failed.

Also cycle out primary heater once a year and use backup as primary and buy a new backup heater. [emoji6]

This is how I have mine setup you could do the same just with bigger /more heaters.

sinekal · Nov 5, 2016

I run a smaller heater as primary and a larger as secondary. I'm more trying to stop the temp from falling than trying to bring it back up with the smaller, but if it can't stop the fall the larger kicks in the bring it up to temp. Generally when it comes on it tends to stay on longer with this approach, and I have always felt the on off cycle is what breaks down heaters.

ws6kid · Nov 5, 2016

I would go with 2 that are slightly undersized. Have one come on within 1-2 degrees of where you want to be and the other come on at 3-4 degrees below. Keeps 1 heater from going crazy and overheating the tank. I also use Finnex controlled. Nothing with a built in thermostat or glass.

Wrasse · Nov 5, 2016

I don't think anyone should give you a solid recommendation without knowing more about the tank itself and the environment it will be located in. Here's some things to keep in mind that will help influence your decision. IMO everyone means well with the recommendations so far but for the most part it's just a mixture of names people have come to trust. Heating/cooling will be different from one 500 gallon tank to another. When you start getting into these sizes it becomes more important to consider the science behind it all.

What is the insulating value of the tank itself? Acrylic is often used for larger tanks and will insulate your tank roughly 5 times better than glass would.
What is the ambient room temperature on all sides of the tank?
Are and sides of the tank insulated (commonly there's additional R value on the bottom, sometimes back)?
Is there air conditioning in use?
Is there any heat loss from an open top or plumbing taking water elsewhere (eg. sump, basement sump)?
When you do a water change are you pre-heating the water, if not how much are you changing and what temp?
If you're planning to place the heaters in a sump what sort of turnover are you expecting? (a slower moving sump may not be able to adequately keep up with excessive heat loss from cold climates)
What duty cycle can the prospective heater support? Keep in mind not everything can run continuously and similarly frequently cycling anything can cause premature failure.

rockworm · Nov 5, 2016

Wrasse said:
I don't think anyone should give you a solid recommendation without knowing more about the tank itself and the environment it will be located in. Here's some things to keep in mind that will help influence your decision. IMO everyone means well with the recommendations so far but for the most part it's just a mixture of names people have come to trust. Heating/cooling will be different from one 500 gallon tank to another. When you start getting into these sizes it becomes more important to consider the science behind it all.

What is the insulating value of the tank itself? Acrylic is often used for larger tanks and will insulate your tank roughly 5 times better than glass would.

What is the ambient room temperature on all sides of the tank?

Are and sides of the tank insulated (commonly there's additional R value on the bottom, sometimes back)?

Is there air conditioning in use?

Is there any heat loss from an open top or plumbing taking water elsewhere (eg. sump, basement sump)?

When you do a water change are you pre-heating the water, if not how much are you changing and what temp?

If you're planning to place the heaters in a sump what sort of turnover are you expecting? (a slower moving sump may not be able to adequately keep up with excessive heat loss from cold climates)

What duty cycle can the prospective heater support? Keep in mind not everything can run continuously and similarly frequently cycling anything can cause premature failure.

I understand what you are saying, but for myself, I don't try to complicate it. I want to maintain a minimum of 78° in the tank. I don't mind if it climbs up a few degrees, but I dont want it to drop below my setting. I live in a region that goes from -22f in the winter to 86f in the summer. However, my house is maintained at 72° year round. (give or take a little). I have 2 dt's that total 475g and my goal is to have a minimum 78° in my tank. I originally had 1100w in heaters but found they struggled to maintain the minimum when I dropped my house heat to 66° at night. I added 300 and that minimum of 78 is easily maintained.

stunreefer · Nov 5, 2016

Aqua Logic Evo is your best choice.

Two undersized probes (with internal thermostats - like Ebo Jager) backed up by a Ranco would be good second tier choice. You could monitor with Apex if you want.

More here... never forget, heaters are evil.

revhtree · Nov 28, 2016

Thanks for the input. Looking to buy a heater in the next few days and looking for more input.

ReeferNoob77 · Nov 28, 2016

I am using the JBJ 1000 w titanium heater http://www.marinedepot.com/JBJ_True...um_Heaters-JBJ_Lighting-JB1531-FIHTTH-vi.html the controller broke within the first year but have it plugged into a RKL and keep it set at 78 and it is stable in a 300 g tank. I don't let it fluctuate in temp, it turns on at 77.9 and turns off at 78.